Air traffic controller found asleep on the job
An air traffic controller has been found asleep on the job, with the incident prompting calls for better fatigue management, according to Australia's transport watchdog.
The report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) dates back to December 2022, when the Airservices Australia controller was found lying across two chairs with a blanket covering them at 5am.
The controller had worked multiple night shifts with reduced extended rest periods, "which likely reduced their ability to obtain restorative sleep", the report claimed.
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the controller had increased their chances of falling asleep "by lying across two chairs, not moving, and not undertaking activities to maintain mental alertness".
When a colleague discovered the snoozing worker, there was no traffic in the Cairns airspace they were responsible for managing, which was usual for that time of day, and there were no scheduled flights until after their shift.
However, the report highlighted the possible problems the incident pay have caused, saying if the traffic controller was woken up by a radio broadcast, they may have experienced "sleep inertia", with the risk of delayed communications, or incorrect instructions or actions.
"There were no negative consequences from this occurrence, but it does highlight areas for improvement in work scheduling and fatigue risk management," said Mitchell .
Since the incident, Airservices Australia has increased its overall number of air traffic controllers, and has also drawn up new guidelines and training about fatigue risk assessment.
"Fatigue remains one of the most relevant ongoing concerns for safe transport, despite increased awareness across the transport sector," said Mitchell.
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