Fatigue in ferry crews: a pilot study

Since the 1950s, the shipping industry has undergone profound changes, comparable in scale to those resulting from the advent of steam in the last century. This transformation has been shaped by many historical events and facilitated by the introduction of new technology and new commercial, operational and managerial practices, and it has clear implications for current research into the causality of marine accidents; technological developments, for example, have led to the so-called ‘radar-assisted collisions’. It is often said in the industry that 70-80% of maritime accidents are attributable to human error. What is less well known, however, is that in the majority of these cases, the factor which has consistently been identified as a major contributory link in the chain of events leading to an accident, is fatigue. Because of this, it is important to continue research into the causes and incidence of fatigue in seafarers. The objectives of this pilot study were: to investigate the quality and quantity of sleep among crew employed on the short-sea ferry sector; to evaluate the extent to which poor quality sleep occurs; and to identify the factors contributing to poor sleep quality. The subjects of the study were 12 crew members of different rank and with different work patterns from two UK-flagged short-sea pax/ro ferries. Background information on the participants was collected via questionnaires. Data on the duration and quality of sleep were collected by the use of wrist-worn actimeters and by self-report sleep logs, while self reports of alertness were collected at two-hourly intervals during each wakeful period. All the above data were collected during a complete tour of duty comprising one week at sea followed by one week of leave. The week-on / week-off work schedule allowed comparisons to be made between the sleep patterns of a working week at sea and those of a rest week at home. The findings indicate that differences in both sleep quality and duration of sleep between the work and non-work weeks were greater for those crew members required to work split shifts. Furthermore, they experienced greater sleep disturbance and generally shorter sleep periods than crew members who worked a single shift every 24 hours. The statistical analyses presented in the current study show a significant difference in the total number of hours sleep between the home and work schedules, and reveal a similar difference in the incidence of sleep disturbance. While further and more substantial examination into different shift patterns is required, there are already clear indications of a need to reappraise traditional watch regimes on board. This pilot study is the first phase of an extensive investigation into sleep and fatigue in seafarers’ work patterns, which is being carried out under the name of SEAFATIGUE. It is to include personal and environmental factors and is to be conducted within different shipping sectors of deep-sea and coastal trade. The final objective of the SEAFATIGUE project is to provide the maritime industry with a resource of detailed technical data on fatigue among seafarers, in order to facilitate the formulation and implementation of sound, proactive policies in areas of employment practices, manning levels, shipboard ergonomics, shiftwork patterns and the training of seafarers in fatigue management. This pilot study is the result of a joint collaborative project between the Sleep Research Laboratory at Loughborough University and the Seafarers International Research Centre at the University of Wales, Cardiff

Safety and acceptability of an organic light-emitting diode sleep mask as a potential therapy for retinal disease

Purpose The purpose of the study was to study the effect of an organic light-emitting diode sleep mask on daytime alertness, wellbeing, and retinal structure/function in healthy volunteers and in diabetic macular oedema (DMO). Patients and methods Healthy volunteers in two groups, 18–30 yrs (A), 50–70 yrs (B) and people with DMO (C) wore masks (504 nm wavelength; 80 cd/m2 luminance; ≤8 h) nightly for 3 months followed by a 1-month recovery period. Changes from baseline were measured for (means): psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) (number of lapses (NL), response time (RT)), sleep, depression, psychological wellbeing (PW), visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, colour, electrophysiology, microperimetry, and retinal thickness on OCT. Results Of 60 participants, 16 (27%) withdrew, 8 (13%) before month 1, due to sleep disturbances and mask intolerance. About 36/55 (65%) who continued beyond month 1 reported ≥1 adverse event. At month 3 mean PVT worsened in Group A (RT (7.65%, P<0.001), NL (43.3%, P=0.005)) and mean PW worsened in all groups (A 28.0%, P=0.01, B 21.2%, P=0.03, C 12.8%, P<0.05). No other clinically significant safety signal was detected. Cysts reduced/resolved in the OCT subfield of maximal pathology in 67% Group C eyes. Thinning was greater at 3 and 4 months for greater baseline thickness (central subfield P<0.001, maximal P<0.05). Conclusion Sleep masks showed no major safety signal apart from a small impairment of daytime alertness and a moderate effect on wellbeing. Masks were acceptable apart from in some healthy participants. Preliminary data suggest a beneficial effect on retinal thickness in DMO. This novel therapeutic approach is ready for large clinical trials

