FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
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Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-95/32

Title and Subtitle: Some Effects of 8- vs. 10-Hour Work Schedules on the Test Performance/Alertness of Air Traffic Control Specialists

Report Date: December 1995

Authors: Schroeder, D.J., Rosa, R.R., Witt, L.A., and Banks, B.

Abstract: A 10-hour, 4-day rotating shift schedule worked by some Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCSs) was compared to the more traditional 8-hour, 2-2-1 rapidly rotating schedule. Measures of performance and alertness were obtained from a group of 52 ATCSs at an en route ATC center on tasks in the NIOSH fatigue test battery. Additional information on sleep patterns, mood, and somatic complaints was also gathered. Results confirm that tests comprising the NIOSH test battery are sensitive to fatigue and diurnal variations associated with a rotating shift schedule.

Test performance of ATCSs on the 10-hour shift did not differ from those on the 8-hour schedule for any of the NIOSH parameters, when comparing the initial 4 days of the work week. Test performance was notably poorer on the mid-shift (night) that occurred on the final (fifth) day of the 2-2-1 8-hour schedule. For both schedules, there was evidence of changes in alertness on some of the NIOSH performance measures within work days and across days of the week. Changes in test performance and mood ratings corresponded to the decline in self-reported sleep time across the work week.

Key Words: Shift Work, Mood, Fatigue, Sleep, Human Performance, Air Traffic Control

No. of Pages: 20