The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has implemented additional provisions because of the worrisome occurrence at Air Traffic Services Centre in Brisbane in which an air traffic controller was discovered sleeping while on an early morning shift on 9th December 2022.
The oncoming shift controller, roughly at 5:15 am, met the financial controller who was supposed to be monitoring the Cairns Terminal Control Unit (TCU) within the Brisbane Centre, triggering a strong review and inquiry into the fatigue management strategy. The investigation by ATSB showed that the staff member found sleeping in horizontal position draping a blanket over them was an officer on the night tour returning from a night shift. The report also said that he had completed 10 night shifts in 12 days.
Certain contributors to drowsiness amongst the controller also included the such as ‘the time of day, the very low workload in their sector, a roster pattern which regularly has left no more than few shifts in which nighteis followed by day and vice versa and lying across two chairs which increase the risk of head drooping and chances of falling asleep.’ skeleton work optimism quotes. We achieve quite exceptional creativity and diversity
Due to the frequent night shifts without proper rest periods returning to day work the controller/s likely altered patterns of restorative sleep In a response release from Australian Transport Safety Bureau has claimed.
However, the incident occurred at the time of absolute air traffic mop up in Cairns TCU airspace, and no flights were booked until after the shift. This addressed the potential consequences of the controller being in a state of sleep inertia upon being woken by the radio distress alert as uncoordinated communications, miscommunication of instructions or possible difficulties in handling a sudden unintended load of out-of-the-norm traffic.
Mitchell will note this occurrence had no immediate risks but still emphasizes the effectiveness of work scheduling and managing risk of fatigue in order to prevent this kind of sickness in the first place.
The investigation further indicated primary factors related to the organisational culture of Airservices Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia’s overall approach to fatigue management, especially in the inability to adequately resolve the chronic staff shortages without relying on ‘tactical’ changes to rosters to even begin with. They noted that, “An over-reliance on tactical changes did not adequately identify or mitigate fatigue risks arising from the work schedule.”
In view of the recommendations, Airservices Australia has reinforced its workforce especially in North Queensland and has revised its fatigue assessment and control tool (FACT).
This revision of the tool, which was in the first place limited by supervisors dismissing the low traffic workload as a risk factor for fatigue, provided new guidance and training that treated low workload traffic conditions as a high risk low workload risk.
New requirements for air traffic service fatigue risk management systems have been set by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Airservices is making efforts to improve their practices according to these new standards as provided by CASA.
