Occupational fatigue, underlying sleep and circadian mechanisms, and approaches to fatigue risk management

Abstract

In most occupational settings, a primary reason for fatigue is incompatible timing of duty schedules relative to circadian (i.e., 24-hour) rhythm and the need for sleep. This review describes the sleep-related neurobiology of fatigue; factors in the operational environment that contribute to fatigue; and the effects of fatigue on cognitive performance that lead to errors, incidents, and accidents. A range of fatigue countermeasures are reviewed, broadly categorized as preventive countermeasures and operational countermeasures. Fatigue-related optimization of duty schedules and fatigue risk management systems are discussed as comprehensive ways to reduce fatigue and increase safety while maintaining productivity and operational integrity. Occupational fatigue is of significant concern at the individual, organizational, and societal levels, and strategies have been developed to help successfully manage and mitigate fatigue at each level.

Keywords:

• sleep
• circadian rhythms
• alertness
• fatigue countermeasures
• biomathematical models of fatigue and performance
• fatigue risk management systems

Acknowledgements

Work on this paper was supported by the Regional Airline Association (RAA). The opinions contained herein are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the RAA or its members on any of the subjects addressed herein.

Notes on contributors

Brieann C. Satterfield works at the Human Sleep and Cognition Laboratory, Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University, Spokane. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Gonzaga University and is currently enrolled in the neuroscience Ph.D. program of Washington State University.

Hans P.A. Van Dongen is a Research Professor and Head of the Human Sleep and Cognition Laboratory, Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University, Spokane. He earned a Master's degree in astrophysics and a Ph.D. degree in chronobiology and sleep from Leiden University n the Netherlands. He published seminal research on cumulative cognitive deficits due to chronic sleep restriction; trait inter-individual differences in vulnerability to fatigue; and mathematical modeling of fatigue and cognitive performance.