Good Essay About Mitigating Fatigue In Aviation Industry

There are various causes in the fatigue industry, however in specific regard to the engineering department in the aviation sector, the causes of fatigue that are mostly experienced are: Longer duty cycles and sleep loss. These have led to scenarios where aviation engineers exhibit sloppiness in relation to performance of their work. Additionally, these factors have led to increased incidences of carelessness, inefficiency and inattentiveness. However, with improved research, there have been various mitigating factors that have been developed to ensure that the identified causes of fatigue are reduced or prevented (www.aviationtoday.com).

Steps that can be taken to Mitigate the Identified Causes of Fatigue

The most effective mitigation factor against fatigue caused by sleep loss is adequate sleep (www.aviationtoday.com). However, this could be challenging owing to the fact that aviation engineers could be experiencing poor sleeping habits, work demands and family duties. In as much as some of the sleep problems may not be avoided, aviation engineers may improve their sleep through: Avoiding certain activities and substances such as coffee prior to sleep; application of soothing techniques and self-relaxation measures to improve sleep. This is an appropriate strategy to induce sleep naturally in the body. On the other hand, the use of prophylactics can also be used to sustain performance until the engineers feel sleepy. This strategy is only appropriate when the engineers are faced with inadequate sleeping opportunities.
In relation to fatigue caused by longer work cycles, the application of shorter working shifts and cycles is appropriate. That is, subjecting aviation engineers to a scenario where they work in shifts characterized by reduced working time-span. This strategy is appropriate owing to the fact that it gives the engineers adequate time to rest and reduces chances of work-boredom that may arise.

References

(n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afs/afs200/media/aviation_fatigue_symposium/aviation_fatigue_symposium.pdf
Aviation Today. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.aviationtoday.com/am/repairstations/Fatigue-Risk-Management-in-Aircraft-Maintenance_31474.html#.VM2z8C7yT8o