ASSESSMENT OF INDIAN SEAFARERS FATIGUE BASED ON OCCUPATIONAL INDICATORS

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1 International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET) Volume 9, Issue 7, July 2018, pp , Article ID: IJMET_09_07_129 Available online at ISSN Print: and ISSN Online: IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed ASSESSMENT OF INDIAN SEAFARERS FATIGUE BASED ON OCCUPATIONAL INDICATORS Dr. J. Rengamani Associate Professor, AMET Business School, AMET University, India Dr. A. Shameem Professor, AMET Business School, AMET University, India Dr. S. Poongavanam Associate Professor, AMET Business School, AMET University, India ABSTRACT Human fatigue is a predominant factor that exists in all the industries due to continuous and rigorous work executed without appropriate break. However it could be perceived that the fatigue factor is excessively prevalent among the seafarers in the maritime industry, as the work pattern of the seafarers is something different from other professions in as much as they have to spend most of their time in the sea, by enduring their services for months together in the absence of all their due domestic pleasure to rejoice and to rejuvenate their mind. Researchers have established that it is a proven fact that fatigue is one of the reasons for lack of concentration while attending to their regular work and even led to occurrence of accidents of ships. Several occupational indicators could be attributed to fatigue of seafarers, which include psychological, physiological and environmental factors; are the main reasons for their intermittent distraction, resulting in their poor on board performance and ultimately lead to spoil the physical and mental aspects as well. The fatigue factors among Indian Seafarers have been addressed in proper perspectives so as to find out a needy solution to overcome the same, by identifying the actual root cause. The research study has assessed the factors of fatigue of Indian seafarers such as the long working hours of seafarers, irregular sleep patterns, frequent changes in the maritime industry, and environmental hardships of seafarers, improper exercise & nutrition. Key words: Seafarer, Fatigue, Stress, Stressors, Extent of fatigue, Causes of fatigue, Effects of fatigue, IMO. Cite this Article: Dr. J. Rengamani, Dr. A. Shameem and Dr. S. Poongavanam, Assessment of Indian Seafarers Fatigue Based on Occupational Indicators, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology 9(7), 2018, pp editor@iaeme.com

2 Assessment of Indian Seafarers Fatigue Based on Occupational Indicators 1. INTRODUCTION Shipping is perhaps the most international of all the world's great industries, and also one of the most dangerous (International Maritime Organisation [IMO], 2011). A range of approaches have been introduced to enhance maritime transport safety, such as developing new methods of transportation, introducing numerous technical innovations, increasing traffic surveillance and control, etc. Nevertheless, accidents with catastrophic consequences still happen, which implies that all these measures are not sufficiently effective. There are risk factors in the maritime industry, which degrade the seafarers endurance especially their safety and performance. Seafarers endurance is a function of operational risk factors such as physical conditioning, threshold of motion discomfort, duration of sleep, quality of diet and other related aspects. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidelines on Fatigue Mitigation and management are comprehensive and practical advice to all the various stakeholders and how to combat it. Maritime Industry does not have prescribed maximum hours of work and minimum hours of rest like other transportation sectors. Whereas there is a necessity to ensure that all the crew members are fit for duty when keeping a watch by the seafarers. Seafarer s fitness can be achieved by providing an adequate training to mitigate the fatigue while on board the ship. IMO guidelines stresses that all vessel operators should implement fatigue management plan but it is not practically implemented. In the maritime Industry many factors are present which may cause work related fatigue. For example, it is suggested that long and unsociable working hours, lack of training, poor communication between office staff and sea personnel, job insecurity, and physical health problems may all cause work related fatigue. If a number of these factors are presented in combination, as they frequently are for those working onboard vessels, the likelihood of individual suffering from work related stress is greatly increased. Although many companies as part of their health and safety policies do try and take measures to reduce work related fatigue, evidence suggests that such measures are frequently not taken seriously, often being seen only as a paper exercise. Work related fatigue may also effect productivity. Workers who are stressed are also more likely to be unhealthy, poorly motivated, less productive and less safe at work. This has implications not only for the wellbeing of the seafarer, but also for the competitiveness, and ultimately successes of the company. Despite the strong a priori case for fatigue at sea, historically there has been relatively little research on seafarers fatigue compared to other transport sectors. In recent years, examples of fatigue at sea, and its consequences, have been more formally documented, not least due to the high profile pollution and accident cases linked to fatigue. Examination of this type of information supports the view that fatigue is a major health and safety issue in the shipping industry with potentially severe environmental and economic consequences. In the first systematic review of work hours, stress and safety at sea, Brown (1989) found little objective evidence of the effects of stress, although he did find anecdotal evidence regarding personal stress experiences. Seafarers reported that they were often expected to work continuously, under conditions of task-induced or environmental stress for excessive (in relation to other industries) periods of time. Respondents attributed a number of stress symptoms to their working arrangements that were in general agreement with research into stress effects. Thus early research on seafarers stress was largely based on Brown s (1989) assertion that long hours are a major contributor to stress and accidents at sea. Eleven years later a review focused on the British offshore oil support industry found a similar picture to Brown, concluding that stress has been noticeably under-investigated in the maritime domain editor@iaeme.com

