ABSTRACT
Fatigue is ubiquitous in the maritime sector and has contributed to many serious incidents and collisions. Various shipboard stressors, classified here into six groups, contribute to fatigue and increase safety risks. Operational requirements often involve high operational tempo and unplanned events which exacerbate fatigue by disrupting regular sleep schedules. Organisational stressors include social pressures from the chain of command and scheduling challenges, such as shift work and excessive work hours. Maritime operations involve unique environmental conditions—e.g., motion, noise, and extremes in temperature and light—that interfere with sleep and induce fatigue. Additionally, bedding and sleeping arrangements common on ships may not be ideal for quality sleep. Working in maritime industries may be psychologically taxing because crew live and work for long periods of time under dangerous and stressful conditions, away from friends and family, and in confined quarters. Further adding to stress, maintaining a healthy lifestyle aboard a ship is hard because physical exercise may be difficult to obtain, and dietary choices and timing of meals are limited. Finally, biological factors (e.g., pathologies and use of pharmacological agents) modulate the effects of shipboard stressors on individual fatigue. Together, these stressors produce fatigue, thereby increasing shipboard risks.
