Description & Background

This article is based mostly on a study carried out by EUROCONTROL which led to a summary document on this subject being published in 2006 - see the references in Further Reading at the end of the article.

The purpose of the study was to identify best practices that can help define common solutions for managing shiftwork in European Air Traffic Management (ATM). The first part of the study contains a literature review about the impacts of shiftwork, its consequences for health, safety, productivity and efficiency, as well as its social implications. The second part “Shiftwork Practices Study - ATM and Related Industries” isolates common findings and presents solutions that could facilitate the planning and management of flexible working practices to improve safety and productivity in the safety critical shiftwork environment of ATM.