3 Dr. J. Rengamani, Dr. A. Shameem and Dr. S. Poongavanam (Collins, Mathews and McNamara 2011). The study conducted by Marziyeh Kaboudi, et.al, provides effective solution to reduce perceived stress and increase resiliency. Working at sea is likely to be fatiguing for a number of reasons: fast port turnarounds, demanding (often split) shift systems, regular periods of sustained attention, physical exertion and harsh environmental conditions have all been associated with interrupted sleep patterns and stress (Smith, Lane and Bloor, 2011, 2013; Allen et al., 2014). Fatigue is a common problem in the general population (Bensing, et al, 1999; David, et al, 1990). It is well known that stressful social events frequently lead to acute mental fatigue and sometimes cause problems with mental health and chronic fatigue, even resulting in death in the case of overwork (Amagasa, et al, 2005; Der-Shin Ke, 2012; Iwasaki, et al, 2013). The study conducted by Kunwadee Rojpaisarnkit, et.al., specifies the correlations among responsibility for health, interpersonal relationships, spiritual health and stress management. Prevalence of fatigue in the general working population has been estimated to be as high as 22%. Considerable onshore studies on fatigue show that as much as 20% of the working population experience extreme fatigue in their life. In Japan, 60% of the general adult population complains of fatigue and one third of the population suffers from chronic fatigue (Watanabe, 2008). Fatigue was regarded as the first concern of seafarers in a study concerning ship manning (National Research Council, 2012). But such estimates were difficult because of the lack of systematic reporting procedures (Gordon,A.T, 2004). In a survey (Wadsworth et al., 2008) of over 1,800 professional seafarers, a quarter of respondents reported fatigue or sleep while on watch and nearly half of the sample reported that fatigue leads to reduced collision awareness. A great amount of research has shown that fatigue is still a major issue at sea. However, estimates of the prevalence of fatigue will vary depending on the indicator of fatigue we choose. Different aspects of the fatigue process will lead to different results. It is also suggested that seafarers may be unlikely to admit and report their experience of fatigue in the investigations due to the worry of being derided (Houtman, et al, 2005). The relationship between the indicators can be identified by using pearson s product moment correlation method (G.B. Eweniyi). Zohre Nakhaei Sobhi, et.al, discusses about the relationship of emotional intelligence with conflict management and job stress. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS The target population was considered as seafarers of Indian origin who were working at various levels/job categories on the deck side and the engine side of foreign going merchant vessels. The total sample size considered for the study was 150. The study consists of seafarer s demography, extent of fatigue, causes of fatigue, effects of fatigue and prevention of fatigue. The survey elicited the demographic and job-related data, usual shipping routes, shipboard working hours, type and size of the ships and fatigue levels of crew members on board. To assess the fatigue due to long continuous working days, the occurrence of extremely long working times was registered. Furthermore, the most stressful job activities such as watch-keeping at sea (officer on watch on the bridge), district route of a seagoing vessel (navigation through highly frequented routes), port clearance (loading and unloading, safety techniques and hygiene control measures), port maneuvers (arrival and departure), administrative tasks, and routine activities during the voyage. The work-related fatigue of the seafarers such as mental strain of accomplishing the set-task, Lack of rewards for accomplishment, Lack of self-confidence to work, Social relations, Feeling of threat, Physical oppressiveness, Unpleasant work conditions, Lack of support & Sense of responsibility, were measured by using a structured questionnaire with five-point likert scale. The questionnaire designed for the evaluation of subjective perception of work and the individual feeling of work-related fatigue, allows the individual estimation of the feeling of fatigue editor@iaeme.com

