Development of a Fatigue Prevention Training Program for Commercial Pilots in Alaska

BACKGROUND:   Fatigue has been identified by an international group of sleep medicine experts to be the largest identifiable and preventable cause of transportation accidents. In 2011, the Federal Aviation Administration issued regulations to limit fatigue for pilots flying large passenger aircraft. Extensive research has been conducted on fatigue among pilots on long haul flights through several time zones with multiple crew members. However, little is known about fatigue among solo pilots flying small aircraft with many short flights during long duty days, as is typically done in rural Alaska.

METHODS:  CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted focus group discussions among commercial pilots and aviation company management staff in Alaska during 2011 to determine if fatigue was perceived to be a problem in air taxi and commuter operations, identify risk factors, and to identify recommendations for reducing fatigue.

RESULTS:  Comments during focus group discussions revealed that aviation in Alaska presented many unique challenges, including long hours of daylight and darkness, extreme temperatures, seasonal work, long periods away from home while living in pilot housing or camps, and multiple short flights, all of which can affect pilots differently than pilots in the rest of the US. While there was no consensus on the incidence of fatigue, there was an expressed need for education on fatigue awareness, recognition, and mitigation techniques. As a result of these requests, NIOSH worked with stakeholders to develop a fatigue prevention training program that could be used by companies or individuals to improve fatigue awareness, prevention, and mitigation. The training was reviewed by peers and stakeholders, and subsequently tested with pilots; 98% of pilots stated that the training was very or somewhat pertinent to their work, and 85% of pilots felt the training could be used to improve the quality of their lives.

CONCLUSIONS:  Based on findings from the focus group discussions, industry stakeholders, aviation companies, government agencies, and individual pilots collaborated with NIOSH to develop an effective fatigue prevention training program. Although aviation operations in Alaska are diverse and have different fatigue-prevention needs, a training was successfully developed to support fatigue education to provide a foundation for understanding and preventing fatigue.