Pilot fatigue as a causal factor in aviation accidents Essay Example for Free

Pilot fatigue as a causal factor in aviation accidents Essay This paper aims to delve into the processes and effects of pilot fatigue and its role as a causal factor in aviation accidents. Pilot fatigue as a term is hard to define since different kind of people feel it in different ways and in certain degrees. For the purpose of this paper, however, we will define pilot fatigue as a state of mental and physical exhaustion resulting in a decrease in the ability to perform and maintain activities. The paper will examine the causes of pilot fatigue, its effect to pilot performance in the aircraft and its role in causing aviation accidents. The feeling of fatigue is usually associated with two factors; lack of sleep and disruption of the body’s normal circadian rhythm. The occurrence of one or both usually results in a feeling of sleepiness, tiredness and exhaustion. One of the most essential functions in the human body is sleep. Sleep is the main way by which the body receives rest and enables it to resume activities after wakening. The effects of sleep have been almost based mostly on the results felt with and without it. Generally, having the proper amount of sleep, about 6-8 hours, results in a feeling of well being and freshness. Sleep loss means the time getting less sleep than what is required by the body to perform functions effectively upon awakening. The amount of sleep one needs to perform effectively varies per person, with some needing eight hours while others can simply make do with four. If one needs only 4 hours, and he only sleeps two, two hours of sleep loss occurs. The first night of sleep loss may or may not have a perceptible impact on work activities but after cumulative sleep losses, the impact also increases. Sleep is one of the various body processes regulated by our circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm deals with regulating processes based on cycles of night and day. When one alters the circadian rhythm, it disrupts the body’s natural cycle of rest and sleep. (Sanquist, Raby, Forsythe, Carvalhais, 1997) Fatigue effects are generally the body’s way of attempting to get some rest. These include drowsiness, lapsing in and out of sleep, reduced alertness and muscle coordination, loss of concentration and spotty memory. A fatigued person has sluggish movements, slow reaction times and a tendency to lose focus of the task at hand. Graver is the tendency to become unconscious for brief periods of time, neglecting whatever action at hand. (Conway, Mode, Berman, Martin, Hill, 2005) In pilots, any one of these could lead to disaster. However, when a combination of them occurs, the risks rise dramatically. (Caldwell, 2005) Being a pilot exposes one to situations that result in fatigue. The schedule takes it toll. The paperwork and checks that a pilot has to undergo before the flight proper results in stress. However, it is the flight itself which is the main factor for fatigue in pilots. The long flights leave a pilot almost no time for rest, much less sleep. The banality of looking at controls aids in boring the pilot. Also, the travel of the plane may take it across one or more flight zones. One of the main indicators in the circadian rhythm is daylight. Taking a trip across time zones exposes the pilot to varying amounts of daylight in a single day. This is what’s properly known as jet lag. (Petrie, Powell, Broadbent, 2004) A fatigued pilot may find it easy to succumb to the effects of fatigue during a flight. Bourgeois-Bougrine, Carbon, Gounelle, Mollard, Coblentz, 2003) The cabin pressure, the dim lights, the monotonous sounds, all this have the potential to lure a tired pilot to sleep. Although resting periods are prescribed during flight, no relaxing sleep is derived from them. (Samel, Vejvoda, Maass, 2004) Pilots may also succumb to boredom fatigue, when their tasks become dull and monotonous. (Caldwell, 2001) Whatever discipline or training a pilot may have, it is no much to the needs of the body. It is true that as a pilot, one must be at peak alertness and performance. The effect of fatigue disrupts this and would logically lead to a disturbance in pilot activities. Once airborne, pilots must be vigilant in maintaining airspeed, altitude, pitch and course. In landing, they must be sure of themselves and their movements when banking, controlling the flaps and lowering the wheels. (Raymond Moser, 1995) Fatigue can make a pilot fail in any one of these tasks. This can cause aviation accidents. (Goode, 2003) However, data on the subject cannot empirically say what role fatigue plays. The effects of fatigue may be causative to accidents, but these effects can be induced by other means. There have been many cases where pilot error was cited to be the cause of the crash. However the reasons behind those errors may or may not be due to fatigue. Also, even with a fatigued pilot, it is possible to avoid incidents. (Goode, 2003)Co-pilots are in place not just to assist, but when necessary, take over a pilot. Although no empirical data supports fatigue as a major cause of aviation incidents, the fact that it can lead to such events have led aviation industry officials to take precautionary measures to prevent as well as minimize the effect of fatigue and the risks it entails to both passenger and crew. Guidelines regarding scheduling, medication and on air conduct are aimed to reduce pilot fatigue and boredom. (Conway et al. , 2004) Ensuring that the pilot is rested and is free from fatigue does not ensure an incident-free flight, but it does minimize the risks that the effects of fatigue could lead to disaster. (Smith Mason, 2001) Research Log The first step that I did was to identify the topic. I chose fatigue in pilots and its role in accidents since I have often looked up to pilots and wishes to know what happens when they are fatigued when flying. I researched materials relevant to my topic, from books I had to the internet. I began my paper by clearly stating what I wanted to express,as to avoid confusion and backtracking by the reader. The definition of terms was next to aid the reader in digesting the paper. The body consisted of a cause, effect and then role format. I presented the causes with the desire to impress upon the reader that fatigue happens to any one and everyone. I then enumerated the effects of fatigue to show how such a common event can lead to many risks. Next, particular focus was given to the pilots and their susceptibility to conditions leading to fatigue and conducive to its effects. Afterwards, I expressed that the effects of fatigue in pilots can lead to accidents. However, I refrained from directly pressing the role of fatigue since no data supports it directly. I used the effect of fatigue to show that since A causes B, then C which is caused by B is indirectly related to A. Afterwards, I wrapped up the paper with the measures being taken to prevent fatigue as well as a brief concluding statement.

