A Method for Applying Fatigue Science to Accident Investigation

Abstract

The detrimental effects of fatigue on the safe operation of vehicles or the execution of critical tasks in transportation systems (e.g., monitoring pipeline systems or maintaining vehicles) have been well established. However, estimates of the percentage of transportation accidents attributed to fatigue has varied greatly, and much of that variability can be attributed to the methods used to investigate and document accident causes or risk factors. In addition, using research findings in accident investigation can be very difficult, and establishing that fatigue played a role in an accident illustrates very well the challenges of relating research to practice. In this chapter we will discuss how fatigue research has informed accident investigation and how findings from accidents and incidents can guide future research and policy decisions. The chapter will (a) establish the seriousness of the fatigue problem in transportation accidents and incidents; (b) provide insights into the difficulties associated in determining whether fatigue is a contributing or causal factor in an event; (c) describe, in detail, a methodology that can be used to identify fatigue factors in accident investigation; and (d) illustrate how accident investigations where fatigue is well documented can inform the research community and lead to design and policy changes that will mitigate fatigue and help improve transportation safety.