The 23 Reasons Most Insurance Agents Cant Work a 4-Day Work Week (Insurance Agency Mastery)

Others have not been so lucky, either flying across the Atlantic or within the borders of the United States. Air Mail Service was founded in , 15 years after the Wright brothers' initial flight. Accident rates were extremely high: By , the aviation industry, worried that the airplane would not reach its full commercial value without federal action to improve and maintain safety standards, convinced Congress to pass the Air Commerce Act.

This act established the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce, and charged the Secretary of Commerce with fostering air commerce, issuing and enforcing air traffic rules, licensing pilots, certificating aircraft, establishing airways, and operating and maintaining aids to air navigation Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], Lighted airways became more common, and aeronautical radio communications were improved through the use of radio beacons.

Hours-of-service limitations were not established by the FAA until Patton et al. The duty schedules for pilots, air traffic controllers, engineers, flight attendants, airline mechanics, and various other types of crew members are regulated by the FAA under statute 11 C.

Rules on duty hours for pilots vary by the size of the flight crew e. Pilots working during both scheduled and unscheduled operations e. When larger flight crews are used, pilots are allowed to work an additional 2 hours Patton et al. Domestic air carriers are not permitted to issue, and pilots are not permitted to accept, an assignment for a flight if the crew member's total flight time will exceed hours in a calendar month, 30 hours in 7 consecutive days, or 8 hours between required rest periods U.

Congress Office of Technology Assessment, a. Rest periods are also mandated and vary according to the length of the scheduled flight time.

If the scheduled flight is less than 8 hours in duration, 9 consecutive hours of rest are mandated between flights; if the scheduled flight is 8—9 hours in duration, 10 consecutive hours of rest are mandated; and if the scheduled flight is 9 hours or more in duration, 11 consecutive hours of rest are mandated U. Longer rest periods are also mandated if pilots exceed the daily flight time limitations because of circumstances beyond their control e. If flight time limitations are exceeded by less than 30 minutes, a pilot cannot be assigned or accept an assignment that does not allow for 11 consecutive hours of rest.

If the flight time limitations are exceeded by more than 30 minutes, but less than 60 minutes, 12 consecutive hours of rest are mandated. And when flight time limitations are exceeded by 60 minutes or more, 16 consecutive hours of rest are mandated before the next flight Patton et al.

Although commercial airline pilots typically work only 13—15 days a month Meenan, , there is ample evidence that fatigue remains a significant problem. Surveys, observational data, and anecdotal reports have documented that flight crews frequently experience unintentional sleep episodes while flying Co et al. Maintenance of vigilance, particularly at night, is quite difficult. Pilots are expected to remain alert despite high levels of automation, low light levels on the flight deck, and regulations that require the pilots to remain in their seats for the duration of the flight unless their absence is necessary for the performance of duties in connection with the operation of the aircraft or biological needs, or if the crew member is taking a rest break and relief is provided.

Getting up just to stretch or walk around is not allowed Circadian Information, ; Neri et al. Fortunately, only one crash has been attributed to fatigue—that of American International Airways flight , which missed the runway at the U. According to the NTSB's investigation, the probable causes of that accident included the following factors: However, several NTSB reports have played down or omitted the role of pilot fatigue even when the agency's own investigators have considered it a significant factor Circadian Information, For example, even though the NTSB report on a China Airlines Boeing flight in February omitted any mention of crew fatigue, a later analysis of the accident by the Aviation Human Factors Team at NASA concluded that inattention caused by crew fatigue was a key factor in the near disaster.

Air traffic controllers obviously have an essential role in maintaining airline safety. Almost all air traffic controllers rotate shifts, and are limited to working 10 consecutive hours or 10 hours during a hour period unless they have been allowed a rest period of at least 8 hours before or at the end of the first 10 hours of duty.

Many air traffic controllers appear to have a significant sleep deficit Marcil and Vincent, The air traffic controllers studied by Rhodes and colleagues obtained only about 6—6. And controllers may get even less sleep if their mandated rest period of 8 hours falls at a time when it is difficult to sleep. The accident investigation following the crash of a United Airlines DC-8 freighter into the side of a mountain in Utah at 1: No regulations or guidelines limit work hour durations in the aerospace industry.

Most employees work a traditional hour week, then dramatically increase their hours in the weeks before a launch or during the mission. Early missions were short, lasting only a few hours or days. Today's missions, by contrast, may last weeks or even months, placing more demands on mission control staff and astronauts. Shuttle launches frequently occur at night, requiring flight controllers at Kennedy Space Center to switch from day to night shifts Kelly et al. After launch, responsibility for flight operations switches to the Missions Operations Directorate at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where three flight control teams FCTs are used to staff the Missions Operations Directorate for flights of less than 10 days.

