Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-71/2
Title and Subtitle: Physiological responses in air traffic control personnel: O'Hare Tower
Report Date: January 1971
Authors: Melton Jr. CE, McKenzie JM, Polis BD, Funkhouser GE, Iampietro PF
Abstract: Physiological and biochemical measurements were made on 22 air traffic controllers at O'Hare tower during five days of the heavy traffic evening shift (1600-2400) and five days of the light traffic morning shift (0000-0800).
Pulse rates were higher on the evening shift than on the morning shift. Converging approaching traffic was more excitatory than departing diverging traffic on the evening shift; there was no differential response on the morning shift. Galvanic skin response indicated that adaptation to the morning shift was incomplete in five days. Fibrinogen levels in controllers' blood was not elevated above the expected level for their age group.
Controllers had a higher total plasma phospholipid concentration than populations of normal people, schizophrenics and combat pilots. Phosphatidyl glycerol was significantly higher in controllers' plasma than in the normal population but less than in the combat and schizophrenic populations. Findings from urine analyses that are reported separately by Hale, et al., have been summarized in this report. Urine chemistry shows that catecholamine excretion is related to the number of aircraft operations. Corticoid excretion rises late in the morning shift and recovery from morning shift work is incomplete during the off-duty rest period.
Key Words: Stress, Heart Rate, Galvanic Skin Reaction, Blood Phospholipids, Cardiovascular system, Blood chemistry, Air traffic controllers--Physiology
No. of Pages: 11
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-71/2
Title and Subtitle: Physiological responses in air traffic control personnel: O'Hare Tower
Report Date: January 1971
Authors: Melton Jr. CE, McKenzie JM, Polis BD, Funkhouser GE, Iampietro PF
Abstract: Physiological and biochemical measurements were made on 22 air traffic controllers at O'Hare tower during five days of the heavy traffic evening shift (1600-2400) and five days of the light traffic morning shift (0000-0800).
Pulse rates were higher on the evening shift than on the morning shift. Converging approaching traffic was more excitatory than departing diverging traffic on the evening shift; there was no differential response on the morning shift. Galvanic skin response indicated that adaptation to the morning shift was incomplete in five days. Fibrinogen levels in controllers' blood was not elevated above the expected level for their age group.
Controllers had a higher total plasma phospholipid concentration than populations of normal people, schizophrenics and combat pilots. Phosphatidyl glycerol was significantly higher in controllers' plasma than in the normal population but less than in the combat and schizophrenic populations. Findings from urine analyses that are reported separately by Hale, et al., have been summarized in this report. Urine chemistry shows that catecholamine excretion is related to the number of aircraft operations. Corticoid excretion rises late in the morning shift and recovery from morning shift work is incomplete during the off-duty rest period.
Key Words: Stress, Heart Rate, Galvanic Skin Reaction, Blood Phospholipids, Cardiovascular system, Blood chemistry, Air traffic controllers--Physiology
No. of Pages: 11
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012