Eurocontrol and Fatigue

I have, of course, been doing some research on controller fatigue, in that I’m getting so many questions about it. I decided to look at Eurocontrol and see what they are up to. From the first hit I got on Google: (It’s a .pdf file.)

”Naps can be very useful as they can maintain or improve alertness, performance and mood. If you can't get enough sleep or feel drowsy, a nap as short as 15 minutes can be helpful. (3) (5)

The evening or night shift worker should take a nap during break time to increase alertness and reduce sleepiness. Napping at the workplace is especially effective for workers who need to maintain a high degree of alertness, attention to detail, and who must make quick decisions. In situations where the worker is working double shifts or longer, naps at the workplace are even more important and are highly recommended. (5)”

It continues later on...

”For The Employer

-- Schedule shifts to allow suffcient breaks and days off, especially when workers are re-assigned to different shifts. Plan enough time between shifts to allow employees to not only get enough sleep, but also attend to their personal lives.

-- Don't promote overtime among shift workers.

-- Encourage napping by providing a sleep friendly space and time for scheduled employee naps. A short break for sleep can improve alertness, judgement, safety and productivity. ”

This was probably written by a bunch of union-loving socialists trying to come up with a “bigger insult to the taxpayer ” -- right, Chairman Mica? (I counted over a dozen posts here at Get the Flick about Chairman Mica. Take your pick. He’s pretty consistent. But this is by far my favorite.)

I’ve given ample warning to my regular readers about Chairman Mica. I had no idea that I’d be in the same news story with him when I taped the NPR piece. So, for the folks joining me from NPR, Chairman Mica has been trying to do the same thing to controllers that he and his fellow Republicans have been trying to do to NPR. When you think about it, there really isn’t any difference between “privatize ATC” and “defund NPR”. Chairman Mica doesn’t like government.

Don Brown
April 19, 2011