Engineers have always been their own worst enemy's when it comes to working hours and O/T...
Most have opted out of the European working time directive to allow virtually unlimited O/T in some cases. As previously mentioned, this totally suits employers who can run operations with a reduced number of engineers. This often puts pressure on engineers working normal rosters when for whatever reason there are not sufficient volunteers for O/T. The token measures that are currently in place regarding fatigue are really only aimed at working long continuous periods in the case of AOG's etc (and even these are based on self-assessments!)
Although this incident should be a big wake up call, nothing will seriously change! HF courses will naturally pay lip service to this report (just like the 1-11 windscreen incident before) However, I don't expect to see any serious attempt to regulate the hours of certifying engineers before I retire!