4 Assessment of Indian Seafarers Fatigue Based on Occupational Indicators 3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were to analyze the factors of fatigue as specified: To investigate the mean differences of the factors of extent, causes & effects of seafarer s fatigue. To study the relationship between the seagoing experience with the extent, causes and effects of seafarer s fatigue Hypotheses of the Study This article is organized around the following working hypotheses: There is a significant difference in the mean values of the extent of fatigue, causes of fatigue and effects of fatigue. There is a significant association between the age and the factors of the extent of fatigue, causes of fatigue & effects of fatigue. There is a significant association between the seagoing experience and the factors of the extent of fatigue, causes of fatigue & effects of fatigue. 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1. Demographic Data Analysis The study pertains to the management of seafarer s fatigue and 39% of the respondents fall under the age category of years. 32% of the respondents have acquired the educational qualifications equivalent to graduation and 41% of them have the seagoing experience of 5-10 years. Equal percentage of master level ranks & chief engineer level ranks were held by the respondents of the present study about the seafarer s fatigue. 55% of the seafarers have received training on mitigating the fatigue at work as specified in Table-1. Table 1 Demographic Factors (n=150) Demographic Factors Frequency Percentage Age Below Above Education Schooling Diploma Graduation Post-graduation 11 7 Others 12 8 Sea experience Below 5 yrs yrs yrs yrs Above 20 yrs 9 6 Rank held by Seafarers Master (Captain) nd officer rd officer editor@iaeme.com

5 Dr. J. Rengamani, Dr. A. Shameem and Dr. S. Poongavanam 4 th officer Chief engineer nd engineer rd engineer th engineer 9 6 Other ranks 6 4 Training of Seafarers in Fatigue Management Yes No Measure of Seafarer s Fatigue Cronbach s alpha is used to test the reliability and validity of the data collected. A value more than.70 is significantly good measure for sufficient scale of reliability (Cronbach.LJ, 1951). According to the Cronbach s alpha test, the values of alpha in this study for the factors of fatigue would be 0.792, & respectively, considering all the factors under investigation. A closer look at the Cronbach s alpha values of the individual constructs have yielded acceptable results. It is evident from the Table-2 that the cronbach s alpha values are reasonably high and hence it can be inferred that the scales are consistent and reliable. Table 2 Cronbach s Alpha Values Fatigue Factors Cronbach s Alpha Extent of fatigue Causes of Fatigue Effects of Fatigue The result of the Questionnaire survey regarding the work-related fatigue of the seafarers shows that the p-values of all the fatigue factors are less than 0.05 (Table-3). This clearly indicates that the seafarers, irrespective of the deck-side seafarers or the engine-side seafarers, have a sort of mental strain while accomplishing their tasks and they are also incurred to the high levels of physical oppressiveness. In addition, the seafarers have strong feeling towards the factors such as lack of sleep, insufficient rest, lack of self-confidence to work, feeling of threat, unpleasant working conditions and the lack of support from their peers or superiors. The stress level on ships travelling worldwide was considered higher due to the separation from their family as well. This is probably caused by the long distance from home as well as by missing social contacts due to the fact that these ships only stop a few times in ports. In spite of the levels of stress incurred by the seafarers on-board, the seafarers with long period of service at sea subjectively estimated their work as less burdening and stressing as compared to the new entrants. The seafarers were aware of their own abilities of meeting job requirements, the seafarers work experience at sea reduced uncertainty while solving problems, the seafarers were aware of the safety and health related rules of work on vessels, the seafarers had gained and consolidated theoretical and practical knowledge and skills of coping with difficult situations editor@iaeme.com