Differences in pre-sleep activity and sleep location are associated with variability in daytime/nighttime sleep electrophysiology in the domestic dog

The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is a promising animal model. Yet, the canine neuroscience literature is predominantly comprised of studies wherein (semi-)invasive methods and intensive training are used to study awake dog behavior. Given prior findings with humans and/or dogs, our goal was to assess, in 16 family dogs (1.5–7 years old; 10 males; 10 different breeds) the effects of pre-sleep activity and timing and location of sleep on sleep electrophysiology. All three factors had a main and/or interactive effect on sleep macrostructure. Following an active day, dogs slept more, were more likely to have an earlier drowsiness and NREM, and spent less time in drowsiness and more time in NREM and REM. Activity also had location- and time of day-specific effects. Time of day had main effects; at nighttime, dogs slept more and spent less time in drowsiness and awake after first drowsiness, and more time in NREM and in REM. Location had a main effect; when not at home, REM sleep following a first NREM was less likely. Findings are consistent with and extend prior human and dog data and have implications for the dog as an animal model and for informing future comparative research on sleep

Taking the register: the government's proposal for children not in school

In April 2019, the Department of Education released its consultation document Children not in school: proposed legislation. One proposal is that Local Authorities should be under a statutory obligation to maintain a register of all children of compulsory school age in its area. This would be complemented by a proposed new parental duty to register their child if the child is not in specified education (for example, where a child is home schooled). These proposals are a significant departure from the existing law which places no obligation on Local Authorities to maintain such a Register or on parents to register their children as being educated otherwise than at a school. This is despite s436A(1) of the Education Act 1996 requiring Authorities to ‘make arrangements to enable them to establish (so far as it is possible to do so) the identities of children in their area who are of compulsory school age but are not registered pupils at a school, and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school’. The proposed register and parental duty may enable Local Authorities to better meet this obligation. In this paper, I will discuss the Government’s proposals and their implications for monitoring those children who are educated otherwise than in school. In particular, I will examine the significance of these proposals for what might be called ‘invisible children’ (eg: children who have never attended school and, consequently, are not on the Local Authority register). I will also consider the meaning of the phrase ‘suitable education’ and whether, as it currently stands, this phrase has any useful meaning at all

Experimental studies of driver sleepiness in young adults

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN063605 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Taking the register: the government's proposal for children not in school

In April 2019, the Department of Education released its consultation document Children not in school: proposed legislation. One proposal is that Local Authorities should be under a statutory obligation to maintain a register of all children of compulsory school age in its area. This would be complemented by a proposed new parental duty to register their child if the child is not in specified education (for example, where a child is home schooled). These proposals are a significant departure from the existing law which places no obligation on Local Authorities to maintain such a Register or on parents to register their children as being educated otherwise than at a school. This is despite s436A(1) of the Education Act 1996 requiring Authorities to ‘make arrangements to enable them to establish (so far as it is possible to do so) the identities of children in their area who are of compulsory school age but are not registered pupils at a school, and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school’. The proposed register and parental duty may enable Local Authorities to better meet this obligation. In this paper, I will discuss the Government’s proposals and their implications for monitoring those children who are educated otherwise than in school. In particular, I will examine the significance of these proposals for what might be called ‘invisible children’ (eg: children who have never attended school and, consequently, are not on the Local Authority register). I will also consider the meaning of the phrase ‘suitable education’ and whether, as it currently stands, this phrase has any useful meaning at all