Sleep Deprivation

Human Fatigue in Aviation

Tony M. Cepeda

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Human Fatigue in Aviation Operations

What is Fatigue?

Fatigue is defined as physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress, medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease (Medical Dictionary, 2013). Fatigue, by itself, is not the danger. The risk to the safety of aviation operations rises from the deficiency to alertness and deprivation of the individual’s routine. Today’s global aviation system demands a constant 24-hour seven days a week operational structure. In the aviation industry individuals who hold positions as a pilot, air traffic controller (ATC), aircraft maintenance, and cabin crew members must work in combination with a schedule that demands attention each hour of the day. These daily conditions bring on a physiological challenge of stress, which affects productivity, performance and safety. Identifying and to be aware of these issues, the aviation industry can endorse safe and effective operations. Procedures in the aviation industry that ignore these issues, the possibility for costly incidents and accidents becomes real. Humans have an inherent biological need for sleep. In 24-hours, the human body accelerates and declines in a very expectable routine. The natural pattern of the human body is called circadian cycle which is a normal daily routine of sleep and wakefulness. Most humans have adapted to the standard 24-hour Earth Day although research indicated that without light or other temporal cues, most humans have an innate 24.5 to 25.0 hour clock (Horne, 1988). Operations conducted around-the-clock challenges these biological values. Shiftwork, schedule changes, time zone changes, extended hours of wakefulness and sleep loss are issues that contribute to sleep and circadian disturbance that magnify to chances for an accident or incident. The consequential dilapidation in quality of work can wear down the life-threatening...