The Effects of Shiftwork on the Performance of Watchstanders at Coast Guard Communication Stations

Abstract

An analysis of a Coast Guard watch system is presented. Current theory and research on shiftwork is documented and discussed to provide background for the analysis. An examination is made to evaluate personnel performance as a function of location within the existing watch schedule. A survey is conducted among watchstanding personnel to examine their opinions and motivations towards the existing watch schedule and relevant factors. Results indicate that there are minor differences between performance during day watches and performance during night watches. Similarly, the study indicated that performance within a given watch declines as time on watch increases for day watches only; this pattern does not hold for night watches.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1987
Accession Number
ADA184950

Entities

People

  • David C. Ely

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Biological Rhythms
  • Body Weight
  • Circadian Rhythms
  • Coast Guard
  • Communication Systems
  • Human Behavior
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Information Processing
  • Measurement
  • Military Organizations
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Security
  • Students
  • Task Performance And Analysis
  • Time Intervals

Readers

  • Circadian Sleep-Wake Regulation and Chronobiology
  • Maritime Security/Maritime Homeland Security
  • Theoretical Analysis.