Rest and Recuperation are times during the day where workers can take time off work, recover from the stress imposed by the demands of work, recharge mentally and physically, and return to their duties of work having rallied their energy. The average worker will work for thirty-seven-and-a-half hours a week, for forty-eight weeks out of the year. The average working day is approximately eight hours, with a break inbetween. During the continuous hours in with a worker is working, they are attending to the demands of their work, which may be physical, mental, emotional, or a combination of all three. The demands of work across these domains imposes demands on workers' bodies and physiology, their minds, and their psyche over the course of their shift. These demands may become more intense during busy periods, and may expand or contract depending on the work system. Rest and recuperation are needed to provide workers with the time and space needed to work safely, sustainably, and successfully. Take your breaks. Union boys died for them.
Workers are obliged to complete their duties of work within their ordinary hours of work as specified in their contracts which may be different for full-time, part-time, and casual employees. In Australia, the most common occupation is that of Sales Assistant, where the General Retail Industry Award allows a maximum of nine hours rostered per day, 72 hours worked per fortnight. That same award provides for the minimum number of rest breaks and meal times. Rest breaks are 10min paid breaks that count as worked time, and meal breaks are 30-60min unpaid breaks that do not count as work time, except for shift workers. The number of rest and meal breaks to which a worker is entitled is specified by the award for that industry, and this award also specified the minimum amount of time to which an worker is entitled between finishing work on one day and starting work on the next day. The arrangement of start and finish times, rest and meal break times, and shift distribution times is described in the relevant Industry Award for that occupational group.
Workers need rests, breaks, and time between shifts to recover from the stress developed from meeting the demands of their work. Rests, breaks, and time between shifts should therefore be considered when organising work to minimise the effects of accumulating stress and strain that workers experience. Insufficient rest and time away from work results in physical, mental, and psychological strain that can increase the risk of illness as a consequence of uncontrolled physical strain, can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, elevated blood pressure, and some cancers. Accumulated psychological strain increases the likelihood of developing stress which itself can cause other health issues, physical fatigue which affects concentration and which can increase the risk of errors, and affect work performance. For these reasons, the start and end times of shifts and distribution of rest breaks and meals within that shift should be structured to prevent the accumulation of strain, and should be adjusted in times of increased occupational load to accommodate the effect of increased demands.
Importantly, workers need rest outside of work as well. The right to disconnect reinforces this principle by ensuring that time away from work is genuinely restorative, free from the expectation of monitoring or responding to work‑related contact. Rest outside of work allows workers to recover from the cumulative physical, mental, and emotional demands of their duties, supporting sustainable participation and reducing the risk of fatigue‑related errors, stress, and long‑term health consequences. Protecting this time is essential for maintaining wellbeing, preserving work–life boundaries, and ensuring that workers return to their duties with the capacity, clarity, and resilience needed to perform safely and effectively.
Each workplace is different, with different demands, methods of business, and is staffed by people whose capacities, needs, and risk profiles are different. Managing ergonomic, environmental, and occupational health and safety challenges requires a business to examine and engage with the ecosystem of factors that give rise to risk, and how that risk may affect people. Each workplace is different and so sometimes the same problem will require different solutions. This applies to workers as well - every person is different and so may require different support, supervision, or resources to perform comfortably and sustainably. Under Work Health and Safety law, consultation with the workforce, the control of risk as far as is reasonably practicable, and the provision of information, training, instruction and support to the worker by the workplace, is essential to meet obligations to provide workers with a workplace that is as free of risk as far is reasonably practicable.
In our capacity as consultants, Atlas Physio will explore and scope the business and its needs, examining how exposures, risks, and processes contribute to the hazard ecosystem, best inform the design and arrangement of procedural, policy-based, and practical risk controls. Our solutions are tailored to the needs of those with whom we work, implemented in a simple, sustainable, and supportive fashion, designed to be robust and resilient, and to support the ongoing life of the business as well as the sustainable wellbeing of the workers who undertake the day to day activities of work.
At Atlas Physio, we provide reporting, structured control, and ongoing management of risk onsite, on the road, and wherever work is done. We are open seven days a week, and are happy to offer a brief complimentary discussion to explore the needs of your business and your workers if you are an employer, and your needs if you are a worker. Reach out today to arrange a discussion and take the first step toward managing risk and working safely, supported by expertise that is practical, reliable, and designed to deliver lasting results.