Which units use a watch system?
 

Hi guys,

To assist with some research, could people let me know whether their units and other units they know, use watch systems and if possible what the system is e.g. 5 watches of 4 etc.

Thanks for any info

52N

Gonzo

remember it is a 6 on, 1 sleep and 3 off system when asked by anyone.:ok::ok:

Except for EGLC who work individual rosters.

We normally have seven crews (watches) here in the US at large centers. Our normal watch schedule is two evening shifts followed by two day shifts followed by a midnight shift. Where I work it is something like this, Sunday 1430 - 2230, Monday 1330 - 2130, Tuesday - 0630 - 1430, Wednesday 0630 - 1430, Thursday morning - 2230 (Wed) - 0630... It makes you old before your time...

regards

Scott

Hey Scott, that would be illegal in the UK .... thank God :)

Lulsgate Bottom Institute for the Terminally Depressed, or Bristol as it's more widely known works 5 watches of 5 (or at least we're meant to, whether we will ever get there is up for debate!) on a 6 on, 1 sleep, 3 rest pattern.
And before the 'know it alls' start harping on about us being NATS, we had the same structure long before we entered the Hotel California.

I think some of the NATS non-24 hour units do 6 on 3 off with 3 watches (no nights)

"Night"? What's that?

Bren

It's the same as it's always been Bren.....something you sleep through.:E:E

Oh yes - ta! Best watch system I ever worked was a 10-watch. We did the old afternoon - morning/night - then about 8 days off. Didn't last long surprisingly.

AFter 22 years of it, I'm here to say it should be illegal here, too...

Did almost 35 years of:

Afternoon (1400 - 2200)
Swing (1230 - 1900)
Morning (0730 - 1230) followed by Night (2200 - 0730)
Sleep
Off
Off
As time went by I found it was taking more and more time to recover from the night until it reached the state where I could sleep through most of the Afternoon duty :uhoh:

This sysetm was a legacy from WWII. Not really suitable to today's traffic patterns and thankfully disappearing now.

Watches
 

Anyone got an example of a 4 watch system or any other system that covers 2 positions 24/7 with 18 people ?

GOA
:)

Grumpy, The variant of my previous post
Afternoon (1230 - 2200)
Morning (0730 - 1230) followed by the Night (2200 - 0730)
Sleep
Off

Fortunately binned

LON

"Did almost 35 years of:

Afternoon (1400 - 2200)
Swing (1230 - 1900)
Morning (0730 - 1230) followed by Night (2200 - 0730)
Sleep
Off
Off"

1230-1900 is far too early in the day for me to swing!!:O

Dubai - 5 watches and a 10 day cycle

2 morning (0700-1400)
2 afternoon (1400-2200)
2 nights (2200-0700)
Sleep day
3 days off

The 2nd night is the killer and nights are our busiest shifts by far. There is talk that we may move to a rostering system next year. Leaves good though, 36 "working days" (doesn't include days off) which you can manipulate into at least 60 days leave per year.

Don't know of a legal 4 watch system.

Its never to early to swing!!!!!


Keys in the bowl please!!!!! :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :}

It's when the police helicopter wakes you up.

Fot the NATS unit who does MMAANNSOOO on a permanent basis with no MMAADDOOOO, the S is used for precisely that. (Or the first half of it anyway:zzz: )

Thanks for the replies, are there many non-NATS units using watches?

52N

Since 1997-ish Liverpool has been using the 5-watch system.

Man I wish it were illegal here too... I knew it was hurting me but I didn't know how much better I felt until my three months off for sick leave after eye surgery... Back to the grind <sigh>...