There are many people involved in fast-paced jobs that have a lot of responsibility but yet don’t get a lot of downtime after work. In particular, there has been an increase in work-related accidents concerning those that pilot planes and those running trains.
About one-fourth of train operators and pilots have admitted sleep deprivation has impacted their on the job performance at least once a week. Other non-transportation related workers only averaged one in every six to have the same complaint.
This sleep deprivation has resulted in some potentially dangerous scenarios with pilots citing their tendency to make a serious error when on the job. One in five pilots have admitted to this occurrence while one in six train operators have admitted to experiencing a ‘near miss’ caused by feeling sleepy.
Pilots and plane operators are not the only ones experiencing sleep-deprived work dangers. Truck drivers also have confessed to a number of close calls due to sleep deprivation. Those that drive for a living contend they too have had near accidents during their commute to work and home again but this danger is also a threat to non-driving related jobs where workers are only transporting themselves to work and back.
Additionally, getting good sleep is something that seems to elude pilots and train operators. More than half of the pilots surveyed in a recent study and 57% of train operators admit to never getting a good night sleep during the nights before work. 44% of polled truck drivers and 42% of non-transportation workers attest to the same thing while bus drivers, taxi drivers, and limo drivers appear to get the best night sleep with only 29% citing poor sleeping habits.
Sleep deprivation in such professions not only poses a danger to the pilot and the train operator but also to everyone counting on their skills and knowledge. The majority of those affected cite irregular work schedules as their downfall and the various shifts and schedules they must follow are ultimately putting their passengers as well as themselves in danger.