When flights of 10 days or longer are planned, a fourth FCT is added to allow team members time off. Although shift lengths vary, hour shifts are not uncommon. Flight controllers average less than one break per shift range 0. Flight controllers are responsible for a wide range of cognitive tasks, including sustained trend analysis, monitoring of multiple voice channels, and rapid responses to emergency situations. Cognitive processing and vigilance must remain high because even small mistakes can be operationally significant Kelly et al.

In contrast, the sleep patterns of astronauts have been monitored since the early days of the space program Aschoff, ; Pittendrigh, After just a day or so in translunar drift, the astronauts got accustomed to the constant flickering and went about their sleep-wake, work-rest schedules as if the sun were rising and setting outside their craft just as it did outside their homes in Houston. As long as the crew maintained that schedule, NASA's flight surgeons had learned, their circadian rhythms would remain largely un-disturbed. Even on a routine flight, no one expected the pilots to sleep a full eight hours.

The almost total lack of physical exertion in space and the almost constant output of adrenaline that accompanied the business of flying to the moon made five or six hours of sack time the most the medics could hope for. Those five or six hours, however, were absolutely essential if a crew that was flying even a nominal mission was going to make it through their day without making some serious, and perhaps disastrous, mistake. A crew that was flying a less than nominal mission would need even more rest.

Lovell and Kluger, In the second row of Mission Control, the flight surgeon had been copying down the answers the men gave, and the totals had begun to alarm him. Since Monday night, the crew had been averaging about three hours of sleep apiece per day.

These anecdotal reports of shortened sleep times have been confirmed by both subjective and objective studies Dijk et al. Despite preflight circadian adaptation measures and in-flight schedules to optimize circadian adaptation and minimize sleep loss, astronauts typically sleep only 6 to 6.

Polysomnography sleep studies using electroencephalogram [EEG], electro-occulogram [EOG], and electromyogram [EMG] recordings have shown more wakefulness and less slow-wave deep sleep in the final third of sleep episodes while in space and marked increases in rapid eye movement REM or dreaming sleep after return to earth Dijk et al. Astronauts frequently use hypnotics during flights Putcha et al. Like Air Force pilots, as discussed earlier, astronauts are allowed to decide whether to take stimulants usually dextroamphetamine. A final selection from Apollo 13 illustrates one astronaut's decision-making process regarding the use of stimulants:.

In the spacecraft, Lovell, Haise, and Swigert were in their accustomed places, all awake and all feeling reasonably alert. Lovell had decided against the Dexedrine tablets Slayton had prescribed for his crew last night, knowing that the lift from the stimulants would be only fleeting, and the subsequent letdown would leave them feeling even worse than they did now. For the time being, the commander had decided, the astronauts would get by on adrenaline alone. Fatigue countermeasures programs usually consist of an educational component Comperatore and Kingsley, undated; Comperatore et al.

Employees are generally given information about circadian rhythms, sleep hygiene measures, shiftwork and its adverse affects, and a variety of strategies that can be used to counter fatigue e. Some industries have also added information about sleep disorders to their presentations Intermodal Transportation Institute, a. Managers are urged to consider altering the starting times of shifts whenever possible to make schedules more compatible with circadian rhythms; to avoid scheduling employees to work more than two or three consecutive night shifts; and to provide adequate recovery times between shifts, especially when an employee is rotating off night shift.

Attendees have included representatives from all areas of aviation; other modes of transportation, including the rail, trucking, and maritime industries; health care; the petrochemical industry; nuclear energy; and law enforcement. Follow-up data gathered from workshop attendees suggest that over , flight crews and other employees, including some physicians, have received educational materials on combating fatigue.

Although over , employees have been exposed to fatigue countermeasures programs, there is very limited information about their efficacy. Typical reports indicate that some aspects of a particular program were successful e. To date, no one has tested the efficacy of this type of intervention in a population of hospital staff nurses. A fatigue countermeasures program for nurses is currently being developed at the University of Pennsylvania, and will soon be tested using nurses from four ICUs two control and two intervention.

Subjective and objective measures of alertness and vigilance will be obtained before the program is implemented and 4 weeks following implementation. Although errors and near errors will also be recorded during the baseline and later data collection periods, this pilot study may not have sufficient power to detect changes in error rates.

