FIELD-BASED VALIDATIONS OF A WORK-RELATED FATIGUE MODEL BASED ON HOURS OF WORK

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2001

Subject Area

operations - service span, infrastructure - vehicle, ridership - commuting, ridership - forecasting, ridership - forecasting, organisation - management

Keywords

Working hours, Work-related fatigue model, Work days, Train crews, Time of day, Shifts, Risk management, Periods of the day, Night shifts, Modeling, Hours of service (Work hours), Hours of labor, Highway vehicle operators, Field studies, Fatigue (Physiological condition), Fatigue (Biology), Accident risk forecasting

Abstract

A wide range of operations such as transport, healthcare, mining, manufacturing, and emergency services utilize shift work. Shift work, particularly night work, is associated with decreased quantity and quality of sleep. Such changes to sleep manifest themselves in ways such as increased sleepiness, fatigue, and accident risk. To manage these risks, particularly in operational environments, a work-related fatigue model has been developed. To date, strong correlations have been observed with a range of measures in empirical and laboratory experiments. The purpose of this study was to determine if these observed relationships between predicted fatigue, alertness, and performance also exist in the workplace. Data was analyzed from 193 train drivers who filled in sleep and work diaries, wore actigraphs, performed subjective alertness and objective performance tests before and after each shift for a period of two weeks during a normal schedule. The findings of the present study show that there was a stronger relationship between predicted fatigue and self-rated alertness than between predicted fatigue and performance. Furthermore, the fatigue model predicted self-rated alertness better in the afternoon and evening hours, when employees worked up to four consecutive shifts. With further field validation of the current model, there is potential for work-related fatigue to be predicted from actual or potential hours of work. In the future, such models may help to clarify the direct and indirect costs of poor fatigue management on safety, productivity, and efficiency.

Comments

Transportation Research Part F Home Page: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478

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