By IANS,
Washington : Highly irregular shifts may be forcing fatigued air traffic controllers to fall asleep on their job.
There is even speculation that staff shortage and a lack of attention may have contributed to a close-call for a plane carrying US First Lady Michelle Obama.
A day in the life of an air traffic controller is not easy. You might think the task of giving directions to planes carrying hundreds of passengers lies with a team of people.
Actually this daunting task is often handled by a mere two people. Each controller has his specific set of responsibilities, but all too often exhaustion gets the best of one of them, forcing the remaining controller to carry out additional duties.
The length of their shifts is not necessarily the problem; instead it is the irregular shifts that lead to extreme fatigue.
Richard Bootzin, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Arizona said: “The relatively short time between shifts puts pressure on people to sleep and there are consequences when people are overly sleepy or fatigued.”
Bootzin believes that the solution is not to punish air traffic controllers, but to make changes that will create a more conducive working environment, said an Arizona statement.
“There is a lot of literature on this very problem and several ways to remedy the situation,” he said, according to an Arizona statement.