Working Unusual Hours and Its Relationship to Job Satisfaction: A Study of European Maritime Pilots

Abstract

Maritime pilotage, Irregular working patterns, Job satisfaction,

Symptoms of fatigue and coping strategies in maritime pilotage

“…While navigational demands are becoming increasingly more complex with the advent of electronic navigational instrumentation [24], evidence indicates that attention and vigilance on psychomotor tasks decreases with the presence of fatigue during night shift [25]. Combined, these explanations are consistent with other maritime pilotage investigations that revealed work-related stress (e.g., shift-work) were a primary cause of health problems, including early fatigue and insomnia [9]. Therefore, it seems plausible that long shifts and the increased reliance on automated systems to improve efficiency may exacerbate worker fatigue and affect task performance.…”

“…First, compared to commercial aviation pilots, typically only 1 maritime pilot is responsible for negotiating the passage plan with the ship captain prior to departure, and navigating the vessel [9]. The maritime pilot is solely responsible for ensuring that he/she is familiar with any relevant meteorological data, specific vessel details, expected traffic through the passageway and harbour during a manoeuvre, or any other job-relevant information.…”

“…Specifically, maritime pilots are responsible for ensuring the safe passage of vessels into, and out of port, which is deemed a high-risk exercise [9]. These navigational tasks result in long periods of intense work that can affect routine sleep schedules [5].…”

“…At present, there is a shortage of maritime pilot-specific research that reveals the impact of fatigue and coping on performance. Given that human error has been identified as a primary cause of most transportation related accidents [11], and that the number and size of ships in commercial waterways is increasing [9] it is critical that maritime pilotage research examines factors related to human performance.…”

Does Job Satisfaction Adapt to Working Conditions? An Empirical Analysis for Rotating Shift Work, Flextime, and Temporary Employment in UK

“…Further literature is concerned with income effects of atypical working hours ). Andresen et al (2007) examine how working unusual working hours affects European maritime pilots and find a negative effect on job satisfaction. Janssen and Nachreiner (2004) use cross section data to analyze effects of several flexible working hour arrangements on health and subjective well-being.…”