Comparing the Mormon Religion to Catholic and Protestant Faiths Essay

Comparing the Mormon Religion to Catholic and Protestant Faiths The Mormon religion is very unique in many of its doctrine. While technically a Protestant faith, the Mormons generally share more doctrine with the Catholics. Because of its unique nature, I will be analyzing the Mormon faith, its history, organization, and doctrine, in comparison with the beliefs held by both Catholics and Protestants. Establishment On April 6, 1980, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormon Church) was founded. [It is interesting to note that according to Mormon doctrine (Doctrine and Covenants 20:1), April 6 is the birthday of Jesus Christ.] 10 years prior to this event, in 1820, fourteen-year-old Joseph Smith knelt in a quiet grove in upper New York state and prayed for guidance in choosing a church to join. According to LDS historical records, his prayer was answered by the visitation of two heavenly personages. One, the Heavenly Father, spoke to him and said, pointing to the other, "This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!" This second personage, Christ, told Smith that he should join no existing church, that the true church he had established upon the Earth had become corrupted and fallen away from the truth over the passing years. Smith was instructed that he was to aid in the restoration of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days. Mormons consider this divine visitation and the restoration of Christ's church to be the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Apostle Peter when he said, "He shall send Jesus Christ. . .whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." (Acts 3:20-21). ... ...rious sins such as murder, adultery, lying, and who do not repent in mortality. There is a fourth place where souls can go after death – Outer Darkness. This place is only those who deny the Holy Ghost, have a perfect testimony of the Gospel and willfully deny it. The Mormon view of afterlife is discussed at great length in Doctrine and Covenants chapter 76. These are just a few of the beliefs of the Mormon faith. Evidenced by the discussion of these is the fact that while Mormonism is technically a Protestant faith, it shares many doctrinal points with both Protestants and Catholics. Beyond its shared theology, Mormonism has several very unique teachings, ones generally not expounded by any other Christian faith. Perhaps it is these novel pieces of doctrine that appeal to people and have made Mormonism the fastest growing faith in the world today.

