Pipeline Controller Fatigue

1
Pipeline Controller Fatigue

• Research and Special Programs Administration
• Office of Pipeline Safety
• February 4, 2004

2
Operational Definition
Fatigue is a complex state characterized by a
lack of alertness and reduced mental and physical
performance, often accompanied by drowsiness.
Fatigue is MORE THAN sleepiness and effects are
more than falling asleep.
3
The Fatigue Puzzle
Workload, Stress Monotony
Disrupted Work/Rest cycles
Ergonomic Design
Noise, Vibration Temperature
Aging, Health
Nutrition Conditioning
Sleep Loss
Medications, drugs Alcohol
4
NTSB Recommendation P-98-30

• Assess the potential safety risks associated
  with rotating pipeline controller shifts and
  establish industry guidelines for the development
  and implementation of pipeline controller work
  schedules that reduce the likelihood of accidents
  attributable to controller fatigue
• 1996 Fork Shoals, SC accident

5
NTSB Concerns

• Controller could have been suffering from fatigue
  due to rotating shifts
• May have affected alertness and responsiveness
  during accident sequence
• Need for assessment and incorporation of
  knowledge on fatigue, sleep, and circadian
  physiology to address work/rest schedules and
  rotating shifts

6
NTSB Safety Recommendation P-99-12

• Establish within two years scientifically based
  hours-of-service regulations that set limits on
  hours of service, provide predictable work and
  rest schedules, and consider circadian rhythms
  and human sleep and rest requirements
• 1999 NTSB Special Report on Operator Fatigue

7
NTSB Concerns

• Scientific research has shown that alertness of
  controllers can be impacted by insufficient
  sleep, irregular schedules, and work during low
  points in circadian rhythms
• Current shift schedules do not often incorporate
  fatigue control measures

8
DOT under Pressure to Improve Transportation
Safety
Commercial
Management
NTSB
Congress
Public
Labor
Academia
Administration
9
Hours of Service regulations

• Aviation 8 in 24 12 in 24 80/mo
• Railroad 8 off after working 1159 10 off after
  12
• Trucking 11 driving, 10 off
• Marine not required to work more than 8/day
  often work 14/day, 7 days/wk
• Pipelines none
• Hours of Service regulations have not been shown
  to solve fatigue problems

10
Fatigue in Controller Schedules

• Pipeline controllers work in environments
  requiring
• the extension of work hours beyond 8 hours per
  day
• mental and physical stress
• varying high and low workloads
• shift rotations from daytime to nighttime
  schedules
• irregular work/rest patterns

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DOT Responds to NTSB

• Understand work and rest schedules
• Examine changing Hours of Service rules
• Develop fatigue management training
• Evaluate fatigue monitoring technologies
• Understand the effects of work schedule
• on performance and fatigue
• Validate fatigue management tools

12
New Perspective

• Human Factors Coordinating Committee (HFCC)
  Sponsors Partnering in Transportation Safety
  meeting in August, 2000
• HFCC sponsors a Broad Agency Announcement
  procurement of four fatigue management tools
• http//scitech.dot.gov/research/human/

13
DOT Operator Fatigue Management Initiative

• Government typically finds itself caught between
  management and labor with regard to hours of
  service issues
• The HFCC is developing tools for use by labor and
  industry to reduce the number of accidents
  related to operator fatigue
• Tool development focuses on non-prescriptive
  approach to fatigue management its utility
• The products are intended for direct application
  by industry and labor

14
Current and Future Products

• Software to allow comparison of schedules
• Compendium of fatigue and countermeasure-related
  information
• Strategic planning tool for DOT use
• Methodology to validate fatigue models
• Business case tools
• Create facility for sharing and collecting
  information
• Education for managers

15
DOT Fatigue Management

• Schedule analysis tool intended for use by
• schedulers
• accident investigators
• workers
• Software tool (XIMES)
• incorporates
• comprehensive review of fatigue-sensitive work
  schedule information
• approach for evaluating work schedules against
  best practice guidelines to maximize on-duty
  alertness.
• Software free to US transportation organizations
• Flexible to be relevant to the various modes

16
Fatigue Management Reference (FMR)

• Handbook of best practices for fatigue
  management
• provides guidance for managers to identify,
  implement, and evaluate fatigue management
  approaches
• Includes state-of-the-art understanding of
  fatigue and fatigue management
• Living, multimodal document

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FMR Table of Contents

• Operational Fatigue Risk Factors
• Schedule characteristics, sleep disruption diet,
  work stress
• Fatigue Management Program Concepts
• Organizational commitment, partnerships, health
  screening
• Review of Fatigue Countermeasures
• Segregated by those that work, under development,
  require supervision, and those that do not work
• Sleep Basics

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DOT Fatigue Management Fatigue Resource Directory

• FReDi
• Provide transportation-industry with current,
  accessible information on resources available to
  address fatigue in transportation.

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OPS Pipeline Controller Fatigue Study

• OPS has an ongoing agreement with the Volpe
  National Transportation Systems Center to study
  pipeline controller fatigue.
• Volpe wants to take advantage of the progress
  made by the HFCC in developing fatigue management
  tools.
• Proposed new direction includes the development
  of an industry working group and several industry
  partners willing to allow the demonstration and
  evaluation of the new DOT fatigue management
  tools.

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Applying the Tools

• Two of the tools, the XIMES Work Schedule
  Representation and Analysis Software and the
  Fatigue Management Reference, are now ready for
  use by the pipeline industry.
• The proposed Phase I encompasses testing these
  new tools for pipeline controller scheduling.
• A more substantial Phase II can be considered, in
  which the impact of the entire fatigue management
  program is evaluated in terms of increases in
  safety and productivity.

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