FAA Issues Policies to Tackle Controller Fatigue

Bethany Whitfield

Wednesday, July 06, 2011 at 09:56 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The FAA and NATCA have agreed on new guidelines to combat air traffic controller fatigue, aiming to restore public confidence after incidents of controllers sleeping on the job.
The agreement includes minor policy changes, such as relaxed language on sleeping during unassigned break periods and allowing night-shift controllers to read or listen to radios to stay alert.
It emphasizes controllers' responsibility to be well-rested and report fatigue, but notably makes no changes to the current air traffic control scheduling system, which is cited as a significant contributor to fatigue.

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The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have announced an agreement on new guidelines intended to combat fatigue.** **

The agreement is the latest in a series of attempts by the FAA to restore confidence in America’s air traffic control system, which came under heavy fire earlier this year with a barrage of reports detailing controllers sleeping on the job.