Fatigue Management

Clearly, however, more detailed research is required to validly draw out the
factors involved in unauthorised discharges and to differentiate the effects of
the two main presumed culprits: poor handling drills and fatigue. Such
research would be facilitated by adding information fields to current UD
reporting procedures. These fields should include time of day (to account for
circadian trough influences); hours of continuous wakefulness prior to the
incident; time on task at the time of the incident; amount of sleep during the
previous 24, 48 and 72 hour periods (to determine if a sleep debt existed) and
time in theatre (to account for acclimatisation and experience).
Personnel were working extremely long hours and were
heavily fatigued ... This was at a time when the FST
(Heavy) was peaking at 62 patients, resulting in 12 to 14
hour shifts and security duties … Fatigue was considered
to be the primary cause of one of the FST (Heavy)'s two
Unauthorised Discharges.
Land Operational Analysis Team,
Lessons and Impressions:
Operation WARDEN/Operation STABILISE, 2000
The selection of quotes in this chapter attests to the wide impact of fatigue
across units and roles. Other information about the human dimension of
service in East Timor has been collected (albeit retrospectively) from several
units. A sampling of survey response information from three units (two
Infantry and one Air Field Defence Squadron) is presented here to illustrate
fatigue relevant data. Stressors of deployment were assessed using a 36 item
scale that covers a spectrum of issues including operational, organisational,
environmental and family factors. ‘Mental or physical fatigue’ itself was a
trouble or a concern to some degree for 55, 59 and 71 per cent of the three
response samples. In one unit, fatigue was rated as causing ‘much' or ‘very
much' trouble or concern in 27 per cent of respondents. Workload (‘the amount
of work you were expected to undertake or achieve’) is presumably a major
predictor of fatigue. It was a trouble or concern for 69, 61 and 64 per cent of the
response samples. Signs of stress were also assessed using a standard 35 item
stress reactions scale. Boredom (experienced often or very often by as many as
43 per cent of sample), being overly tired (27 per cent often or very often),
crankiness (18 per cent), headaches (18 per cent), and sleeping problems (18
per cent) were among the most commonly reported signs. ‘Minor accidents’
occurred at least sometimes for 32 per cent of the respondents from two units.
‘Bad dreams/nightmares’ were reported at least sometimes for 19 per cent of
respondents in one unit. Collectively, such symptoms suggest less than
optimal operational performance in East Timor.
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