The Fatigue Review Committee (FRC) is seeing an uptick in “self-induced” fatigue reports.
The main cause of this increase appears to be twofold:
- One being those who are declaring fatigue prior to taking every opportunity for rest. An example would be a Flight Attendant who works a long day and on arrival calls out for the trip in their line for the next day this is considered projecting fatigue. The program does not allow for projection to be within the parameters of the program; one would need to take their rest and then self-evaluate to determine if their fatigue remains.
- Another cause that the FRC is seeing is a lack of information provided in filed fatigue reports. The FRC can only evaluate what is written in the fatigue report; they cannot assume anything not written. If the reporter doesn’t provide a full account of the event, the FRC will base a decision only on what is provided in the written report.
In many cases, an event that may have been an accepted report ends up falling into “self-induced” determination simply because the reporter has not provided all the details that have led to their fatigue. Again, if the information isn’t there for the FRC to evaluate, then a decision will be made based only on what is provided in the report.
The FRC recommends writing your fatigue report after you have taken your rest, this ensures you are clear headed and able to provide the full information needed.
All Flight Attendants should proactively familiarize yourself with the Fatigue Program Manual (Flying Together Link). Please note that when searching for the manual in Flying Together, always ensure you are looking for the Flight Attendant Fatigue Manual. Also, the manual may be difficult to understand if you’re reading it for the first time while fatigued. Should you have any questions, after reading the manual, please reach out to your local AFA Safety Committee.
While the local Safety Committee is available for your support, they are unable to advise if a report will be accepted, that determination resides solely with the FRC.