NTL Record

Title Physiological responses to unvarying (steady) and 2-2-1 shifts : Miami International Flight Service Station.
Record ID 39479
Personal Name
Creator
Melton, C.E.
Corporate Creator Civil Aeromedical Institute
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Office of Aviation Medicine
Publisher Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Publication Date 19850200
Language English
Abstract Two types of shift rotation in the same air traffic facility were investigated in order to determine the relative advantages and disadvantages of nonrotating shift work (steady shift) and rotating shift work. The rotating shift work chosen for comparison was a 2-2-1 pattern often preferred by air traffic controllers, and which consists of a schedule of progressively earlier work periods throughout the workweek, with 9 to 14 hours off duty between 8-hour work periods, and an extended off-duty period of 80 hours between workweeks. Objective differences, as judged by urine biochemistry, between workers on the two shift patterns are minimal and insignificant statistically. Generally, however, greater fatigue was reported in connection with the 2-2-1 rotation than with the steady shift, both preshift and postshift. When prework to postwork changes in subjective fatigue were compared for the two shift patterns, no statistically significant differences were noted. Within the 2-2-1 schedule, there was (i) significantly greater excretion of catecholamines on the day watch as compared to the evening watch; and (ii) significantly greater preshift fatigue reported on day shift than evening shift. Despite the observed differences between and within the steady and rotating shift patterns, employee participation in shift pattern choice may have contributed greatly to worker contentment and willingness to accept the observed stressors. Keywords: Shift Work, Air Traffic Controllers, Biochemistry, Fatigue, Employee Participation.
Rosap ID dot:21260
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/21260
TRT Terms Air traffic controllers; Shifts; Physiological aspects; Physiological fatigue; Attitudes; Urinalysis; Amines; Sleep; Physiological stress; Alternatives analysis
General Subjects Air traffic controllers; Hours of labor--Physiological aspects; Fatigue; Attitude (Psychology); Urine--Analysis; Catecholamines; Creatinine; Adrenaline; Noradrenaline; Sleep; Stress (Physiology)
Classification NTL - AVIATION - Air Traffic Control;
NTL - AVIATION - Aviation Human Factors
Geographical
Coverage
Miami (Florida)
Report Number FAA-AM-85-2; DOT/FAA/AM-85/2
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/39000/39400/39479/AM85-02.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository