Philippe Cabon

Fatigue risk management: Organizational factors at the regulatory and industry/company level

This paper focuses on the development of fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) in the transport sector. The evolution of regulatory frameworks is traced, from uni-dimensional hours of service regulations through to frameworks that enable multi-dimensional FRMS. These regulatory changes reflect advances in understanding of human error in the aetiology of accidents, and in fatigue and safety science. Implementation of FRMS shifts the locus of responsibility for safety away from the regulator towards companies and individuals, and requires changes in traditional roles. Organizational, ethnic, and national culture need to be considered. Recent trends in the work environment have potential to adversely affect FRMS, including precarious employment and shortages of skilled labour. Essential components of an FRMS, and examples of FRMS in different transport modes, are described. It is vital that regulators, employer, and employees have an understanding of the causes and consequences of fatigue that is sufficient for them to meet their responsibilities in relation to FRMS. While there is a strong evidence base supporting the principles of FRMS, experience with implementation is more limited. The evidence base for effective implementation will expand, since FRMS is data-driven, and ongoing evaluation is integral. We strongly advocate that experience be shared wherever possible.

Biological and psychological rhythms: An integrative approach to rhythm disturbances in autistic disorder

Biological rhythms are crucial phenomena that are perfect examples of the adaptation of organisms to their environment. A considerable amount of work has described different types of biological rhythms (from circadian to ultradian), individual differences in their patterns and the complexity of their regulation. In particular, the regulation and maturation of the sleep-wake cycle have been thoroughly studied. Its desynchronization, both endogenous and exogenous, is now well understood, as are its consequences for cognitive impairments and health problems. From a completely different perspective, psychoanalysts have shown a growing interest in the rhythms of psychic life. This interest extends beyond the original focus of psychoanalysis on dreams and the sleep-wake cycle, incorporating central theoretical and practical psychoanalytic issues related to the core functioning of the psychic life: the rhythmic structures of drive dynamics, intersubjective developmental processes and psychic containment functions. Psychopathological and biological approaches to the study of infantile autism reveal the importance of specific biological and psychological rhythmic disturbances in this disorder. Considering data and hypotheses from both perspectives, this paper proposes an integrative approach to the study of these rhythmic disturbances and offers an etiopathogenic hypothesis based on this integrative approach.

Sleepiness during night-shift – sleeping habits or melatonin rhythm? A laboratory study

Abstract This study examined the relation between individual sleeping habits, and sensitivity to sleepiness during five simulated night-shifts. Seventeen male volunteers were selected by their features of “morningness–eveningness” and flexibility or rigidity of sleeping habits. Subjective scales of sleepiness and fatigue, mental performance, sleep, attenuation alpha test and the melatonin circadian rhythm were measured. Data analysis compared the following groups: evening–morning, flexible–rigid, evening–flexible, morning–flexible and morning–rigid groups, and two other definite groups from the total sample: a first group with an advanced onset of melatonin production at 23:00 and a second group (delayed onset) at 02:00. Results showed that morning, morning–flexible, morning–rigid and advance groups presented more adjustment difficulties than evening, evening–flexible and delay groups. Differences between flexible and rigid subjects remained less pronounced because of the heterogeneity of samples. The results of this preliminary study suggest that melatonin production and a combination of the two dimensions “eveningness” and “flexibility” of sleeping habits could explain the capacity to adjust to night-work. Relevance to industry Awareness of individual differences in adjustment to shift work should increase the safety and well-being of operators in industry.

Developing resilience engineering principles for design: the case of pilot's incapacitation in civil aviation

This article focuses on an analysis of the strategies used by pilots of the civil aviation in case of an incapacitation during flight. Incapacitation is defined in this research as any situation where the level of available aircrew resources is lower than the required level of resources needed to maintain the optimum performance with common strategies. There are different types of incapacitation depending on their severity and operational consequences. Incapacitations are a contributing factor of several events in aviation. In case of an incapacitation, aircrews use strategies to maintain their performance and manage the overall level of flight safety. This work aims at developing a methodology to perform a risk management of crew incapacitation and to identify crew strategies in order to study the potential to integrate them in the design of future cockpits and pilots training. This paper deals with the indentification of strategies.