FATIGUE KILLS!
While human error is credited with a minimum of 80% of all aviation accidents, fatigue could be another hidden factor. Fatigue can be either acute (intense but short duration) or chronic (long duration).
Sources of Fatigue • Cumulative sleep loss • Continuous wakefulness • Jet Lag • Excessive crewmember duty time • Shift changes • Dehydration • Poor physical condition • Lack of stimulation/Boredom • Poor posture/Seat comfort • Unresolved stress
OBVIOUS SOURCES OF FATIGUE
Lack of Sleep It is generally accepted that humans need a fairly consistent 6 - 8 hours of sleep to fully refresh and function near 100%. Without this consistent 6 - 8 hours a day, the ongoing lack of sleep carries with it a compounding effect.
Long Hours of Labor
It may be obvious that long hours leads to fatigue, however, not so obvious is that the type of work will cause fatigue. Repetitive motions, monotonous work without using the “thinking” or problem-solving parts of the brain may induce further fatigue. This is especially true if combined with other fatigue factors.
Stress
Stress, both acute and chronic, are precursors to sleep disorders resulting in fatigue. Stress is your reaction to change. Whether it’s cause is biological, psychological, or sociological, stress affects sleep schedules and sleep quality. Those factors result in increased fatigue.
Boredom
There is a reason why prison is considered punishment -- BOREDOM! Boredom is a condition that can be more stressful and damaging than overwork.
As a job gets more routine, boredom sets in and creates dangers of complacency. The repetitive tasks of passenger briefings or preflight equipment checks can be overshadowed by personal business, email and texts or issues like, “who is taking care of the cat?” Don’t lose sight of the importance of doing the little things right.
While you can be very competent at your job, after awhile, those skills can go on auto-pilot, and that’s a problem. The tedium of doing the same things over and over again causes fatigue, which potentially leads to disaster.
Signs of Fatigue • Micro sleep • Slow reaction time • Poor judgment • Lethargy • Euphoric, punchy • Loss of situational awareness • Restlessness • Fixation • Unaware of fatigue
CRM 2, TEM, Fatigue 18
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