Engineman Stress and Fatigue: Pilot Study

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Engineman Stress and Fatigue: Pilot Tests
• Creators:
  Kuehn, George I.
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Enginemen Fatigue (Physiological Condition) Hours Of Labor Locomotive Engineers Railroad Trains Sleep Deprivation Stress (Psychology) Train Handling Training Simulators Train Operations
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT/FRA/ORD-92/17
• Resource Type:
  Research Paper
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration
• Abstract:
  In this pilot study, the effects of fatigue on the train handling performance and vigilance of four certified train service locomotive engineers was assessed while they operated the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Research and Locomotive Evaluator/Simulator (RALES), Subjects operated on an hourly cycle of 12 work-12 rest-8 work as a "normal" cycle followed by an hourly cycle of 12W-8R-8W the following week as a "fatigue cycle." Subject activity diaries, scoring of various aspects of train handling, subject exit interviews, and observer's run observation notes were collected. Core body temperature and performance on a fitness for work measure were also recorded. As a group, the subjects were not found to perform any differently during the second day of the normal (12-12-8) schedule than they had during the second day of the fatigue (12-8-8) schedule. During the course of the experiment, however, subjects were observed to doze or nod off. The subjects similarly reported these instances in exit interviews. Speed limit infractions, failures to blow the horn for crossings, rapid throttle changes and excessive train forces were also observed. The sleep records of the subjects were plotted and found to be atypical in comparison with those of non-engineer persons. The controlled, low interruption rest periods of the study may have been superior to the rest normally attained by the subjects, thus accounting for the failure to show differences between the two experimental conditions. The observed deterioration of performance regardless of schedule, coupled with the irregular sleep/work patterns of the subjects suggest continued research which focuses on sleep/work patterns and those performance related variables which were attendant on the decreases in performance in the pilot study.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTRFR53-82-C-00254
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:c1e5582a782c88d4a9da3481f8f869489cddbd58fda53152defecae037abfb29
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/15695/dot_15695_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 10.45 MB ]