STRESS IN AVIATION INDUSTRY

ANKITA AMITA ANMOL

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS(ATC)• Highly complex job• Requires high levels of knowledge and

expertise also specific skills pertaining to cognitive domains

• Spatial perception,information,logical reasoning,inductive and deductive reasoning

• Communication and human relations

Two sides of the same coin

UPSIDE• High pay

– $28.00/hr– $100,000/yr

• Highest paying job without a college degree

DOWNSIDE• Work shifts-

holidays,weekends,all hours• Limited or no breaks in 8hr

schedules• Responsible for more

money and more lives than an average person is during their entire lifetime

CAUSES OF STRESS FOR ATCs

• Number of aircrafts• Peak traffic hours• Extraneous traffic• Unforseeable events

DEMAND

• Time pressure having to bend the rules• Lodd of control• Consequence of errors

Operating procedures

• Unbroken duty periods• Shift nd night work

Working times

• Limitations and relaibility of equipment• Equipment layout

Working tools

• Lighting optical reflections• Niose/distractors• Microclimate• Rest and canteen facilities

Working environment

•Role ambiguity•Relations with superiors and collegaues•Salary•Public opinion

Work organizatio

n

STUDY-

• Journal Psychosomatic Medicine– Air traffic controllers' stress management and

hypertension risk(Main Category: HypertensionArticle Date: 01 Oct 2004) Robert M. Rose, M.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch and colleagues

– Follow up study on an earlier study done in 1974-1978 on how controllers’ bloood pressure and heart rate respond to heavy workloads

– Controllers whose systolic blood pressure rose in response to stress during that period were more likely to develop developed chronic high

blood pressure 20 years later. – Sample-

• 218 white males – Conclusion

• 17% developed hypertension• ATC represent a particularly strong case of stress affecting health.

04/14/1958 Castel de Fels, Spain Aviaco Another aircraft was permitted to takeoff without knowing the exact position of the plane.

07/21/1961 Shemya, Alaska Alaska AL Lack of guidance from air traffic controller during last stages of flight.

02/08/1965 New York, New York Eastern AL Placement of the two aircraft on a near head on course causing one to crash.

03/05/1969 San Juan, Puerto Rico Prinair A trained vectored the aircraft into mountainous terrain under IFR conditions.

02/06/1970 Samarkand, USSR Aeroflot Misidentification of aircraft by the ATC causing the plane to impact a mountain.

12/20/1972 Chicago, Illinois Delta/North Central

The ATC gave ambiguous instructions to the crew.

09/09/1976 Adler, Russia Aeroflot / Aeroflot Violation of separation rules.

08/11/1979 Dneprodzerzhinsk, USSR

Aeroflot Separation error by the ATC causing a midair collision.

04/19/1983 Keninakan, Russia Aeroflot ATC procedural error in not identifying the planes position.

02/01/1991 Los Angeles, California USAir/Skywest ATC cleared a plane to land while the runway was occupied by another aircraft.

11/07/1996 Lagos, Nigeria Aviation Dev. Corp. The controller thought he had cleared to aircraft to the correct altitude but didn't.

09/26/1997 Buah Nabar, Indonesia Garuda Indonesian AL

ATC error in directing the plane in the wrong direction into mountainous terrain.

07/01/2002 Uberlinger, Germany Bashkirian AL / DHL Conflicting information give to pilot by ATC and what he was receiving on his TCAS.

CONSEQUENCES

INTERVENTIONS

PASSENGERS

FLYING RELATED STRESS• International travel alters routine and can markedly affect

mental state• Relocation is a recognized stressor( Lucas, 1987)• Vocational, leisure, and relocation activities involving travel

are a routine of modern life. All modes of transport can be anxiety provoking. However, airborne travel appears to create more psychological upset than other transportation(McIntosh et al., 1998)

STRESS RELATED TO PASSENGER

• The most common behavior experienced by air passengers include motion sickness, jetlag and increased arousal and stress at different stages of flight

• Many people travel in order to relax on holiday and reduce stress in their lives yet, ironically, air travel seems in itself to expose passengers to stress

SOURCES OF STRESS• Some sources of stress may seem ordinary, such as having to

cope with a short delay, but nonetheless can trigger intense emotional reactions.

• The absence of any information or an acceptable explanation from airline employees or crew simply exacerbates the situation

• Away from the familiarity & security of their accustomed environment, there is increased risk to passengers of suffering psychological problems, as well as greater exposure to a range of hazards and health risks

AIR TRAVEL CAN INDUCE-

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Panic attacks

• Or even psychosis in vulnerable individuals

ANXIETY

• Anxiety is a response that is learned when a danger signal is perceived. The danger signal is previously paired with a situation which naturally produces a negative reaction, either through direct exposure, modeling or vicarious learning.

• With air travel having become increasingly common, more people are exposed to associated stress. Many travellers are close to their stress tolerance levels before they board the flight.

• Air travel- related anxieties can be divided into pre-, post- & in-flight categories, with each having recognized stressors.

Passengers may be affected by no of factors:

• Changed Environment

• Loss of family support

• Exposure to cultural & social change

• Fear of the unknown

• Loss of control of one’s destiny

• Powerlessness (Lucas, 1987)

FEATURES

The following features , singly & combined, can promote the anxiety experienced by an air traveller

• Fear of heights• Fear of enclosed spaces• Close proximity to others• Limitations on toilet access

PANIC ATTACKS Many factors associated with air travel can act as a trigger for

a panic attack on a plane. These triggers are often associated with aspects of air travel that can not be changed or altered. Such as, seating, cabin space and social interaction.