Conflict Essay

The bringing of people together in social interaction necessarily involves a set of interpersonal dynamics which sooner or later will lead to conflict. Conflict between people or groups often arises from competition for resources, power, and status. Family members compete for attention. Individuals compete for jobs and wealth. Nations compete for territory and prestige. Different interest groups compete for influence and the power to make rules. Often the competition is not for resources but for ideas, one person or group wants to have the ideas or behaviour of another group suppressed, punished, or declared illegal. When you consider what a diverse society we live in, with so many different backgrounds, perspectives and approaches to life, it is not surprising that conflict is established as part and parcel of our everyday life. This is because people will have competing interests and competing perspectives in relation to the same issues, and so we should not be surprised when tensions exist between individuals and groups. Conflict is concerned with difference. If we were all the same, then there would be little or no conflict. However, thankfully we are not all the same, and so part of the price that we pay for the richness of diversity is that conflicts will arise at certain times. Conflicts are inevitable in one’s organizational life and personal life. Conflict tends to have negative consequences for both the individual and the organization. Performance is adversely affected. Decisions made may not be appropriate. Occasionally, they might even be unrealistic or irrational. Thus, conflicts tend to impair one’s efficiency. Sometimes, conflict is also observed to give rise to certain maladjusted behaviours in individuals trying to cope with it. These include alcoholism, drug abuse, excessive smoking, under eating or overeating and extremely aggressive or submissive behaviour. Conflict has also certain physiological consequences in that, certain changes take place within the physiological system which are often ignored or unnoticed. Hence, it may be understood that conflict not only affects an individual’s performance, but also gives rise to psychosomatic disturbances, which undermine the health of the individual. It can also be argued that conflicts are not necessarily bad. The progress we have made so far in our civilization is due to the conflict between nature & man. Conflict releases energy at every level of human activity, energy that can produce positive, constructive results. Conflicts tend to have a motivational value; they drive or energize an individual to tackle a situation. To resolve a conflict one might explore different avenues or alternatives of action, which make him/her more knowledgeable. Conflicts also provide opportunities to test one’s own abilities. Conflict can occur at personal level, interpersonal level, group level. It can be latent or covert. Causes of Conflict 1. Conflicts arise when people are competing for the same resources, when they are not fairly distributed or when there are not enough to go round. 2. Conflicts arise when the people are unhappy with how they are governed. 3. Conflicts arise when people’s beliefs clash. Religious and political views are particularly sensitive, because people often depend on these for a sense of identity and belonging. Sometimes the conflict is caused by a religious/political group being attacked; sometimes it is because the group is eager to spread a particular belief and even enforce it on others. Some leaders may aggravate religious and political differences as part of their tactics for keeping or gaining power. 4. In the same way ethnic differences can cause conflict, or be made to cause it. Again, people’s ethnicity gives them a sense of identity and belonging, and it is threats to this sense which can cause violent responses, just as individuals may lash out with angry words or gestures when they feel threatened. Causes of conflict in the work place The cause of workplace conflict is often misunderstood and blamed on personalities and misbehaviour, but in reality much workplace conflict is systemic and endemic to the workplace environment. Ineffective organisational systems, unpredictable policies, incompatible goals, scarce resources, and poor communication can all contribute to conflict in the workplace. Workplace conflict causes loss of productivity, distractions, and employee dissatisfaction. However, management can produce positive results by paying attention to and addressing the true causes of conflict in their organisations. Managing conflict Managing a conflict contains specialized interaction that prevents a dispute from becoming a destructive battle. Managing a conflict attends to the personal issues so as to allow for a constructive relationship, even though the objective issues may not be resolvable. For example, the former Soviet Union and the United States managed their conflict during the Cold War by using a variety of mechanisms. The objective issues in the dispute were not resolved, and neither were the personal issues, which contained significant perceptual differences. However, both sides attended significantly to the relationship to keep the disagreement from turning into a destructive battle. Ways people deal with conflict There is no one best way to deal with conflict. It depends on the current situation. Here are the major ways that people use to deal with conflict. 1. Avoidance. Pretend it is not there or ignore it. Usually this approach tends to worsen the conflict over time. 2. Accommodation. Give in to others, sometimes to the extent that you compromise yourself. Usually this approach tends to worsen the conflict over time, and causes conflicts within yourself. 