Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) regularly work extended hours and throughout the night (Rankin, n.d.). The pressure of working during those late hours and under severe time constraints, the safety consequences of maintaining an aging aircrafts, and other factors had affected the performance of AMTs in the aviation industry. According to the FAA, such type of occupation with long extend hours of work can lead to a sleep deprivation, which can lead to fatigue. The FAA also said fatigue is considered as a major human factor that lead to many maintenance errors that resulted in many aircraft accidents. The fatigue can be physiological or psychological in nature (FAA). An AMT provide an important service to the aviation industry, and then it is important to realize the role of fatigue in AMT operations, because when an AMT is not performing according to standards, it could compromise the safety of the aircraft. Discussion An AMT is said to be in fatigue state, whenever he or she sense a reduction in “cognitive ability, coordination, decision-making, reaction time, speed, strength and balance” (FAA, pg. 14-17). As stated earlier, it can be physiological or psychological in nature (FAA). Fatigue reduces an AMT’s alertness, and ability to focus and paying attention to a task that he or she was assigned to perform. Short-term memory problems and direct concentration on insignificant issues while ignoring the important ones are also symptoms of fatigue. An AMT who suffers from fatigue may be distracted very easily or nearly impossible to be distracted. Maintenance personnel may also experience abnormal mood swings and poor judgment or possibly no decision at all (FAA). In an effort not to push AMTs beyond their limits, some civil... ... middle of paper ... ...unities have already acted proactively and implemented fatigue management training program created from experimental research and best practices. These programs can be very effective in reducing the effect of fatigue in the maintenance communities, but still there are some challenges and limitations that might be faced with in the training program and will need to resolve. As in the case of the disparity between the safety board and FAA in relation to declaring work time regulation aimed at mitigating fatigue related issues in the maintenance communities. FAA needs to cooperate work time regulation into maintenance communities. In addition, by combining a strong fatigue risk management with education and training will be the most effective way to mitigated fatigue related issues in the maintenance communities. Till then, AMTs will just be pushed to get enough sleep.
In 2011 The Joint Commission called attention to healthcare worker fatigue and the impact it was having on patient safety. They found a direct link between healthcare worker fatigue and adverse events. They recommended healthcare facilities assessed their policies to identify fatigue-related risks, such as off-shift hours and consecutive shift work, and review their staffing to address areas that may be contributing to nurse fatigue (Martin, 2015).
workloads, work hours, burnout, and the many state forms that workers have to use which are
Alarm fatigue is a growing problem that causes nurses to feel overwhelmed and not perform to the best of their abilities. Many people don’t understand the concept of alarm fatigue until they are in a hospital and hear the different noises going on first hand. Alarm fatigue occurs when nurses or other health care members have sensory overload due to the alarms, which then lead to ignoring the alarms raising concerns with patient safety (Horkan, 2014).
Most of the Aviation accidents have been greatly attributed to “Pilot Fatigue” (Mohler, 1998). This is because a pilot’s input into the aircraft is majorly dependent on his consciousness on the job, therefore incase he or she may be fatigued then this provides room for error in his inputs (Smith, 2008). Even though the technological advancements in avionics the flight systems of the current aircrafts have preventive mechanisms put in place that makes sure that the pilots are always alert, without sleep and freshened, small effects of fatigue can greatly jeopardize flight safety (Mohler, 1998). This is so because the duties performed by the pilot in the cockpit require a lot of vigilance, care as well as both mental and physical well being and alertness. Having considered this it is very hard to eliminate the cockpit noise, aircraft vibration, the long flights; little sleep as well as irregular work schedules which are the major contributors to pilot fatigue and which can have great influence on his or her performance. This paper dissects the major factors that cause pilot fatigue; the impact of pilot fatigue as well as the damages associated with the same and concludes with ways of managing the same.
A considerable amount of literature has been published on the impact of working hours (8 vs. 12 hour shifts) on fatigue among the nurses. These studies revealed that twelve-hour shifts increase the risk of fatigue, reduce the level of alertness and performance, and therefore reduce the safety aspect compared to eight-hour shifts (Mitchell and Williamson, 1997; Dorrian et al., 2006; Dembe et al., 2009; Tasto et al., 1978). Mills et al. (1982) found that the risk of fatigues and performance errors are associated with the 12-hour shifts. Beside this, Jostone et al. (2002) revealed that nurses who are working for long hours are providing hasty performance with increased possibility of errors.
The thyroid is the energy generator of the body. All of us experience fatigue at some time in our lives because of lack of sleep, overwork, or stress. For individuals with hypothyroidism, fatigue is a way of life. There never seems to be enough energy. But, you don’t have to feel this way. For those who suffer from hypothyroidism, there is HOPE.