If a passenger feels uncomfortable during plane travel it is important to control the symptoms of anxiety and panic. Depending on the trigger for the panic attack on a plane the treatments may be different

POST -TRAUMATIC STRESS Posttraumatic stress disorder (also known as post-traumatic

stress disorder or PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma.

This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity.

For e.g.: Post-traumatic stress in Plane Crash Survivors

CASE HISTORY On a holiday charter flight a panic-stricken teenager refused to

exit the entry steps and enter the cabin. She clung desperately to hand-rails, ultimately screaming and shoving at parents and crew trying to calm her and encourage boarding. Her panic reaction triggered an asthmatic attack. Airport medical staff advised that she discontinue her journey. Baggage retrieval and loss of departure slot resulted in a three-hour delay to take-off, to the disadvantage and angst of family and fellow travellers.

PILOTS

Pilot Stress• A pilot in charge of flying an aircraft is called the pilot in command (PIC)• The term “pilot error” has been used to describe the causes of accidents. Pilot

error means that an action or decision made by the pilot was the cause, or a contributing factor that led to the accident.

• Pilots may become involved in family disputes, may disturb have sleep management disputes, frustrations, had or other worries of daily lives. A pilot lives a life of deadlines. He/she is under constant pressure to maintain a public relations image. He/she is exhorted endlessly to be disciplined, responsible, vigilant, and economically conscious. He/she works under threat of immediate media spotlight in an incident. Pilots may have to cope with, among other things in the airline industry, unsafe weather, bad management and unpredictable schedules etc.

• In aviation, at all phases of flight, pilots are subjected to different amounts of stress; how they react when subjected to stress will ultimately make or break whether the outcome is a safe and successful flight. The ability to make effective decisions during flight can be impaired by stress.

Sources of Stress

• Physical stressors• Psychological stressors• Physiological stressors

The attempt to “be in control” of anything actually causes “stress.”

Physical Stressors• Temperature

– High temperature build up in the cockpit/hangar increases perspiration and heart rate causing overheating of body.

– Low temperature build up causes the body to feel cold, weak and drowsy. • Changes in air pressure due to turbulence exerts unusual g-forces on the

body and makes it difficult to control the aircraft. • Vibration transmitted to the body from the aircraft via the seat makes it

difficult to read navigational charts and instruments. • Poor Lightings at their work area make it difficult to read technical data

and manuals whilst working on the aircraft and the use of torch lights are also inadequate, increasing the propensity to miss something important.

• Confined spaces also render maintenance personnel difficult to perform their tasks as their bodies are sometimes contorted in unusual positions.

• Poor visibility due to heavy fog and traveling in instrument meteorological conditions

Physiological Stressors

• Flying when unwell resulting in the body using more energy fighting the illness and hence less energy to perform vital tasks.

• Not having proper meals also result in not having enough energy and induces symptoms like headache and shaking.

• Lack of sleep; Fatigue, the pilot is unable to maintain performance standards for long periods as he struggling to stay awake.

• Working long hours without any break especially at busy airports when handling multiple aircraft departing and arriving on intersecting and parallel runways

Psychological Stressors• Work related stressors prior to the mission can increase

arousal due to apprehension but too much can cause over-anxiousness and failure to perform up to speed.

• Financial problems such as impending bankruptcy, recession, loans and mortgages to pay.

• Marital problems due to divorce or strained relationships due to persistent quarreling.

• Interpersonal problems with superiors and colleagues due to miscommunication or perceived competition and backstabbing.

Stressors

Relation between stress and performance

Different amount of workload

Aeronautical decision making

• Aeronautical decision making (ADM) is a systematic approach to the mental process used by airplane pilots to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances.

• Traditional pilot training has emphasized flying skills, knowledge of the airplane, and familiarity with regulations.

• ADM training focuses on the decision-making process and the factors that affect a pilot’s ability to make effective choices.

10/06/1955 Centennial, Wyoming United AL Incapacitation of crew by carbon monoxide emanating from a faulty cabin heater.

10/30/1959 Waynesborough, Virginia

Piedmont AL Mental breakdown of captain during flight.

12/14/1962 Burbank, California Flying Tiger Line Incapacitation of the captain with a heart attack at a critical point in the approach.

04/22/1966 Ardmore, Oklahoma American Flyers AL Incapacitation of the captain with a heart attack during final stages of approach.

03/13/1967 East London, South Africa

South African AW The captain suffered a heart attack and first officer could not regain control of aircraft.

01/14/1970 Mt. Pumacona, Peru Faucett The mental state of the pilot adversely affected his judgment and efficiency.

06/18/1972 Staines, Surrey, England British European AW

Incapacitation of the captain due to a possible arterial hemorrhage.

10/13/1972 Krasnaya, Polyana, USSRAeroflot Sudden incapacitation of the crew for reasons unknown.

02/09/1982 Tokyo, Japan Japan AL The captain, known to have mental problems, put the inboard engines into reverse.

03/31/1995 Balotesti, Romania Trans. Aeriene Rom.

The captain was incapacitated shortly after taking off.

09/04/2000 Near Burketown, Australia

Central Air Incapacitation of the captain due to depressurized cabin and lack of oxygen.

08/14/2005 Grammatikos, Greece Helios Airways Pressurization failure incapacitated the entire crew.