Written by Senior Consultant, John Wallace
What is Fatigue?
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines fatigue as "A physiological state of reduced mental or physical performance capability resulting from sleep loss or extended wakefulness, circadian phase, or workload (mental and/or physical activity) that can impair a crew member’s alertness and ability to safely operate an aircraft or perform safety-related duties.
To reduce fatigue risks, flight and cabin crew have limitations on flight duty times with a subsequent rest period required prior to the next duty. What about aircraft maintenance staff? They face the same risk of fatigue with the potential for that to impact their ability to safely and accurately undertake maintenance activity that could affect the safe operation of aircraft systems and controls.
Fatigue Risks in Part 145
Aviation maintenance organisations face a unique set of fatigue-related challenges and Part 145 regulation has taken fatigue into consideration. It is now a requirement to manage and monitor the threat of fatigue for maintenance personnel and the planning of maintenance activity must consider human performance limitations. Fatigue stems from both workplace and personal life factors, and effective fatigue risk management requires a collaborative effort between employees and employers.
Personal factors contributing to fatigue include social and family commitments, commute time, and medical conditions that affect sleep quality or quantity. Employees are responsible for ensuring they are well-rested and fit for duty before starting work.
As fatigue can impair maintenance tasks by causing poor judgment, difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, decreased mood and motivation, and other performance issues, a maintainer who is aware of their impaired performance can pause the task, prioritise accuracy over speed, or repeat steps as needed.
Even though maintenance work is often done under time constraints, organisations have the flexibility to decide when certain tasks are performed. This allows them to schedule the most safety-critical or fatigue-sensitive tasks at times when the impact of fatigue is minimised.
Working patterns will vary from one company to another and depend upon the complexity of maintenance being undertaken. Although no guidance is provided with regards length of duty or shift periods, it must be recognised that excessive hours of duty and shift working, multiple shift periods or patterns, and additional overtime or night work will contribute greatly to the threat of fatigue. Shift patterns should be established to enable staff to undertake maintenance activity whilst remaining alert and free from tiredness and lethargy.
Don’t forget that rest is equally important to enable staff to recover and sufficient time should be allocated during and between shift periods to reduce the risk of staff starting or continuing work feeling fatigued.
Strategies in Managing Fatigue
Organisations can enhance fatigue management for their maintenance staff through several strategies:
1. Education and training: Provide training on recognising fatigue symptoms and understanding its impact on safety and performance. Educate staff on effective rest and recovery practices.
2. Policy implementation: Develop and enforce policies that limit excessive work hours and ensure adequate rest periods. This includes setting maximum shift lengths and mandatory breaks.
3. Shift design and scheduling: Design shifts to minimise fatigue and avoiding long consecutive workdays. Schedule the most critical tasks during times when workers are least likely to be fatigued.
4. Work environment adjustments: Improve the work environment by ensuring proper lighting, temperature control, and ergonomic workstations.
5. Adequate staffing: Ensure sufficient staffing levels to prevent overwork and allow for regular breaks.
6. Monitoring and feedback: Implement systems to monitor fatigue levels, such as regular health check-ups and fatigue assessments. Encourage staff to report fatigue-related concerns and take them seriously.
By integrating these strategies, organisations can create a safer, healthier, and more productive work environment and help reduce physical strain and mental fatigue for their maintenance staff.
Fatigue Risk Management from Baines Simmons
Being skilled in managing the intent of the regulation allows you to develop an efficient and effective approach to management system requirements, by attending our UK CAA / EASA Part 145 - Essentials for Component Maintenance Organisations course you will be able to improve your organisation’s effectiveness and business success.
Enhance your knowledge of UK CAA and EASA’s management responsibilities and have the latest information to date, our UK CAA/ EASA Approved Organisation Managers Responsibilities course will provide you with this information.
To support staff engaged with the daily handling of an organisation’s Part-145 approval our UK CAA / EASA Part 145 – Understanding the Requirements for Maintenance course will help you apply the latest regulation.
To find out how our experienced team can help your organisation with fatigue risk management and Part-145 regulations, contact us at hello@bainessimmons.com.