NTSB member advocates for controller naptime
May 14, 2011, 11:03 am
Given the recent string of air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job, the Federal Aviation Administration and a number of national safety interest groups have been scrambling to come up with innovative ways to mitigate he problem.
A recent suggestion, made by a member of the National Transportation Safety Board and supported by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, naptime has been put on the table as a possible option, numerous sources report.
The Associated Press has reported that there are many scientific studies that have proven the positive effect a restorative nap could have on one's performance. NTSB member Mark Rosekind believes that proof alone is enough to put scheduled naps on the table for consideration.
However, some members of NATCA agree.
"There is nothing groundbreaking about these recommendations," NATCA president Paul Rinaldi told AVweb. "They are common-sense solutions to a problem NATCA and fatigue experts have consistently raised for years ... If we are serious about addressing controller fatigue, then every recommendation must be adopted and implemented."
Most people require adequate sleep to be able to process complex tasks and perform many job duties effectively. Fatigue has become a problem in a number of different fields, and has affected general aviation pilots as well as controllers. Having life insurance for pilots can help support a pilot's family should they perish in a fatal crash.
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