United States Department of Transportation
i
Shipboard Crew Fatigue, Safety and Reduced Manning
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1990-11-01
[PDF-5.45 MB]
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Edition:Final Report January 1989 - November 1990
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Abstract:This report describes an exploratory first phase of an investigation of human stress and
fatigue in the merchant marine. Its principal purposes were to: survey the effects of
fatigue on human performance in the transportation industries; describe the state of the
art in measuring fatigue; investigate the causes of stress and fatigue on merchant ships;
summarize the insights gained about the implications of reduced manning as well as
measures to mitigate fatigue; and discuss the results of preliminary attempts to gauge
fatigue during the routing voyages using survey methods.
The findings in this report are based primarily upon about three dozen extended interviews
conducted with officers on five merchant vessels during brief coastal voyages. In the
course of these interviews, more than a score of variables were identified which affect
fatigue and stress, which may be grouped into organizational factors, voyage and schedul
ing factors, ship-design factors, and physical/environmental factors. These interact in
complex fashion resulting in widely different levels of fatigue on different ships and in
different situations.
The physiological and behavioral methods of fatigue measurement reviewed were found to be
difficult to apply during routine operations, but the self-reporting survey techniques
tested eventually proved quite workable. It was concluded that organization and design
factors could provide opportunities under some circumstances for the design and operation
of advanced merchant ships which can be sailed safely and efficiently by well-rested
crews which are smaller than are common today.
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