Fatigue Control - the Movie

[karrank]

Australian ATC have just recieved a weighty package containing a pamphlet (glanced through it) a detailed report (I'll look at it when I've finished nights, and can read whole sentences again) and a video. My comments are about the video, which was great: relevant, entertaining, with useful information. I would say it was required watching for any contemplating professional sleep denial.

The only problem I have is I really identify with the somewhat brain-damaged main character. While he was wandering around his house in the early afternoon wondering where his family was I was ironing in front of the telly wondering where my wife was and whether I was supposed to be awake when no.2 son finished school or not... Other stuff too, it was creepy.

Despite being described by others as somewhat eccentric (that's what "wierdo" means doesn't it?) I've been relatively happy with myself 'til now, but it is a bit of a worry trying to figure how much of what I am is the accumulation of personality damage from 20 years of shiftwork??? God, now I'm hearing the ocean!!!

Is shiftwork worth the paltry rewards?

No sign of no.2 son, so I'll go to bed now...

[Fallows]

I wonder if Karranks posting is not opportune, as in the UK we have just volunteered to do overtime. I was chatting to a colleague who retired about nine months ago and not only does he look much better, he tells me that he feels 100% and he also said that we do not realise how insidious the fatigue associated with working unsocial hours is until you stop doing it.

[ZIP250]

Apparently, the take up rate for overtime is quite good. It will be most interesting to see what the sickness rate is like after a year of this at Swanwick. Hopefully somebody will compare that for overteenies against the refusenicks. Personally I'm too knackered at the end of a cycle to even think about more of the same.

On a slightly different tack, somebody was saying that the new roster we have just started is on a six month trial. Does anybody out there know if this is true and if so when is the next ballot?

Z

[missy]

Didn't you go straight to page 53?

[Spodman]

Yep, we're reading that now, they didn't cover that in detail in the video.

"The Kama Sutra suggests that love does not care for time or order."

"The harassed middle aged are in love with sleep in the same way as the young are in love with love."

Or as the guy out of Pushing Tin put it when given the choice of sleeping for the night shift or bonking Cate Blanchett - "Sleep is boring..."

[Aunt Rimmer]

Karrank - this sounds like your employers at least have a realisation that shift work has many downsides (oh how I dream).

In the UK there is NOTHING produced by NATS to explain how to deal with shifts etc.....

If this is what is in your video and pack I would be really interested in getting a hold of a copy to wave under our managements noses .... ?

[ferris]

Fatigue management is a union driven issue.

The employer thinks it's a dangerous disease.

[Pushin_Tin]

Aunt Rimmer..

"this sounds like your employers at least have a realisation that shift work has many downsides "

It's not possibly that it's the cheaper option than budgetting for more staff on the rosters??

......now, if the 6 o clockers were keen they'd be here now to relieve me off this doggo!!
;)

[atco-matic]

Aunt Rimmer, Nats telling us how to handle shift work!!?? That would be a laugh!!

Havent you seen that hilarious publication in the ops room which tells us to ''go for a walk on our breaks, preferably up and down stairs, making sure you hold the handrail of course''.

What makes you think they would be able to publish something useful telling us how to handle shift work?? ''In order to cope with shift work and arive at work feeling refreshed, go to bed when at home and you feel tired''.