“On my watch, controllers will not be paid to take naps,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says. Which means, in the end, that on his watch controllers will be paid to nod off accidentally. Sleep experts agree that the most effective way to keep workers alert and aware is to schedule on-shift naps; studies show that people who are allowed nap breaks during their night shifts are more awake – and better at their jobs.
But you don’t have to take it from scientists, or their so-called “studies”! Take it from me: Staying awake at night is hard. I just ended a year of working three midnight shifts a week, and no amount of coffee and Excedrin (or, uh, other pills) can match the recuperative effects of even a 10-minute nap. And my job is just putting words together. These guys are making sure that 400-ton people-filled fire hazards aren’t crashing in to one another. The worst-case scenario for me was writing something really stupid; if air traffic controllers working the same shift as me had the same failure rate, no one would ever survive a nighttime flight.
I appreciate that there are enough morons in this country to put Secretary LaHood in a tough spot. But this isn’t really the best thing to seem like a money-saving hard-ass about. Let’s pay air traffic controllers to take naps! Because I don’t want to pay them to get planes into accidents.
[AP; image via Shutterstock]
faction
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 9:24 PMI worked permanent night shifts and though it wasn’t allowed, we always had a nap here or there. Otherwise it’s too dangerous (especially as we did security at the time, not to mention the drive home).
Katie
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 8:46 PMI don’t understand. I was a permanent night shifter for around two years and loved it. It actually isn’t that hard to stay awake all night if thats how you organise your life. I think to a lot of people the concept of staying awake all night is extremely foreboding, but it shouldn’t be. Its not like we are forced to stay awake all night and then day. I made up for it and had ten hours sleep during the day instead of a normal 8 hours during the night. I was well rested, and still managed to get up during the late afternoon and still have time for myself. I know its not completely healthy to spend your entire life working night shift. but it’s still possible to do.
warcroft
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 10:58 PMAs someone who use to be an Air Traffic controller. . .
Controllers take naps all the time. Its encouraged.
Over an eight hour shift a controller would work about one hour on, one hour off. For that hour off you do whatever. Eat, read, watch tv, sleep. . . REST!
After an hour of controlling a busy sector you need to swap. After an hour and a half you can start slipping. After two hours you can really start to stumble.
You dont want a tired controller telling pilots what to do. A wrong instruction can kill a few hundred people.
If by chance a controller falls asleep when they are suppose to be controlling. . . well, there are procedures in place that pilots take. The first being to switch back to the previous frequency and talk to the previous controller, tell him your current controller isnt responding.
That controller will get up out of his chair, walk down a few consoles and wake up the person up. Theyre right there in the same room.
questionable
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 2:42 AMAir Traffic Controllers should not be able to take naps at work.
There have been a number of incidences that I am aware of when they have fallen asleep. Having personally experiences the life of a ATC worker I can tell you that the money they are paid for the hours they work is amazing. To work one hour on, one hour off for an 8 hour shift and be paid for 8 hrs …and then want to take naps!.. There is no other profession in the world that has as many breaks as an ATC on to top that they can take as much paid leave as they like without medical certificates. The system is being used for lazy people to work other jobs, have great social lives and get paid a massive hourly rate to work only half the time… Time to shake up the industry – come on guys you are paid to work – not sleep!