T he aviation industry is noth- ing if not focused on making the most of our customers’ time, and that means for most of us that we work in a 24/7 environment with an almost constant pressure to perform. With that kind of opera- tion, fatigue-related incidents are an easily predicted outcome. Scheduling within the dynamic environments of an FBO, maintenance facility, or flight department can create some challenging constraints to managing the risks of fatigue; so, adopting a holistic approach to fatigue mitiga- tion is key to an effective system. In practice, many operators continue to struggle with designing strate- gies that are scaled and scoped to the exposure they face. Managing fatigue systematically doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process. Understanding how and why fatigue may become an issue, including warning signs, and effective counter- measures can help create an efficient fatigue management that works in your organization, no matter the size. It is worth mentioning that al- though fatigue is a universal issue, no standards exist for most aviation workers where extended or unusual work shifts are concerned. Of course, FAA regulations govern maximum duty time for some workers, but there are no OSHA standards, for example, that address fatigue. Voluntary standards, however, are increasingly focused on fatigue management, and the International Business Aviation Council’s IS-BAOTM and IS-BAHTM standards both require registrants to demonstrate performance of their fatigue management processes. Although the absence of a clear, over- arching standard may bring one set of issues, the advantage is that operators can design a system that works, rather than focus primarily on compliance. Aviation Business Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016 Around the world, it is estimated that nearly 250,000 workers are injured on the ramp each year. Pilot and maintainer fatigue remains on the NTSB’s Most Wanted list for Transportation Safety Improvements, and the NTSB has issued more than 200 fatigue-related safety recommen- dations across all modes of trans- portation. The Centers for Disease Control estimates between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders; and ramp and mainte- nance studies consistently rank stress and fatigue as second only to time pressure as a contributing factor to human error. There is no doubt that reducing fatigue is important, but many workers do not under- stand the full potential of fatigue as it relates to reducing performance. When someone has been awake for 21 hours, their performance is as impaired as someone with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%. Well before that level of sleep deprivation, fatigue begins to degrade judgment, increasing the chance that a person will underestimate the risk associ- ated with vehicle speed, working height or equipment. Perhaps most concerning is that the more fatigued a person becomes, the worse they are at judging how fatigued they really are. Dexterity suffers with fatigue, too. When someone is sleep-impaired, the manual skill necessary to prop- erly execute a task, or to effectively use PPE for the task, is significantly degraded and perceptual disturbances such as difficulty seeing or hearing begin to appear. Given our proximity in and around aircraft, reductions in reaction time as alertness wanes, or fatigue-induced declining judgment or skill can escalate quickly into high- consequence events. This increased probability that a fatigued worker will not follow procedures or perceive small errors is compounded by a sub- stantial increase in injuries to workers who do not have enough sleep. The University of British Columbia found that workers scheduled for night or rotating shifts were injured almost twice as frequently as their day shift counterparts. Although this increased chance of injury (and the increased workers compensation costs that accompany it) might be compel- ling enough for many operators, it is important to remember that fatigue does not occur in a vacuum. Instead, fatigue-related injuries, incidents and accidents are the function of associ- ated risks as well, and mature organi- zations must focus not only on proper rest, but on the stressors like perfor- mance degradation, slowed reaction time and dulled perception of micro- errors that are often a part of, and are negatively affected by, worker fatigue. The traditional approach to fatigue management focuses on prescribed limits for maximum duty hours or flight time. Although these regula- tory controls set some useful limits, the approach takes a one-size-fits-all view, rather than allowing opera- tors to manage fatigue risk specific to their operations. Beyond simply complying with regulations, a focus on performance-based policies and procedures is a more effective and efficient way to address fatigue. To effectively and systematically manage fatigue across varied operations, it is important to know what fatigue is and what factors might increase risk. Though we have all experienced tiredness at one time or another, fatigue is a different matter. From the FAA Advisory Circular 120- 103A, “Fatigue is a complex state characterized by a lack of alertness and reduced mental and physical performance, often accompanied by Continued on page 27 25