Hours-of-service regulations have not always emerged from the results of rigorous scientific research. Many of the original regulations were written in response to a disaster, such the grounding of an oil tanker or the death of young woman Libby Zion in a New York City hospital, or to protect a particular industry or group of employees e. Amending existing hours-of-service regulations has often been a difficult if not impossible undertaking, even when the proposed changes are supported by scientific evidence. Employees, unions, owners, and professional associations often oppose any regulation that is perceived to reduce the earning power of employees, involve hiring more employees, or cost more money.

Other regulations, such as driving-time limits for truckers, although enforceable, are easily circumvented. Fatigue countermeasures programs, which require employees to take responsibility for acquiring sufficient sleep and remaining alert on the job, are often used in place of and along with hours-of-service regulations.

Although no particular approach, whether work hour regulation, guidelines, fatigue countermeasures programs, or some combination of these, can be applied to all industries or all settings within a particular industry, there appears to be some agreement that working longer than 12 consecutive hours without at least 8 hours off duty can be hazardous. Accident rates rise exponentially after 12 hours of work, particularly when employees work at night. Some work environments limit nighttime workers to shorter shifts e. Many industries in which fatigued employees could compromise public safety do not allow employees to work more than 8—12 consecutive hours.

More research is needed to understand the effects of fatigue on patient safety. Controlled trials are needed to determine optimal work schedules in hospital settings and to test fatigue countermeasures. According to Olson and Ambrogetti This appendix was prepared for the committee to inform its deliberations by Ann E. New York State Health Code. Other measures included the Hours of Service Act of ; the Ash Pan Act, designed to prevent injury to workers cleaning ashes from engines not equipped with ash pans; the Safety Appliances Act, requiring standardized equipment for breaking, couplers, and handholds; the Block Signal Act, which provided incentives for the testing and installation of automatic signaling devices; and the Locomotive Boiler Inspection Act.

Hours of Service Act. Defined as severe damage to the vessel, capable of causing crew fatalities. A 1-in-4 watch schedule requires crew members to work two 4-hour periods the first day e. A 1-in-5 schedule requires crew members to stand watch from to and from to on the first day, from to the second day, from to the third day, from to on the fourth day, and from to on the fifth day. United States Federal Regulations 46, — If a carrier operates 7 days a week, a driver may work 70 hours in 8 consecutive days. If a carrier operates less than 7 days a week, a driver may work only 60 hours in 7 consecutive days.

Turn recording back on. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Nurses The hours worked by registered nurses RNs are of particular concern since they provide the bulk of direct inpatient hospital care; moreover, studies have demonstrated that the care provided by RNs is vital for maintaining the well-being of hospitalized patients Aiken et al. Physicians The hours physicians work, particularly during their residency training, are often quite demanding. Military Personnel Although the U. Nuclear Power Plant Workers Although the dangers of a nuclear power plant accident have been recognized from the industry's inception in the s, regulations have focused exclusively on reactor design, training programs, and licensing requirements.

Railroad Employees Although railroads were the predominant mode of intercity travel at the beginning of the twentieth century, rail travel was dangerous for employees and passengers alike. The need for off-duty time was also recognized: Aviation Industry Although Charles Lindbergh was not the first pilot to experience the effects of fatigue, his description of fighting fatigue during his transatlantic flight graphically illustrates the dangers of tired pilots: Printup, Lindbergh landed safely near Paris after flying for Aerospace Industry No regulations or guidelines limit work hour durations in the aerospace industry.

A final selection from Apollo 13 illustrates one astronaut's decision-making process regarding the use of stimulants: OpenForm [accessed April 24, ]. Hospital nursing staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction. Journal of the American Medi cal Association Work injuries and time of day-national data. Alaska Oil Spill Commission. The Wreck of the Exxon Valdez. Work rules pose conflict.

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Center for Design of Industrial Schedules. Aviation Safety and Pilot Error. Optimiz ing Human Performance. Watchkeeping and work hour limitations. Cohen C, Muehl G. Human circadian rhythms in resting and exercise pulse rates. Ergo nomics 20 5: Committee of Interns and Residents. NJ Assembly passes bill to limit resident work hours.

The commercial mariner endurance management system. Coast Guard Research and Development Center. Preventable adverse drug events in hospitalized patients: A comparative study of intensive care and general care units. Critical Care Medicine 8: Current resident work hours: Too many or not enough? Journal of the American Medical Association Dawson D, Reid K. Fatigue, alcohol, and performance impairment.

