Background Information
Fatigue among pilots, both commercial and charter, can pose a great risk to the security of the plane, its crew, cargo being transported, and passengers (Borghini et al., 2015). Unlike what could be thought by many individuals, fatigue among pilots and other aviation personnel is a reality. A 20176 study by LSE and EUROCONTROL found out that many pilots felt fatigued in their line of duty. The study also found that many employers do not appreciate the risk of pilots being fatigued and thus do not have any measures to deal with the issue of fatigue among pilots.
Bourgeois-Bougrine et al. (2003) allude to the fact that it has been proven scientifically that fatigue has the ability to interfere with one’s ability to make decisions. Fatigue, therefore, reduces human performance. Fatigue is thought to be a major cause of accidents and incidents in the transport sector (Bourgeois-Bougrine et al., 2003). Such accidents and incidents in the aviation sector can have far-reaching effects as they can lead to massive losses of life and property.
There many factors in their line of duty which expose pilots to fatigue. These factors differ between commercial pilots and charter pilots and between pilots who go for long-haul flights and those who go for short-haul flights. The long hours of flight which translate into long hours of a high level of concentration cause both mental and physical fatigue to pilots who operate long-haul flights. Remaining in a sitting position for long hours is the chief contributor to physical fatigue, in this case. Frequent change of location and short hours of sleep explain both physical and mental fatigue in pilots operating short-haul flights (Jackson & Earl, 2006). Moreover, most commercial flight companies have tight schedules and a limited number of pilots which puts more pressure on the available pilots hence fatigue.
This study will thus aim to find out from the pilots any more factors that contributed to their fatigue and the impacts of fatigue of the pilots’ performance. Moreover the study will examine the various methods that are used by the pilots themselves and airline management to curb the challenge of fatigue among pilots. Finally, the study will look to evaluate the effectiveness of various programs meant to curb fatigue among pilots and to propose ways in which these programs can be made better.
Project Outcomes
PO 1 – Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevent, and control workplace safety and occupational health hazards within numerous industries to protect people, property, the environment and organizational operations.
Fatigue among pilots is an occupational health hazard since it puts the life of the pilot and any other individuals on the plane at risk. Moreover, based on previous literature, continuous mental and physical fatigue can cause depression among the pilots (Toker & Biron, 2012).However, considering the tight schedules of commercial flights, it can be anticipated that this problem is likely to remain with us for a long time to come and its depth might increase if it is not addressed adequately. This study will evaluate and substantiate this anticipation and help in determining mechanisms that can be put in place to control fatigue among pilots. Due to the risk it poses to the security of people and property, dealing with pilots’ fatigue can help in protecting them. Moreover, it will enhance the efficiency of the pilots at work hence that of the operations of the organizations which they work for.
PO 2: Effectively manage the occupational safety and health function within a variety of industries.
To manage occupational safety and the health function within the aviation industry, programs that address the health of various personnel within the industry need to be created. As at now, there are programs meant for the same purpose already in place. This study this aims to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs and to improve them where possible. Depending on the results of this study, the introduction of new programs will follow where it will be feasible. This way, this study will aid the learner in gaining capability to effectively manage the occupational safety and health functions in the aviation industry.
PO 3: Justify occupational safety and health programs, initiatives and control efforts through the use of business and risk management metrics, by maintaining compliance with applicable standards and regulations or through scientific evaluation of outcomes.
In order to justify the already existing health programs and initiatives meant to deal with fatigue among pilots, the study will use scientific methods to confirm the effectiveness of these programs. These scientific methods will combine both qualitative and quantitative study. Business and risk management metrics will ensure a balance between the health benefits of the programs and their interference with the enterprise side of the aviation sector. The study will use the same methods to determine the effectiveness of the programs and initiatives that will be proposed in it. In the process, the study will borrow heavily from current guidelines in the aviation industry to ensure that it remains in tandem with the standards and regulations that are set while proposing actions and evaluating the already on-going actions.
PO 4: Effectively communicate and interact with persons at all levels within an organization and externally about occupational safety, health and environmental management.
