This course will provide participants with information and guidance to evaluate the role human fatigue plays in accident causation. It will cover fatigue-related issues including sleep length, sleep disorders, circadian rhythms, work schedules, and the effects of fatigue on performance and alertness.

The course will also examine the types of information that should be collected during an investigation. Case studies and hands-on exercises will demonstrate the concepts discussed in the classroom.

• Physiological basis of human fatigue - cumulative sleep debt, effects of age, alcohol, sleep disorders and circadian rhythms
• Performance and alertness - how sleep loss, sleep disorders, circadian rhythms, medications and environment affect human performance
• Scheduling factors - how shift work, time zone changes, minimum rest opportunities, duty length and other factors interact and contribute to fatigue
• Assessing core factors - how to assess the significance of each of the four core fatigue factors (sleep loss, continuous hours of wakefulness, circadian rhythms, and sleep disorders) in an accident investigation
• Collecting and analyzing fatigue factors - how to gather, analyze, portray, and interpret fatigue information, including relevant questions to ask operators, organization representatives, family members, and others
• Practical application - class exercises will include interviewing for fatigue, and interpretation and analysis of fatigue related performance factors in an accident investigation

Upon completion of this course the participant will be able to:

• Determine if fatigue played a role in an accident, and if it did, whether it was contributory or causal
• Employ interview techniques and relevant questions to determine how fatigue may have contributed to an accident sequence
• Use the knowledge and skills acquired in the course to build a foundation for the inclusion or exclusion of fatigue as a factor in an accident investigation

Comments from course participants

• NTSB investigators
• Local, state and federal transportation officials
• Local, state and federal police and investigation agencies
• Agencies and organizations that monitor or regulate transportation safety
• Commercial transportation industry officials – airline, motor coach, school bus, truck, railroad, pipeline and marine vessel operators
• Labor unions representing transportation workers
• Organizations, agencies and individuals that have an interest in how fatigue impacts transportation safety
• Members of the academic community attending for research purposes (on a space-available basis)