DTIC ADA277122: Unit Specific Crew Rest Strategies: Phase 1 Evaluation of the 1/212th Aviation Battalion during Shiftwork Transitions

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122
AD-A277
USAARL Report No. 94-3
Unit Specific Crew Rest Strategies: Phase I
Evaluation of the 1/212th Aviation Battalion
During Shiftwork Transitions
DTIC
"By
Carlos A. Comperatore Fl'..ECTE
James A. Chiaramonte MAR17 1994 U
Kathy L. Lawhorn
E
Lawrence W. Allan
Aircrew Health and Performance Division
94-08568
IMhIfll9 3 16 09 G
January 1994
Approved for public rneasa; dlslibutlon unlinited.
United States Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory
Fort Rucker, Alabama 36362-0577
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83 q61787A877
11. TITLE (Anluds Securft Oanmflio)I )
Unit Specific Crew Rest Strategies: Phase I Evaluation of the 1/212th Aviation
Battalion During Shiftwork Transitions
12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S)
C.A. CoM erntorn. 3.A Chiai-n;t, RL, LAhnrn. T.Allan
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Final FROM TO 1994 JanuarLI 37
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05 08 O0 psychology; military aircraft operations
01 02 00
19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and dntify by block number)
Army aviation commanders are deeply concerned with the implementation of crew rest
strategies which are both practical and effective. Maintaining peak performance of
individuals rotating from one work shift to another is of paramount concern General
guidelines often provide appropriate information, but do not provide strategies or
specific schedules of crew rest tailored to the unit's specific mission demands,
environmental conditions, and strength. A complement to general recommendations and
guidelines is the use of unit-specific crew rest strategies. This concept involves a
two-phase process. In phase one, the unit's existing response to a characteristic
mission or training exercise is evaluated by determining the amount of rest obtained
by a representative sample of crew members. The results of phase I evaluations provide
descriptive quantitative information of daily rest periods, and the impact of mission
driven work schedules and environmental conditions on crew rest quality. Phase II
provides rhythms, sleep/wake cycles, shiftvork schedules, and methods for (continued)
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19. (Continued) regulating the body's biological clock to prevent sleep loss during a
characteristic mission. This report contains a summation of the results of a
phase I evaluation of shiftwork schedules used by the 1/212th Army Aviation
Training Battalion at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Shiftwork schedules used by 1/212th
aviators and aircrew included shifts from daytime to early morning, to nighttime,
and to afternoon duty hours. The operational objectives of the crew rest evaluation
study were twofold: 1) to assess the impact on crew rest of rapid transitions
from daytime to nighttime and early morning duty hours; and 2) to provide the
commander of the 1/212th with recommendations that would update the unit's
presently used crew rest strategy.
A)cc6esion For
NTIS CRA&I
DTIC TAB
i Unannounced 0
JLstification ..........................
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Dist ibution
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Table of contents
List of tables .................................. i
List of figures ...................................... i
Military significance ......................................... 1
General approach ............................................. 2
Methods ...................................................... 2
Participants ............................................ 2
Apparatus ............................................... 3
Wrist activity monitors (WAMS) ..................... 3
Procedure ............................................... 3
Schedule evaluation strategy ............................ 3
Bedtimes ........................................... 3
Rise times ......................................... 4
Total daily bedrest duration ....................... 4
Data analysis ................................................ 4
Results ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Activity/rest patterns 5
. .................................
Aviators transitioning from daytime
to early morning shifts ........................... 5
Bedtimes and rise times ....................... 6
Average bedrest duration ...................... 6
Aviators transitioning from daytime
to nighttime shift ............................... 6
Bedtimes and rise times ....................... 7
Average bedrest duration ...................... 7
Aviators transitioning from daytime
to afternoon shift ............................... 7
Bedtimes and rise times ....................... 7
Average bedrest duration ...................... 8
Aviators on permanent work schedules ............... 8
Conclusions ................................................. 8
Recommendations .............................................. 9
References ........................................... 12
Appendix A - Tables .......................................... 14
Appendix B - Figures ............................... 20
i
List of tables
Table 1. Average bed and rise times
Day shift to early morning shift .............. 15
Table 2. Average bedrest duration
Day shift to early morning shift .............. 15
Table 3. Average bed and rise times
Day shift to night shift .................... 16
Table 4. Average bedrest duration
Day shift to night shift..................... 16
Table 5. Average bed and rise times
Day shift to afternoon shift .................. 17
Table 6. Average bedrest duration
Day shift to afternoon shift .................. 17
Table 7. Average bed and rise times
Day shift only ................................ 18
Table 8. Average bedrest duration
Day shift only ................................ 18
Table 9. Average bed and rise times
Night shift only .............................. 19
Table 10. Average bedrest duration
Night shift only ................................ 19
List of figUres
Figure 1. Bed and rise times
Subject 1 (D/M} ............................... 21
Figure 2. Bed and rise times
Subject 2 (D/M) ............ 22
Figure 3. Bed and rise times
Subject 3 (D/M) ............................... 23
