Fatigue Monitoring in the Offshore Sector: A Structured Assessment and Intervention Protocol

Abstract Fatigue and exhaustion management is an extremely relevant concern in offshore management systems due to working conditions that promote physical and mental fatigue in workers, starting from the days leading up to deployment through its conclusion. The fatigue and exhaustion monitoring protocol originates from a pre-embark emotional check-in process that has been conducted with offshore workers in Brazil since 2021. By January 2025, a total of 65.275 check-ins had been performed for 7.408 employees, aiming to monitor the worker's psychosocial state, acting both as a channel for individual psychological support and as a system for risk monitoring and escalation, triggering organizational alerts in higher-severity cases. The monitoring protocol serves as a channel for expressing vulnerabilities not previously considered by offshore companies’ formal management systems. If, in the electronic stage, the employee demonstrates a considerable level of vulnerability, a remote psychologist will contact them immediately, with the possibility of extending support to their family. Following the same methodology of offering three different layers of attention, the fatigue and exhaustion monitoring protocol can be summarized by the following stages: Electronic Monitoring: An automatic electronic assessment received at the start of the second half of the offshore period, containing five questions referring to stressors during deployment, sleep quality, focus and concentration, mood, and self-assessment of fatigue level. If no vulnerability is detected, the process ends at this stage. Otherwise, individualized support is initiated to offer assistance and understand the fatigue and exhaustion context. In addition to recording data, this phase also serves as a self-reflection tool, helping the worker think about their readiness for work, recognizing possible signs and symptoms of fatigue. Remote Individual Support: When data indicate vulnerability, the worker is contacted by specialized psychologists who conduct an assessment to understand the fatigue situation and its severity. If fatigue is moderate, remote follow-up is carried out during the offshore period. If signs of exhaustion are detected, the next stage is initiated. Organizational Alerts: This stage is triggered only in critical cases when the health department is informed, integrating the case into the risk management system or decision-making process, depending on severity. Just like the pre-embark emotional check-in, the fatigue protocol aims to create a corporate channel for individualized monitoring and support, allowing continuous data analysis to identify vulnerability trends by unit, department, and role. Compared to wearable-based approaches that focus on detecting physiological biomarkers, this protocol offers an active care response to the worker. Beyond identifying fatigue, it provides personalized follow-up for the worker, with direct psychological support and, when necessary, support extended to the family. The main difference lies in the focus on the worker's psychosocial state and surroundings, with immediate interventions and promotion of a culture of psychological safety, allowing the worker to report their condition without fear of retaliation, contributing to organizational learning and resilience.