In the recent past, nursing has come to the forefront as a popular career amongst students across the globe. The demand for nurses has kept increasing gradually over the years. In fact, the number of registered nurses does not meet the demand of the private and public health sector. This phenomenon has resulted in a situation where the available registered nurses have to work extra hours in order to meet the patients’ needs. With this in mind, the issue of nurse fatigue has come up as a common problem in nursing. According to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), nurse fatigue is “a feeling of tiredness” that penetrates a persons physical, mental and emotional realms limiting their ability to function normally. Fatigue does not just involve sleepiness as has been assumed before. It involves utter exhaustion that is not easily mitigated through rest. When nurses ignore the signs of fatigue, they risk the development of chronic fatigue and other health problems that may not be easily treated. Additionally, fatigue may cause nurses to lose more time at work as they may have to be away from work for several days to treat it. The issue of nurse fatigue has permeated the nursing profession to the extent of causing errors in the work performed by nurses. Fatigue causes a decrease in a nurse’s ability to make accurate decisions for themselves and their patients. It is therefore important to find ways to curb nurse fatigue such that it is no longer a problem. Nurse fatigue is a danger to the patients, organizations and to the nurses themselves and must be mitigated adequately.
Fatigue is a typical sign of an underlying stress related condition. The body’s sympathetic nervous system (SNS) releases an epinephrine (adrenaline) hormone, along with increased heart rate, as an automatic “fight or flight” response to a stressful situation. Long term fatigue and adrenal exhaustion is bound to develop over time as police officers are repeatedly met with stressful situations. To work as a police officer, staying alert and maintaining concentration is necessary; therefore, rest is also necessary to preserve
On February 12th of 2009, Colgan Airlines flight 3407 operated for Continental Airlines crashed in Buffalo, New York in a rural neighborhood. This incident caused forty-five lives on the aircraft and one life on the ground to be lost due to pilot fatigue. The aircraft stalled on approach due to icing. Capt. Marvin Renslow and F.O. Rebecca Shaw, the pilots operating the flight, had slept in the crew room at the airport affecting their quality and length of sleep the previous night. This caused the pilots’ reaction to icing, a routinely encountered substance while flying, to be below standards and improper. According to the NTSB report, the probable cause of the incident was deemed pilot error. In the report, fatigue was noted as a large contributing factor to the incorrect response to the stall. This incident has sparked debate within the airline industry as to how much sleep pilots need. Airline pilot unions and pilots are pressing for less flying and more rest. However, unions and pilots alike have been voicing their opinions on pilot fatigue for decades on the issue, with no adequate response from Congress or the Federal Aviation Administration. With over twenty-eight thousand commercial flights per day in the United States carrying over one and a half million people, serious changes need to be mandated. Some of these changes have already come, but is that enough? Even though reducing the maximum number of hours pilots are allowed to be on duty would require more pilots, and cost more, pilots have less situational awareness when tired, endangering the lives aboard their aircraft, there is still no reliable method of testing fatigue, and .
If each worker had the proper amount of sleep, then companies would lose any time on this
In 1994, Okogbaa et. al looked to define an experimental approach that examines the neurophysiological correlates of white collar worker mental fatigue using the EEG signal (Okogbaa, 1994). Fourteen male subjects completed the study in one day over a six-hour period. They completed arithmetic problems as well as standardized reading tasks. Before and after the experiment they completed a subjective rating test (Okogbaa, 1994). This study was able to identify a correlation between workload and mental fatigue (Okogbaa, 1994). This research is a major step towards the development of a model that explores the relationship between mental fatigue and factors associated with output performance, optimal recuperation periods and related variables.
According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it is estimated that fatigue is a cause in 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 crash-related deaths a year in the U.S.
Maynard, W., & Brogmus, G. (2006). Safer shift work through more effective scheduling. Occupational health and safety, 16.
Human beings are at times lazy, they always look for the easy way to everything, so they use shortcuts in all parts of their life including their professional one. But, when employees take shortcuts while accomplishing their tasks, especially when working with chemicals or complex machinery, often they put themselves at risk of being injured or dying. Further, a worker’s personal and professional life are linked, so if he or she is stressed, it might affect their ability to concentrate, which causes
Fatigue can occur in people of any age, and has a number of underlying causes. It can be caused by both habits and medical problems. Some causes of fatigue are aspects of our lives that we have more control over. For example, what you eat can be causing your symptoms. You may be tempted to reach for caffeine and sugar for a quick energy boost, but these will also cause your blood sugar to spike, which will lead to a heavy crash. This will begin a vicious cycle where you keep using the same foods for energy that are causing your fatigue.