Figure 4. Bed and rise times
Subject 4 (D/M) ......................... 24
Figure 5. Bed and rise times
Subject 5 (DI//N) ............................. 25
ii
Figure 6. Bed and rise times
Subject 6 (D/M) .............................. 26
Figure 7. Bed and rise times
Subject 7 (D/M) ............................... 27
Figure 8. Bed and rise times
Subject 8 (D/N) ............................... 28
Figure 9. Bed and rise times
Subject 9 (D/N) ............................. 29
Figure 10. Bed and rise times
10
Subject (D/N) .............................. 30
Figure 11. Bed and rise times
Subject 11 (A/N) .............................. 31
Figure 12. Bed and rise times
Subject 12 (D/A) .......................... 32
Figure 13. Bed and rise times
Subject 13 (D/A) .............................. 33
Figure 14. Bed and rise times
Subject 14 (D/A) ............................. 34
Figure 15. Bed and rise times
Subject 15 (D) ................................ 35
Figure 16. Bed and rise times
Subject 16 (D) ................................ 36
Figure 17. Bed and rise times
Subject 17 (N) ................................ 37
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Military significance
Army aviation personnel often transition through standard
daytime (0700 to 1600), nighttime (2000 to 0400), and early
morning (0500 to 1300) duty hours. Although reporting times may
vary in response to specific mission requirements, personnel
usually rotate in a backwards direction from day to early morning
or from day to night and in a forward direction from early
morning to day and from night to day. Mission objectives often
require an initial shift from daytime to nighttime or early
morning duty hours within 24 to 48 hours. Since the successful
accomplishment of any mission depends on team coordination,
cohesiveness, and effectiveness, the state of alertness and
readiness of each member of the team are critical elements to
mission success. Performance, alertness, and overall energy
level can be degraded significantly during transitions from one
work schedule to another, particularly when the speed of rotation
is limited to 24 hours (for a review see Comperatore et al.,
1993; Comperatore and Krueger, 1990; Scott and Ladou, 1990;
Winget et al., 1984).
Today's Army aviation commander is deeply concerned with the
implementation of crew rest strategies which are both practical
and effective. Maintaining peak performance of individuals
rotating from one work shift to another is of paramount concern.
General guidelines often provide appropriate information, but do
not provide strategies or specific schedules of crew rest
tailored to the unit's specific mission demands, environmental
conditions, and strength. An alternative to general recom-
mendations and guidelines is the use of unit specific crew rest
strategies. This concept involves a two-phase process. In phase
I, the unit's existing response to a characteristic mission or
training exercise is evaluated by determining the amount of rest
obtained by a representative sample of crew members. This is
accomplished by using individual activity monitors worn by unit
personnel throughout the evaluation period. Data produced by
activity monitors allow the construction of individual
activity/rest profiles and the determination of the duration of
rest periods as crew members transition from daytime to nighttime
or daytime to early morning hours. Shiftwork transitions and
specific circumstances resulting in significant reductions of
rest time can be identified by studying individual crew
activity/rest patterns, mission requirements, environmental
conditions, and personnel strength assigned to the accomplishment
of mission objectives (Comperatore et al., 1993).
The results of phase I evaluations provide descriptive
information on daily rest periods, and on the impact of mission-
driven work schedules and environmental conditions on crew rest.
Phase II provides the unit with the most current information
I
available on physiological rhythms, sleep/wake cycles, shiftwork
schedules, and methods for regulating the body's biological clock
to prevent sleep loss during a characteristic mission
(Comperatore, 1993). The results of the evaluation study are
discussed with the unit's commander and staff members responsible
for the implementation of the unit's work schedules. In
coordination with the unit's command staff, the coping strategy
Lhen is developed and adapted to the specific mission demands and
environmental circumstances which unit members usually experience
in the field.
This report summarizes the results of a psI evaluation
of shiftwork schedules used by the 1/212th Army Aviation Training
Battalion at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Shiftwork schedules used by
1/212th aviators and aircrew included shifts from daytime to
early morning, to nighttime, and to afternoon duty hours. The
operational objectives of the crew rest evaluation study were
twofold: 1) to assess the impact of rapid transitions from
daytime to nighttime and early morning duty hours on crew rest of
this unit; and 2) to provide the commander with recommendations
that would update the unit's existing crew rest strategy.
General approach
The evaluation protocol was designed to assess the timing
and duration of rest that aviators obtained during rapid
transitions from daytime to nighttime or early morning duty
hours. This assessment required the study of activity/rest
rhythms during consecutive days of work involving shiftwork
transitions. Daily activity/rest data were obtained from wrist
activity monitors worn by aviators 24 hours a day throughout a
period of 14 consecutive days. The following dependent variables
were assessed throughout the training period: (1) daily bedtimes;
(2) daily rise times; and (3) duration and timing of daily
bedrest.
Methods
Participants
A total of 24 (23 male, 1 female) Army aviators parti-
cipated in the study. Data presented here are from the 17
participants who complied with the guidelines for the use of
activity monitors, thus providing complete activity/rest data
sets. Participation was voluntary and withdrawal from the study
was allowed at any time without penalty. Each subject was
informed of the project's objectives and of the procedures to be
implemented throughout the study. Details of the objectives,
procedures, and methods of this study were presented in written
form.
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