Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-78/21
Title and Subtitle: The morbidity experience of air traffic control personnel, 1967-1977
Report Date: April 1978
Authors: Booze CF
Abstract: The morbidity experience of 28,086 air traffic controllers has been examined from 1967-77 with particular emphasis given the potential effects of job demands on ATC Health. The morbidity experience of air traffic controllers does not appear excessive when compared with the experience of other outside groups studied, except for psychoneurotic disorders. While some isolated trends found in these data are supportive of an occupation disease relationship, they are neither impressive nor consistent, as would be expected if the association were a strong one.
Quantification of the substantial differences was found to exist in the incidence of disease before and after the second-career legislation. While job and salary protection considerations obviously explain some of the difference, the importance of examination and screening techniques, which are not as dependent on reliable medical history, are emphasized for both air traffic control personnel and the general airman population in an environment in which a major justification for the periodic health examination is the protection of individuals other than the examinee.
Key Words: Health statistics, Prevalence and incidence of disease, Air traffic controllers
No. of Pages: 30
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-78/21
Title and Subtitle: The morbidity experience of air traffic control personnel, 1967-1977
Report Date: April 1978
Authors: Booze CF
Abstract: The morbidity experience of 28,086 air traffic controllers has been examined from 1967-77 with particular emphasis given the potential effects of job demands on ATC Health. The morbidity experience of air traffic controllers does not appear excessive when compared with the experience of other outside groups studied, except for psychoneurotic disorders. While some isolated trends found in these data are supportive of an occupation disease relationship, they are neither impressive nor consistent, as would be expected if the association were a strong one.
Quantification of the substantial differences was found to exist in the incidence of disease before and after the second-career legislation. While job and salary protection considerations obviously explain some of the difference, the importance of examination and screening techniques, which are not as dependent on reliable medical history, are emphasized for both air traffic control personnel and the general airman population in an environment in which a major justification for the periodic health examination is the protection of individuals other than the examinee.
Key Words: Health statistics, Prevalence and incidence of disease, Air traffic controllers
No. of Pages: 30
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012