Daylight Saving Time begins every Spring in most of North America when we advance our clocks forward by one hour.
When Daylight Saving Time starts workers will wake one hour earlier than normal, begin and complete daily work routines earlier and will have an extra hour of daylight at the end of the workday.
This also means that there will be one less hour of daylight at the start of each workday and the time change may cause an abrupt adjustment to waking, driving or starting work in the dark.
In the Spring clocks moved forward when Daylight Saving Time starts. In the Fall, at the end of Daylight Saving Time, the clocks move back and everyone enjoys one extra hour.
When Daylight Saving Time begins we have basically lost an hour of time. Even though losing only one hour doesn’t seem like much, it can cause quite a disruption in our schedules and affect our mental and physical health for a few days until our bodies adjust.
The time change can cause people to become anxious, stressed, or fatigued and these feelings have the potential to affect our own safety and the safety of those around us, at home, on the job or while on the road. Be patient, and allow yourself time to adjust.
Workplace injuries increase when workers’ reaction time and awareness are decreased from being fatigued. Adjust your sleep with the upcoming time change to help your body sync with the time difference.
Consider gradually adjusting your sleep schedule in the days leading up to the time change. By going to bed 10-15 minutes earlier every night your body has more time to adjust.
On the evening of the time change adjust your clocks forward by one hour and then go to bed at your normal bedtime.
If you don’t have to work on Sunday, use that day to adjust your daily routines to the new schedule.
Taking the time to prepare yourself mentally and physically before the time change will reduce your feelings of stress and fatigue. Encourage your family to do the same.
Take into consideration your daily commute and the other drivers on the road that may be rushed or stressed because of the time change.
For a while after daylight saving time starts, the morning hours may be darker which may affect your drive to school or to work.
As you, and other drivers on the road, are adjusting to the darker morning conditions, take extra care while driving.
Avoid being late which can cause you to rush. Do as many tasks as you can the day before so the first morning you have to go to work after the time change is as calm as possible.
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A membership to Weeklysafety.com comes at a very low price that never goes up no matter how many employees you have and no matter how many awesome safety topics you use. Included in your membership are hundreds of safety topics that you can use for your safety meetings, toolbox talks and safety moments.
Take a look at our website to learn more about everything that comes with a Weeklysafety.com membership. Click below to learn more today!
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