Fully Charged is a joint campaign sponsored by the FAA, NATCA and PASS to promote fatigue education and awareness by providing the workforce with tools to self-educate and mitigate fatigue hazards.
The Fully Charged campaign was established by the Collaborative Steering Committee, a joint leadership committee, in order to socialize the issue of fatigue in air traffic facilities throughout the nation, and to start a change in the culture of how the workforce thinks about and views fatigue, and values alertness.
Fatigue is a Shared Responsibility
In a 24/7 operation, no one is immune to fatigue; it’s a shared responsibility to mitigate it. Planes are going to continue to fly and ATC safety professionals have to be there to provide the safe services they need. The workforce is responsible for managing its sleep, fitness and nutrition, which all play a crucial roll in fatigue mitigation. Operational supervisors, managers and NATCA facility representatives have a shared responsibility to help mitigate fatigue risk by managing schedule development and implementation, employing and supporting recuperative breaks, and supporting self-declaration of fatigue.
At the national leadership level, the FAA Air Traffic Organization (ATO), NATCA, and PASS have made fatigue mitigation a priority by jointly establishing the Fatigue Safety Steering Committee (FSSC) to direct the Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS). The FSSC is made up of one ATO management designee, one NATCA representative and one PASS representative, and is supported by staff from the ATO Fatigue Risk Management Team in ATO Safety and Technical Training. The FSSC collaborates on issues concerning operational fatigue hazards and risks across the NAS and provides direction and oversight of the FRMS. The FRMS facilitates improved safety of the National Airspace System (NAS) and improved performance and safety of employees by identifying fatigue hazards, classifying fatigue risks and recommending mitigations to reduce fatigue risk.
ATO, NATCA, and PASS leadership have accepted joint FSSC recommendations to manage and mitigate fatigue. Recommendations for air traffic services include changes to operational policy and procedures, and development of educational offerings for managers and employees.
Working together, the organizations are striving toward optimizing the level of performance and safety of the services provided to the NAS.
Tools and Education
Bulletins
- The Nine-Hour Rule
- Seven and Nine Hour Shifts
- Self-Declaration of Fatigue
- Fatigue and Shiftwork: Maximizing Sleep Opportunity
- Fatigue and Shiftwork: Consecutive Midnight Shifts
- Fatigue and Shiftwork: Early Morning Start Times
- Fatigue and Shiftwork: Long Commutes
- Fatigue and Shiftwork: Working Long Hours
- Fatigue and Shiftwork: Caffeine Use
- Sleep Improves On-the-Job-Training-Effectiveness
- Managing Fatigue Within the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Articles
