NTL Record

Title Shipboard Crew Fatigue, Safety and Reduced Manning
Record ID 33413
Personal Name
Creator
Pollard, John K.; Sussman, E. D.; Stearns, M. D.
Source 122p. in various pagings
Corporate Creator John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
Publisher United States. Maritime Administration
Publication Date 19901100
Language English
Abstract This report describes an exploratory first phase of an investigation of human stress and fatigue in the merchant marine. Its principal purposes were to: survey the effects of fatigue on human performance in the transportation industries; describe the state of the art in measuring fatigue; investigate the causes of stress and fatigue on merchant ships; summarize the insights gained about the implications of reduced manning as well as measures to mitigate fatigue; and discuss the results of preliminary attempts to gauge fatigue during the routing voyages using survey methods. The findings in this report are based primarily upon about three dozen extended interviews conducted with officers on five merchant vessels during brief coastal voyages. In the course of these interviews, more than a score of variables were identified which affect fatigue and stress, which may be grouped into organizational factors, voyage and schedul ing factors, ship-design factors, and physical/environmental factors. These interact in complex fashion resulting in widely different levels of fatigue on different ships and in different situations. The physiological and behavioral methods of fatigue measurement reviewed were found to be difficult to apply during routine operations, but the self-reporting survey techniques tested eventually proved quite workable. It was concluded that organization and design factors could provide opportunities under some circumstances for the design and operation of advanced merchant ships which can be sailed safely and efficiently by well-rested crews which are smaller than are common today.
Rosap ID dot:8624
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8624
TRT Terms Physiological fatigue; Physiological stress; Merchant marine; Personnel performance; State of the art studies; Ships; Measurement
General Subjects Merchant Marine; Ship Automation; Crew-reduction; Fatigue; Stress; Sleep Loss
Classification NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - SAFETY AND SECURITY;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Human Factors
Geographical
Coverage
United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
608472
Contract Number MAT011/W0029
Report Number DOT-VNTSC-MARAD-90-1; DOT-MA-RD-840-90014
Availability Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/33000/33400/33413/33413.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository