In the world of transportation, fatigue is a silent killer that can affect us all. Understanding fatigue, including how to manage it to minimize safety risk, is of great importance. However, while it is one thing to recognize that fatigue is a critical safety issue, it is quite another to set up a successful, scientifically informed fatigue risk management programme. This book is here to help. It has been carefully designed as a comprehensive reference point, bringing together international expertise from leaders in fatigue science, and showcasing valuable insights from transportation industry practitioners. The 40 authored chapters are divided into six sections, to better understand fatigue science, the consequences of fatigue in transportation, contributors to fatigue, managing fatigue and promoting alertness, real world case studies of fatigue management in practice, and future perspectives. While it is possible to read each chapter in isolation, most will be gained by reading the book as a whole. Each chapter starts with an abstract overview and concludes with summary bullet points, creating a handy "quick check" for key points. This accessible text is for those who are interested in supporting alert and safe transportation operations. It is suitable for professionals, transport managers, government advisors, policy makers, students, academics, and anyone who wants to learn more. All transport modes (road, rail, maritime and aviation) are considered. For anyone waking up to the complex challenge of fatigue management, this handbook is a must.

Fatigue is a recognized problem in many facets of the human enterprise. It is not confined to any one area of activity but enters all situations in which humans have to perform for extended intervals of time. Most problematic are the circumstances in which obligatory action is continuous and the results of failure are evidently serious or even catastrophic. Therefore, the modern media especially highlights fatigue-related failures in industries such as transportation, materials processing and healthcare. It can be, and indeed is, no coincidence that most of the spectacular failures in process control that have resulted in the world's largest industrial accidents have occurred in the small hours of the morning when the circadian rhythm is lowest and operator fatigue itself peaks. While there have been legislative efforts made at state, federal and international levels to regulate working hours of employees, the appropriate implementation of such legislation is still a long way off. The Handbook of Operator Fatigue provides a comprehensive account of the subject to serve as the definitive reference work for researchers, students and practitioners alike. The volume features 30 chapters written by experts from around the world to address each important facet of fatigue, including: the scale of the fatigue problem (Section I), the nature of fatigue (Section II), how to assess fatigue (Section III), the impact of fatigue on health (Section IV), fatigue in the workplace (Section V), the neurological basis of fatigue (VI), sleep disorders (VII), and the design of countermeasures to fatigue (VIII).