More sleeping the solution for tired controllers
Source: Agencies |
April 16, 2011, Saturday
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THE best solution to the problem of sleepy air traffic controllers is more sleeping on the job, scientists say.
But that would be a radical change for the US Federal Aviation Administration. Current regulations forbid sleeping at work, even during breaks. Controllers who are caught can be suspended or fired.
Experts say that kind of thinking is outdated.
"There should be sanctioned on-shift napping. That's the way to handle night shift work," said Gregory Belenky, a sleep expert at Washington State University in Spokane.
Plenty of other scientists in the United States and around the world agree with him. Sleep studies show that nighttime workers who are allowed "recuperative breaks" are more alert when they return to their tasks.
A working group on controller fatigue made up of officials from the FAA and the union that represents air traffic controllers also recently embraced that position.
The issue has taken on a new urgency in the wake of four recent episodes in which the FAA says controllers fell asleep while on duty. The most recent case occurred this week when the pilot of a plane transporting a critically ill passenger was unable to raise the sole controller working at 2am in the tower of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada.
The FAA said the controller was out of communication for 16 minutes. Controllers at a regional radar facility in California assisted the plane, which landed safely.
The episodes have sent administration officials scrambling to assure the public and angry members of Congress that air travel is safe.
Even President Barack Obama weighed in, telling ABC News in an interview: "We've got it under control," and warning controllers they must stay alert and do their jobs. "The fact is when you're responsible for the lives and safety of people up in the air, you better do your job," he said.
The FAA and the controllers union - with assistance from NASA and the Mitre Corp, among others - has come up with 12 recommendations for tackling sleep-inducing fatigue among controllers. Among those recommendations is that the FAA change its policies to give controllers on midnight shifts as much as two hours to sleep plus a half-hour to wake up.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday promised to work with Congress to ensure there was enough money to keep control tower staffing at levels that ensure safety.
More than two decades ago, NASA scientists concluded that airline pilots were more alert and performed better during landings when they were allowed to take turns napping during the cruise phase of flights. The FAA chose to ignore recommendations that US pilots be allowed "controlled napping." But other countries, using NASA's research, have adopted such policies.
Several countries - including France, Germany, Canada and Australia - also permit napping by controllers during breaks in their work shifts.
But that would be a radical change for the US Federal Aviation Administration. Current regulations forbid sleeping at work, even during breaks. Controllers who are caught can be suspended or fired.
Experts say that kind of thinking is outdated.
"There should be sanctioned on-shift napping. That's the way to handle night shift work," said Gregory Belenky, a sleep expert at Washington State University in Spokane.
Plenty of other scientists in the United States and around the world agree with him. Sleep studies show that nighttime workers who are allowed "recuperative breaks" are more alert when they return to their tasks.
A working group on controller fatigue made up of officials from the FAA and the union that represents air traffic controllers also recently embraced that position.
The issue has taken on a new urgency in the wake of four recent episodes in which the FAA says controllers fell asleep while on duty. The most recent case occurred this week when the pilot of a plane transporting a critically ill passenger was unable to raise the sole controller working at 2am in the tower of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada.
The FAA said the controller was out of communication for 16 minutes. Controllers at a regional radar facility in California assisted the plane, which landed safely.
The episodes have sent administration officials scrambling to assure the public and angry members of Congress that air travel is safe.
Even President Barack Obama weighed in, telling ABC News in an interview: "We've got it under control," and warning controllers they must stay alert and do their jobs. "The fact is when you're responsible for the lives and safety of people up in the air, you better do your job," he said.
The FAA and the controllers union - with assistance from NASA and the Mitre Corp, among others - has come up with 12 recommendations for tackling sleep-inducing fatigue among controllers. Among those recommendations is that the FAA change its policies to give controllers on midnight shifts as much as two hours to sleep plus a half-hour to wake up.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday promised to work with Congress to ensure there was enough money to keep control tower staffing at levels that ensure safety.
More than two decades ago, NASA scientists concluded that airline pilots were more alert and performed better during landings when they were allowed to take turns napping during the cruise phase of flights. The FAA chose to ignore recommendations that US pilots be allowed "controlled napping." But other countries, using NASA's research, have adopted such policies.
Several countries - including France, Germany, Canada and Australia - also permit napping by controllers during breaks in their work shifts.
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