6 Assessment of Indian Seafarers Fatigue Based on Occupational Indicators Table 3 Student's t-test of Fatigue factors (significance level = 0.05) Fatigue factors Extent of fatigue t p Inability to stay awake * Hand-eye coordination skills * Speech difficulties * Sluggish feeling * Inability to exert force * Slip of tools/equipment * Physical discomfort * Headaches * Giddiness * Heart palpitations * Rapid breathing * Loss of appetite * Insomnia * Sudden sweating * Leg pains or cramps * Digestion problems * Risk taking * Intolerance * Needless worry * Reduced motivation to work well * Mood swings * Poor judgement * Inaccurate interpretation of a situation * Failing to anticipate danger * Slow response * Reduced attention * Difficulty in concentration * Inability to pay attention * Causes of Fatigue t p Lack of sleep * Poor quality of sleep * Insufficient rest time * Poor quality of rest * Stress * Boring and repetitive work * Noise or Vibration * Ship movement * Food * Medical conditions * Ingesting chemicals * Jet-Lag * Excessive work load * Effects of Fatigue t p Inability to concentrate * Diminished decision making ability * Poor memory * Slow response * Loss of bodily control * Mood change * Attitude change * * p < editor@iaeme.com

7 Dr. J. Rengamani, Dr. A. Shameem and Dr. S. Poongavanam The correlation between age of seafarers and the extent of fatigue, age of seafarers and the causes of fatigue & age of seafarers and the effects of fatigue are is 0.819, & respectively (Table-4). The two-tailed significance values are also less than the p-value (0.05). It can be specified that the age of seafarers is significantly associated with the extent of fatigue, causes of fatigue & effects of fatigue. Likewise, the correlation between seagoing experience of seafarers and the extent of fatigue, seagoing experience of seafarers and the causes of fatigue & seagoing experience of seafarers and the effects of fatigue are is 0.711, & respectively (Table-4). The two-tailed significance values are also less than the p-value (0.05). It can be specified that the seagoing experience of seafarers is significantly associated with the extent of fatigue, causes of fatigue & effects of fatigue. Correlation Extent of Fatigue Sig. (2-tailed)* Table 4 Correlation Table Causes of Fatigue Sig. (2-tailed)* Effects of Fatigue Sig. (2-tailed)* Age Seagoing Experience * p < To further establish the association of the age of seafarers with the factors of the extent of fatigue, causes of fatigue & effects of fatigue, the chi-square statistics has been calculated and found to be significant in all the three cases as presented in Table-5. Likewise, the association of the seagoing experience of seafarers with the factors of the extent of fatigue, causes of fatigue & effects of fatigue were identified by using chi-square statistics and found to be significant in all the three cases as presented in Table-6. Table 5 Chi-Square Statistics between Age & Fatigue factors Age/Extent of fatigue Age/Causes of fatigue Age/Effects of fatigue Chi-square df Asymp.Sig* * p < Table 6 Chi-Square Statistics between Seagoing Experience & Fatigue factors Seagoing Experience / Extent of fatigue Seagoing Experience / Causes of fatigue Seagoing Experience / Effects of fatigue Chi-square df Asymp.Sig* * p < CONCLUSIONS The research study reveals that the factors related to the extent of fatigue such as long working days, heat & vibration in work places, separation from their family, time pressure / hectic activities, lack of rest, lack of sleep, excessive work load and repetitive work are the most important fatigue related occupational indicators on board. The seafarers with higher editor@iaeme.com

