Are our shifts killing us?
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Join Date: Mar 2004
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Are our shifts killing us?
I know that statistically doing shift work shortens our lives but is there any evidence that some of the inhuman duties we are asked to do are very harmful?
I refer to duties where after having flown all night, you are required to position home from europe and/or drive a hire car half way across the country getting home sometime the next afternoon feeling quite ill.
The CAA don't seem interested once the flight duty period has finished, but do EU work time regulations allow this sort of duty or should one be given rest in a hotel before doing a long positioning trip?
I personally feel ill after this type of duty and having had colleagues go down with serious medical problems recently, wonder if it is weakening our immune systems to such an extent that we are more at risk of cancers etc?
I refer to duties where after having flown all night, you are required to position home from europe and/or drive a hire car half way across the country getting home sometime the next afternoon feeling quite ill.
The CAA don't seem interested once the flight duty period has finished, but do EU work time regulations allow this sort of duty or should one be given rest in a hotel before doing a long positioning trip?
I personally feel ill after this type of duty and having had colleagues go down with serious medical problems recently, wonder if it is weakening our immune systems to such an extent that we are more at risk of cancers etc?
PPRuNe Handmaiden
colleagues go down with serious medical problems recently
I do agree with you 100% though. Fly all night, wait for the airline home and then drive home. Not fun and can't be good for you.
Join Date: Sep 1999
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You are right in saying that the CAA take no interest in how you get home after a long duty...but the local Health and Safety Executive do.
Try having a confidential chat to the local office explaining how the company put you in a position of having to drive home when you have been awake for hours. I think that you will find them more than a little interested.
You will also find that your company has to remind their other employees who drive company cars of the need not to drive when fatigued!
Your local Chief Constable will also be interested in hearing about your need to drive under such conditions!
Try having a confidential chat to the local office explaining how the company put you in a position of having to drive home when you have been awake for hours. I think that you will find them more than a little interested.
You will also find that your company has to remind their other employees who drive company cars of the need not to drive when fatigued!
Your local Chief Constable will also be interested in hearing about your need to drive under such conditions!
Two things:
(a) Aren't you guys regulated by positioning time limits? Maximum of 45 mins from place of work, or any time after that counts as duty????
(b) If you don't like it - get another bloody flying job with better conditions for God's sake and stop bleating.
(a) Aren't you guys regulated by positioning time limits? Maximum of 45 mins from place of work, or any time after that counts as duty????
(b) If you don't like it - get another bloody flying job with better conditions for God's sake and stop bleating.
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Thomas Coupling,
a) NO.
b)Why should we play merry go round whilst employers continue to abuse their staff?
It's a pretty sad response to just expect someone to leave a company they may have been with for years, but in this industry of small-minded ego-centric wallies it seems that instead of support, you just get comments such as yours. This isn't a small one man band that we are talking about here.
As redsnail mentions, considering what happened to one of the Shorts captains recently, we all need to take a good look at our own health and wonder what damage we are doing it.
a) NO.
b)Why should we play merry go round whilst employers continue to abuse their staff?
It's a pretty sad response to just expect someone to leave a company they may have been with for years, but in this industry of small-minded ego-centric wallies it seems that instead of support, you just get comments such as yours. This isn't a small one man band that we are talking about here.
As redsnail mentions, considering what happened to one of the Shorts captains recently, we all need to take a good look at our own health and wonder what damage we are doing it.
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Thomas Coupling, I hope your comment 2) was tongue in cheek.
I think the situations mentioned in the first post is very serious and the employer might be be in breach of their duty of care towards employees, as well as being 'morally inappropriate'.
Long duty hours and bad rostering patterns, combined with working in noisy, low oxygen environment are undoubtedly hazardous for the crew and it is about time the dangers of such (what you could call 'inhumane') practices attracted more attention.
However, I do feel that until the regulatory authorities do something about it by changing the law (guidelines are no use), the operators will continue to exploit - after all, they are in the business of making money and in many ways, we cannot blame them for maximising the use of human resources to the greatest extent permitted by law.
I think the situations mentioned in the first post is very serious and the employer might be be in breach of their duty of care towards employees, as well as being 'morally inappropriate'.
Long duty hours and bad rostering patterns, combined with working in noisy, low oxygen environment are undoubtedly hazardous for the crew and it is about time the dangers of such (what you could call 'inhumane') practices attracted more attention.
However, I do feel that until the regulatory authorities do something about it by changing the law (guidelines are no use), the operators will continue to exploit - after all, they are in the business of making money and in many ways, we cannot blame them for maximising the use of human resources to the greatest extent permitted by law.
I've just left a long haul freight job for a short haul job. Although I am still only training, I have noticed a big improvement in my health. I was frequently driving to work still tired from the previous route and for the first 3 months of this year I had a cold which I couldn't shift until the long haul flying stopped.
I haven't yet fully experienced the short haul lifestyle, but looking at my new colleagues I don't see the signs of chronic fatigue that were prevalent in my last job.
In answer to your question, I think yes.
I haven't yet fully experienced the short haul lifestyle, but looking at my new colleagues I don't see the signs of chronic fatigue that were prevalent in my last job.
In answer to your question, I think yes.
