Caracterización del efecto de la fatiga sobre señales fisiológicas en controladores de tráfico marítimo

Abstract

Vessel Vessel Traffic Service Operators (VTSOs) are highly specialized personnel who contribute to the safe and efficient vessel traffic in a changing environment to which they must adapt, adjusting to the ports' features to efficiently meet the needs of international maritime traffic. In addition, we find shift work with night watches, both with a mental and physical workload. These situations lead operators to accumulate fatigue and circadian misalignment, negatively impacting operator performance, thus causing an increase in the number of errors, difficulties in maintaining attention, correctly perceiving information or acting quickly. This study has been developed in a real working environment, with traffic control situations and even rescue emergencies, and it is aimed at understanding the factors that preceded fatigue in VTSOs and taking the necessary countermeasures to prevent or reduce it. The research has been carried out in Cartagena & Gijon Maritime Rescue Coordinator Centers, during the VTSOs’ watches and it is geared to determining fatigue onset through the analysis of both subjective and objective data, by use of standardized specific testing like Nasa-TLX, Stanford, Borg, etc., and the use of non-invasive sensors i.e., thermographic cameras. The analysis of the thermographic results obtained shows how the orofacial temperature, specifically in the nose area, has a marked downward trend as the working day progresses or in situations of high density of radio communications, yielding the same results as in the psychological tests. Finally, I’d like to highlight the close relationship between the lack of quality of rest, the working midst and the workload as negative factors that trigger off the onset of fatigueService Operators (VTSOs) are highly specialized personnel who contribute to the safe and efficient vessel traffic in a changing environment to which they must adapt, adjusting toVessel Traffic Service Operators (VTSOs) are highly specialized personnel who contribute to the safe and efficient vessel traffic in a changing environment to which they must adapt, adjusting to the ports' features to efficiently meet the needs of international maritime traffic. In addition, we find shift work with night watches, both with a mental and physical workload. These situations lead operators to accumulate fatigue and circadian misalignment, negatively impacting operator performance, thus causing an increase in the number of errors, difficulties in maintaining attention, correctly perceiving information or acting quickly. This study has been developed in a real working environment, with traffic control situations and even rescue emergencies, and it is aimed at understanding the factors that preceded fatigue in VTSOs and taking the necessary countermeasures to prevent or reduce it. The research has been carried out in Cartagena & Gijon Maritime Rescue Coordinator Centers, during the VTSOs’ watches and it is geared to determining fatigue onset through the analysis of both subjective and objective data, by use of standardized specific testing like Nasa-TLX, Stanford, Borg, etc., and the use of non-invasive sensors i.e., thermographic cameras. The analysis of the thermographic results obtained shows how the orofacial temperature, specifically in the nose area, has a marked downward trend as the working day progresses or in situations of high density of radio communications, yielding the same results as in the psychological tests. Finally, I’d like to highlight the close relationship between the lack of quality of rest, the working midst and the workload as negative factors that trigger off the onset of fatigue the ports' features to efficiently meet the needs of international maritime traffic. In addition, we find shift work with night watches, both with a mental and physical workload. These situations lead operators to accumulate fatigue and circadian misalignment, negatively impacting operator performance, thus causing an increase in the number of errors, difficulties in maintaining attention, correctly perceiving information or acting quickly. This study has been developed in a real working environment, with traffic control situations and even rescue emergencies, and it is aimed at understanding the factors that preceded fatigue in VTSOs and taking the necessary countermeasures to prevent or reduce it. The research has been carried out in Cartagena & Gijon Maritime Rescue Coordinator Centers, during the VTSOs’ watches and it is geared to determining fatigue onset through the analysis of both subjective and objective data, by use of standardized specific testing like Nasa-TLX, Stanford, Borg, etc., and the use of non-invasive sensors i.e., thermographic cameras. The analysis of the thermographic results obtained shows how the orofacial temperature, specifically in the nose area, has a marked downward trend as the working day progresses or in situations of high density of radio communications, yielding the same results as in the psychological tests. Finally, I’d like to highlight the close relationship between the lack of quality of rest, the working midst and the workload as negative factors that trigger off the onset of fatigue