Fatigue Risk Management in a Major Airline

Abstract

Abstract The problem of fatigue Fatigue can be defined as a progressive decline in alertness and cognitive performance that results in sleep. Fatigue is an everyday occurrence that, in an ideal world, does not pose a significant health and safety risk. However, in 24/7 industries such as the oil and gas industries which require a proportion of the workforce to undertake shiftwork or work outside of ‘standard’ office hours, fatigue can pose a significant risk (e.g. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 2005; US National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB), 2007; International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), 2005). Unfortunately, our appreciation of fatigue risk stems largely from the role fatigue has played in catastrophic incidents. For example, fatigue was identified as a contributor to the highly publicised incidents at Chernobyl and Bhopal. Fatigue is also estimated to contribute to 15% of fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles (VicRoads, 2006) and the NTSB (2007) has linked pilot fatigue to ten commercial accidents since 1993. Additional causes of fatigue relevant to the oil and gas industries include long work hours, long commute times, international travel, personal responsibilities – for example a new baby, medical difficulties, such as chronic pain, non-ideal sleeping environments, drugs and alcohol. Hours of work limitations, such as The Working Time Regulations (1998) and European Drivers' Hours Rules (European Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006), are the primary strategies used to control fatigue risk. These rule sets provide clear boundaries for work and rest time and in the past it has been generally assumed that, so long as organizations are compliant with the rules, an adequate level of safety will be maintained. Recently, however, prescribed hours of work limitations have been criticised on the basis that they are largely determined by industrial and political relations, rather than being based in science (Fatigue Expert Group, 2001). Why we need more than prescribed limitations on hours of work Hours of work limitations, such as The Working Time Regulations (1998) and European Drivers' Hours Rules (European Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006), are the primary strategies used to control fatigue risk. These rule sets provide clear boundaries for work and rest time and in the past it has been generally assumed that, so long as organizations are compliant with the rules, an adequate level of safety will be maintained. Recently, however, prescribed hours of work limitations have been criticised on the basis that they are largely determined by industrial and political relations, rather than being based in science (Fatigue Expert Group, 2001).