Fatigue risk management systems in business aviation: The worker's perception on fatigue and its effects
Abstract
The reputation of air transportation often lies on the safety record of its operation. Yet with numerous risks coming from multiple directions, the aviation industry has established many countermeasures such as standard operating procedures, checklists, and Safety Management Systems to mitigate known hazards. However, accidents continue to occur and the National Transportation Safety Bureau has increasingly stated fatigue as a factor in recent incidents. Subsequently, this research was an evaluation of Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) in business aviation, where the worker's perception on the knowledge of fatigue and its adverse effects were analyzed. Subjects from a business aviation company based in the Asia-Pacific region were asked to provide their perception on the nine (9) subtopics of FRMS; (a) working non-traditional hours, (b) fatigue, (c) sleep and Napping, (d) food and water, (e) caffeine, drugs, and alcohol, (f) health and well-being, (g) social and family life, (h) work schedule design, and (i) jet lag. Through the subjects' responses, it was interesting to identify a wide range of common themes and perspectives about fatigue. A Delphi technique was used to ensure the validity of the research findings. This research found that there were a wide range of perspectives to the knowledge of fatigue and its effects. There were some general consensus to the basic ideas of fatigue, but opinions were more diverse on the technically in-depth questions. Research findings suggested that of the nine FRMS subtopics, jet lag, work schedule design, and fatigue were the most important issues to their regular job duties. Supplementary anecdotal findings also suggested that there was a different fatigue perception between flight crews and office staff. This research ultimately provided a framework for further research opportunities in FRMS for business aviation companies.
Degree
M.S.
Advisors
Petrin, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Behavioral psychology|Management|Behavioral Sciences
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