8 Assessment of Indian Seafarers Fatigue Based on Occupational Indicators fatigue level due to heat in shipboard operations had shorter job duration at sea. The stressors of heat and noise show that physical stressors on ships currently are still very important in spite of the increasing mechanization in seafaring. In the study, there are significant associations between the age of seafarers and the factors of extent of fatigue. Especially the engine room personnel, permanently being close to the heat-producing engines, stated a higher stress level due to heat & vibration in their workplaces. Additionally, the time pressure aboard was regarded as more stressful by lessthan one third of the engine personnel, but by half of the deck-side seafarers. The seafarers experience considerable demands from broken rest including being woken unexpectedly, being on call and unpredictable working hours. The sleep quality was the highest ranked of the factors contributing to physical ill health among seafarers. The suggestions for the prevention of Seafarers Fatigue is to improve the Sleep time, Duration & continuity of sleep time, Quality of sleep time, Appropriate rest between break time, provision of good working environment, Consumption of nutritious food, Peer interaction and Job rotation. REFERENCES [1] Allen P, Wellens B, McNamara R, Smith AP. It`s not all plain sailing. In: Bust P, McCabe PT, eds. Port turn-around and seafarers` fatigue. Contemporary Ergonomics [2] Amagasa, T., et al. (2005). Karojisatsu in Japan: Characteristics of 22 cases of Work- Related Suicide. Journal of Occupational Health. [3] Bensing, J.M., Hulsman, R.L. and Schreurs, K.M.G Gender differences in fatigue: biopsychosocial factors relating to fatigue. Medical Care. [4] Brown, I. D. (1989). Study into hours of work, fatigue and safety at sea. Cambridge: Medical Research Council. [5] Collins, A., Mathews, V., & McNamara, R. (2011). Fatigue, health and injury among seafarers & workers on offshore installations: A review (SIRC Technical Report Series). [6] Cronbach LJ (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16: [7] David A., Pelosi A., McDonald E., Stephens D., Ledger D., Rathbone R. & Mann A. (1990). Tired, weak, or in need of rest: fatigue among general practice attenders. The British Medical Journal, 301, [8] Der-Shin Ke. (2012). Overwork, Stroke, and Karoshi-death from Overwork. Acta Neurol Taiwan [9] G.B. Eweniyi, Stress Management Skills and University Students Academic Behaviour: Implications for Counselling. The Social Sciences, 4: , Medwell Journals. [10] Gordon, A. T. (2004). Organizational stress and stress management programs. International Journal of Stress Management, 1(4), [11] Houtman, I., Miedema, M., Jettinghoff, K., Starren, A., Heinrich, J., Gort, J., et al. (2005). Fatigue in the shipping industry: TNO report 20834/ [12] Iwasaki, K., Takahashi, M. and Nakata. A. (2013). Health problems due to long working hours in Japan: working hours, workers compensation and preventive measures. Industrial Health editor@iaeme.com

9 Dr. J. Rengamani, Dr. A. Shameem and Dr. S. Poongavanam [13] Kunwadee Rojpaisarnkit and Yuvadee Rodjarkpai, Factors Correlated to Stress Management among Thai Elderly. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 11 (7): , Medwell Journals. [14] Marziyeh Kaboudi, Fateme Dehghan, Fereshteh Alikhani Darabi, Vahid Farnia and Mostafa Alikhani, The Effectiveness of Stress Management Skills on Perceived Stress and Resiliency of Women with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Research Journal of Medical Sciences, 10: , Medwell Journals. [15] National Research Council. (2012). Crew Size and Maritime Safety. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. [16] Rajasekar, D., Krishna Sudheer, A., Raghunadha Reddy, P., A study on employee empowerment in indian corporate sector, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 11, November 2017, Pages [17] Rajasekar, D., Prasad, B.V., Employee job satisfaction and intention to attrition- An empirical analysis, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 12, December 2017, Pages [18] Rengamani, J., Poongavanam, S, Shameem, A., Assessing the job stress of indian seafarers based on job demand control model, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 12, December 2017, Pages [19] Rengamani, J., Shameem, A., Poongavanam, S, An empirical analysis of the factors affecting the work stress of Indian mariners, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, Volume 8, Issue 12, December 2017, Pages [20] Smith, A. P., Lane, T., & Bloor, M. (2013). An overview of research on fatigue in support shipping in the offshore oil industry. In P. T. McCabe (Ed.), Contemporary Ergonomics. [21] Wadsworth, E. J. K., Allen, P. H., Wellens, B. T., McNamara, R. L., & Smith, A. P. (2006). Patterns of fatigue among seafarers during a tour of duty. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 49, [22] Watanabe, Y. (2008). Preface and mini-review: Fatigue science for human health. In: Watanabe, Y., Evengard, B., Natelson, B.H., Jason, L.A. and Kuratsune, H. (Eds.), Fatigue Science for Human Health (pp. 5-11). New York: Springer. [23] Zohre Nakhaei Sobhi and Hossein Jenaabadi, Relationship of Emotional Intelligence with Conflict Management and Job Stress of Nurses. The Social Sciences, 10 (6): , Medwell Journals. [24] Oleg I. Kazanin, Marat L. Rudakov and Konstantin A. Kolvakh, Occupational Safety and Health in the Sector of Coal Mining, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 9(6), 20 18, pp [25] Col. Dr.G. Thiruvasagam and Dr. J. Rengamani. Seafarers Fatigue Management An Empirical Study on Indian Seafarers, International Journal of Management, 6( 10 ), 2015, pp editor@iaeme.com