NATCA Bookshelf

BECOMING FULLY CHARGED THE NATCA DIFFERENCE Fully Charged is a joint campaign sponsored by the FAA, NATCA, and Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) to promote fatigue education and awareness by providing the workforce with tools to self-educate and mitigate fatigue hazards. The FAA-NATCA Collaborative Steering Committee, a joint leadership committee, established the Fully Charged campaign in order to socialize the issue of fatigue in air traffic facilities throughout the nation and start a change in the culture of how the workforce thinks about fatigue and values alertness. In a 24/7 operation, no one is immune to fatigue; we share a responsibility to mitigate it. Planes are going to continue to fly, and we have to be there to provide the safe services they need. The workforce is responsible for managing its sleep, fitness, and nutrition, which all play a crucial role in fatigue mitigation. Operational supervisors, managers, and union facility representatives have a shared responsibility to help mitigate fatigue risk by managing schedule development and implementation, employing and encouraging recuperative breaks, and supporting self-declaration of fatigue. At the national leadership level, the Air Traffic Organization (ATO), NATCA, and PASS have made fatigue mitigation a priority by jointly establishing the Fatigue Safety Steering Committee (FSSC) to direct the Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS). The ATO FSSC is made up of one ATO management designee, one NATCA representative, and one PASS representative, and is supported by staff from the ATO Fatigue Risk Management Team in ATO Safety and Technical Training. The FSSC collaborates on issues concerning operational fatigue hazards and risks across the National Airspace System (NAS) and provides direction and FRMS oversight. The FRMS facilitates improved safety of the NAS and improved performance and safety of employees by identifying fatigue hazards, classifying fatigue risks, and recommending mitigations to reduce those risks. ATO, NATCA, and PASS leadership have accepted joint FSSC recommendations to manage and mitigate fatigue. Recommendations for air traffic services include changes to operational policy and procedures, and development of educational offerings for managers and employees. Fully Charged was rolled out at NATCA's Communicating for Safety in March this year, creating a buzz and excitement about a campaign addressing the issue. "NATCA stands for the safety of the system, first and foremost. And that is the true value of this conference. This week, we will have an open dialogue … We will talk about fighting fatigue and being Fully Charged," said Rinaldi during his welcome remarks at the conference. FAA's Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker also mentioned the program in his keynote remarks. "Safety is the bedrock of what we do, and I want to acknowledge the work that NATCA and our workforce has done ... We're confident that the Fully Charged campaign will likewise have such an important impact going forward." "We're trying to socialize fatigue awareness in the facilities because fatigue is evident in all of your facilities," Jeff Richards, NATCA National Professional Standards co-lead said. "Everybody is susceptible to fatigue, depending on your personal fatigue management and how you handle your off time before you report to work ... The FAA-NATCA Collaborative Steering Committee got together and decided that we would push out a program like this to try and get some socialization of the issue. Fatigue can affect anyone, anywhere, at any facility, depending on your readiness and preparedness for work." Based on feedback from CFS, the Fully Charged workgroup will develop additional tools and videos the workforce can use to better understand and educate themselves about fatigue in order to mitigate its risks not only in the operation, but in employees' personal lives as well. For more information on the campaign, visit the Fully Charged webpage under the "Professional Standards" tab on natcamembers.org. MAY 19-21, 2014 n i w . n a t c a . n e t 37

• Cover