In the process of the study, the researcher will have to communicate with various personnel in the aviation sector in search of data. At the end of the study, the researcher shall present their research findings to an audience consisting of people from the organization and from outside. Moreover, presentation of the outcomes of the study to outsiders can also help them to maintain occupational safety in their organizations. As such, this project will aid learners in communicating effectively to people within and without the aviation sector. Moreover, it will give learners a platform to preach the message of occupational safety and health hazards to people within and without the aviation sector.
PO 5: Practice and perform in an ethical, moral, responsible, and accountable manner in all aspects, but especially in the practice of safety.
Health professionals in any organization should aim at maintaining ethics, morality, and responsibility while performing their task of safeguarding the health of all personnel in the organization and the security of the material wealth. However, while maintaining ethics, morality, and responsibility, health professionals should not interfere with organizational interests like profit making. It is at this point that ethical questions arise; some organizational interests clash with the values of ethics and morality. This study will look to expose the ethical dilemmas that emerge in the duty of safeguarding the health of aviation personnel and the security of materials. The study will also explore the various ways in which health professionals can handle these ethical and morality questions that could arise.
PO 6:Iidentify an occupational safety and health research problem; complete a thorough review of the scholarly literature; formulate hypotheses; collect and appropriately analyze data; and, interpret and report research findings to improve the field of occupational safety and health or to provide solutions to an occupational safety and health problem.
The occupational safety and health research problem identified is one of fatigue among pilots which poses great risk to the aviation sector. a literature review has been conducted to examine what is already known on the subject and identify information gaps. The following hypotheses have been formulated and will be used for the study:
- Hypothesis (Ha) – Tight-schedules in low cost airlines and management failure contribute to the problem of pilot fatigue and its long-term consequences.
- Hypothesis (Ho) – Tight-schedules in low cost airlines and management failure do not contribute to the problem of pilot fatigue and its long-term consequences.
- Hypothesis (Ha) – An integrated program can address the appropriate requirement of the operational environment of the aircraft is a necessity in addressing the issues that revolve around the issue of the fatigue among the pilots.
- Hypothesis (Ho) – An integrated program cannot address the appropriate requirement of the operational environment of the aircraft is a necessity in addressing the issues that revolve around the issue of the fatigue among the pilots.
The study will look to prove these hypotheses by collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, analyzing it, and discussing it. To assess the first hypothesis, the researcher will collect information by administering questionnaires to the main stakeholders. In this case, the targeted population will be the pilots and the airline managers. The researcher may also interview key informants. With this data, the researcher can run it on a qualitative data analyzer to come up with the key themes in the data collected; these themes will either confirm or refute the hypotheses. For the second hypotheses, the researcher will choose a recommended program and attempt to find information about the acceptability of their idea among stakeholders. If accepted, the researcher would try to implement this recommendation in the aviation industry and measure outcomes by administering a second set of questionnaires.
References
Borghini, G., Astolfi, L., Vecchiato, G., Mattia, D., & Babiloni, F. (2014). Measuring neurophysiological signals in aircraft pilots and car drivers for the assessment of mental workload, fatigue and drowsiness. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 44, 58-75.
Bourgeois-Bougrine, S., Carbon, P., Gounelle, C., Mollard, R., & Coblentz, A. (2003). Perceived fatigue for short-and long-haul flights: a survey of 739 airline pilots. Aviation, space, and environmental medicine, 74(10), 1072-1077.
Jackson, C. A., & Earl, L. (2006). Prevalence of fatigue among commercial pilots. Occupational medicine, 56(4), 263-268.
LSE. (n.d.). Half of airline pilots report fatigue which could jeopardise passenger safety – 12 – 2016 – News archives – News and media – Website archive – Home. Retrieved from http://www.lse.ac.uk/website-archive/newsAndMedia/newsArchives/2016/12/Half-of-airline-pilots-report-fatigue-which-could-jeopardise-passenger-safety.aspx
Toker, S., & Biron, M. (2012). Job burnout and depression: unraveling their temporal relationship and considering the role of physical activity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(3), 699-710.
