Long Working Hours, Poor Sleep Quality, and Non-Officer Task: Determinant Factors of Fatigue Among Indonesian Tugboat Crews

Abstract

Background Tugboat crews are susceptible to fatigue their 24-hour stay in the working environment even in their rest time. The fatigue experienced by the seafarers contributes to marine accidents and metabolic and cardiovascular diseases which are long-term effects. This study aimed to analyze the association between working hours and fatigue, along with other possible related factors in tugboat crews. Method: This comparative cross-sectional study included 127 tugboat crew members from a randomly chosen tugboat in Samarinda Harbor, Indonesia. Their fatigue levels at work were subjectively measured using the reaction timer and standardized instrument questionnaire. Data on the crews' personal and occupational factors included age, marital status, rating (job position), duration on board, length of seafaring experience, watch system, smoking habit, coffee and alcohol consumption, and working hours. Moreover, sleep quality and levels of stress-related to the family conflict were measured and analyzed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Work-Family Conflict Scale (WCFS), respectively. Results It was found that 40.2% of the subjects experienced fatigue due to long working hours (≥ 72 hours/week), poor sleep quality, and being non-officer crews, with adj. OR and 95%CI values of (12.76; 3.91–41.70), (5.84; 1.67–20.47), and (4.38; 1.28–14.92), respectively. However, the variables of crews' characteristics and occupational factors included age, marital status, duration on board, length of seafaring experience, smoking habit, coffee and alcohol consumption were not statistically associated with the crews' fatigue. Conclusion The incidence of fatigue among Indonesian tugboat crews is considerably high. Working hours, sleep quality, and job rating were strongly associated with fatigue in tugboat crews. Working hours monitoring of tugboats crews needs to be improved.