3.  Competition. Work to get your way, rather than clarifying and addressing the issue. 4. Compromising. Mutual give-and-take. 5. Collaboration. Focus on working together. This approach sometimes raises new mutual needs. Effects of conflict Conflicts have positive and negative effects. They can lead to change if they are well managed, they can be used as a learning experience and they can be used to open up opportunities. However, prolonged conflicts can erupt into violence and disrupt the activities of the organisation, they may also damage relationships permanently and they can also lead to the death of an organisation. Change Most of us live and think as if the world were static, or as if it should be. As individuals, as professionals, and as members or leaders of organizations, too often the way we act, plan, and react betrays the assumption that tomorrow will be much like today, that we’ll slide by all right if we just get a little better, a little smarter, at doing what we are already doing. Some people, and some organizations, fall apart in the face of change. They seem well organized until something changes in their environment. According to Robbins (1999), change is concerned with making things different. Things must be different because they change constantly. When an organizational system is disturbed by some internal or external force, change frequently occurs. Change as a process, is simply modification of the structure or process of a system. It may be good or bad, the concept is descriptive only. † It may be constructive, destructive, comfortable or uncomfortable. People and organizations seem to have a pattern over their lifetimes. People and organizations that thrive on change share some fundamental attributes. Change is fractal: its basic nature looks the same at different scales. So the attributes that make an organization powerfully adaptive also make a relationship flexible and fruitful, a community liveable, and an individual creative, adaptive, and secure in the midst of turbulence. It is not possible to change an organization without changing oneself. Changing oneself will change an organization. The two are inextricably linked. If people seriously intend to help their organization go through the massive changes, they must set out on a path of changing their own lives, of learning the skills of change and applying them first to themselves. Any change is, in part, physical. It can be understood in one’s head, but until it lives in their body, it won’t change their behaviour. If a person wishes to be different, that person must learn to move differently, to make different physical decisions. â€Å"Stick to your knitting,† turns out to be a useful thought for dealing with change. However, at the core of every truth is a fallacy, a route to a deeper truth. The fallacy at the core of â€Å"stick to your knitting† is the invitation not to change, to stay satisfied with the way we are. Many of us have a grudging acceptance of the need to change. The reality is that every change is a new skill, one that takes time and attention to learn. If I wait to change until I am forced to it, I will be too late. To wait until change is forced on me is to stay perpetually behind on the learning curve. Whenever a person is trying to change something in his life, they should always remember that change without getting rid of the beliefs that cause the current behaviour or feelings is almost impossible. Furthermore, change probably is difficult when one is onvinced that they either saw or felt the belief causing their current behaviour or feeling on numerous occasions earlier in life. When they realize they never saw their belief and they caused the feeling, not reality, their belief will just dissolve. Today change is the essential of survival and a way of carrying out business. Every business firm whether big or small has to change with time or it will perish. This change along with it brings insecurities and pain that forces human beings or individuals to come out of their comfort zones to zone of uncomfortable debate and this leads to resistance to change.

Demecology †the Ecology of Populations - 1574 Words

Topic 3: Demecology – the ecology of populations The main idea: Note how mathematical models are used to examine variation in growth of a population. Lecture outline: 1. Statistic and dynamic characteristics of population. 2. Growth curves patterns: J-shaped curve and S-shaped curve 3. Population regulation: Density-dependent and density-independent factors. 4. Human population patterns: - Population numbers. - Demographic transition and structure - Population urbanization 1. Statistic and dynamic characteristics of population Population – is a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area. Population is an elementary and evolutionary unit of biosphere. Statistic characteristics: †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Density-independent factors –are factors that affect populations (reproduction and mortality rates) regardless of population density (natural disasters as forest fire, earthquake, flood etc.). 4. Human population patterns: †¢ Population numbers | |In 1650 ~ 500 million people. | |[pic] |In 2000 ~ 6 billion people. | | |In 2009 ~ 6.5 billion people. | | |This exponential growth rate can be explained by increase: | | |in food production | | |the rise of industry | | |advances in medicine | | |Growth rate is about 70 million people per year. It may be | | |limited by the same density-dependent factors that limit the |