Study finds sleep deprivation lowers FIFO workers' attention by 20 percent

A study has found that fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers in Western Australia are not getting adequate sleep.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University analysed sleeping habits in 88 FIFO workers and found that lack of enough sleep reduced their attention by 20 per cent.

"As humans, we require about seven to nine hours of sleep per night," adjunct associate professor Ian Dunican said.

"People are getting approximately six hours of sleep working [12 hour] day shifts, five and a half after [12 hour] night shifts," he said.

Dr Dunican said employers need to do more to improve sleep health in the WA mining industry.

"I've been working around mining for the last 20 years, and I think it's quite poor, really that we haven't done more in this space," he said.

Read the full story on the ABC News website.