Fatigue as a Factor Associated with the Occurrence of Incidents in Transportation: A State of the Art

Abstract

The literature that addresses the phenomenon of fatigue identifies it as an element of relevance for the analysis of accidents in transportation and the safety of operations, since its effects degrade performance and reduce the ability to perform tasks efficiently and safely.

In the regulations governing transportation activities (both nationally and internationally), fatigue is considered as a factor potentially related to the occurrence of accidents and incidents, implicit in each of the sector's work practices. According to research carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB, 1995), between 1991 and 1993 fatigue was a factor in a significant percentage of transportation accidents in the United States (between 30 % and 40 %). Similarly, from the early 1990s to 2018 the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB, 2018) identified fatigue as a factor related to occurrence in at least 91 cases: 29 in rail, 28 in maritime, and 34 in aviation.

In this paper we present the main conceptual contributions of various reports and research developed by organizations and academic institutions specialized in the subject.