Sleep deprivation and resident performance. Comparative study of actigraphy and ambulatory polysomnographic in the assessment of adaptation to night shift work in nurses.

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Revue Neurologique Paris 6—7: The effect of fatigue on the performance of a simulated anesthetic monitoring task. J Clin Monit 3 1: Sleep, performance, circadian rhythms, and light-dark cycles during two space shuttle flights. Adaptation to permanent night work: The number of consecutive work nights and motivated choice. Extended workdays in an underground mine: A work performance analysis. Human Factors 36 2: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Work Hour Regulation in Safety-Sensitive Industries - Keeping Patients Safe - NCBI Bookshelf

Physiological responses of men during sleep deprivation. Journal of Applied Physiology 24 2: Effects on performance efficiency. Franfort am Main, Germany: The intern and sleep loss. The New England Journal of Medicine 4: Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. The second manned Skylab mission. Aviat Space Environ Med 47 4: Sleep Monitoring on Skylab.

National Patient Safety Foundation. Adaptation of sleep and circadian rhythms to the Antarctic summer: A question of zeitgeber strength. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine 62 Relations between performance and subjective ratings of sleepiness during a night awake. Rotating shift-work, sleep and accidents related to sleepiness in hospital nurses. American Journal of Public Health 82 7: PMC ] [ PubMed: Golden L, Jorgensen H. Mandatory Overtime in the U.

Concepts of fatigue and vigilance in relation to railway operations. Ergonom ics 14 1: Laparoscopic performance after one night on call in a surgical department: British Medical Jour nal Work and rest cycles in anesthesia practice. Anesthe siology 72 4: What if anything is wrong with residency overwork? Annals of Internal Medecine 7: Surgical Residency Review Committee Perspective. Conference on Sleep, Fatigue and Medical Training.

Sleep and circadian rhythm during a short space mission. Clin Investig 71 9: Circadian rhythms and sleep structure in space. Soc Res Biol Rhythms 5: The alteration of human sleep and circadian rhythms during spaceflight. Journal of Sleep Research 6 1: Petition requesting a limit on medical resident work hours through a standard issued under the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Accident risk as a function of hour at work and time of day as determined from accident data and exposure models for the German working population.

Sleep loss, recovery sleep and military performance. Sleep and nutritional deprivation and performance of house officers. Journal of Medical Education 60 7: Ethical implications for the training of physicians.

Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses.

The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine 67 2: Chapter 3 Early Industry Projects. International Maritime Organization, U. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Space Technology Interdependency Group. Residents' work hours termed excessive in hospital study. The New York Times. Section A, Page 1. The design of shift systems.

Duration of sleep depending on the type of shift work.

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Comparison of eight and 12 hour shifts: Impacts on health, wellbeing, and alertness during the shift.

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Can I afford a four-day week?

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Federal Railroad Administration, U. If you drive, cutting your working week will save you petrol, and might reduce your car insurance costs, too, if you can declare a lower annual mileage when applying for a policy. For rail season-ticket holders, the picture is not always as clear.

At present, part-time workers who commute by train must either buy a season ticket and lose money on the days they don't use it , or buy individual peak-time tickets, which are more expensive. At the moment, one of the only ways to reduce peak-time rail fares is to pay by carnet tickets, which typically give you 10 journeys for the price of nine and are valid for three to six months.

Another option, open to some, is to alter your times of travel. The good news for those wanting to drop a day of work is that the rules on the right to request flexible working changed last week , meaning that now anyone is entitled to apply. The right had only been awarded to carers, or people who look after children, but from last Monday it was extended to all employees — even if you want to take time off to, say, walk the dog.

Employers can turn down a request on any of eight grounds, however, and this includes arguing that the change would impact on the business's customer base or that it would add additional costs to the business. British employers are known for imposing longer working hours than those of most other EU nations , but elsewhere some companies claim that they have found that less work is more. Treehouse, a technology education company based in Orlando, Florida , operates a four-day week as standard. Its founder, Ryan Carson, pictured, says he was "working himself into the ground" running a previous company when his wife suggested they should work less.

Working less would just make it worse," says Carson. A day later, the couple then the company's only staff decided to take every Friday off. Two years later, they hired their first employee and made the four-day week company policy. Carson believes the system works because he, and co-founder Alan Johnson, trust their employees. One thing that may be surprising for a technology company is that email is banned internally at Treehouse, "because it is a huge time-suck" — tools like forums are used instead. Every minute is valuable.

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