Transportation Safety Board warns of fatigue in air, marine, rail industries
Posted October 29, 2018 11:19 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – The main concern the Transportation Safety Board is raising this year is fatigue in the aviation, marine, and rail industries.
It’s part of the TSB’s Watchlist 2018, which also identified six other key issues that require the federal government and industry’s attention.
“At the TSB we recognize that fatigue can affect performance. We see it in one investigation after the other, across all modes of transportation,” says TSB Chair Kathy Fox. “Transport Canada, operators, unions, and employees all share the responsibility for preventing and managing fatigue at work.”
The watchdog says it’s determined that current strategies are not supported by science, and don’t meet the standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
“Especially in a 24/7 industry like transportation, where rail, marine, and flight crews can work long and irregular schedules, sometimes in challenging conditions or across multiple time zones,” Fox explains.
The watch list also raises concerns about fatalities in the fishing industry, runway incursions for air planes, and the continued lack of safety measures at rail crossings.
“There needs to be a profound change in attitudes and behaviours,” Fox says, calling on regulators and companies to take actions.
“Awareness training, fatigue management plans, modernizing duty time regulations for train crews, marine watch keepers, and pilots.”
Since the early 90, the TSB has flagged fatigue as a factor in 90 investigations.
