An investigation of rail crew fatigue and well-being

Fan, Jialin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1530-4739 2018. An investigation of rail crew fatigue and well-being. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Occupational fatigue is a severe problem in the rail industry, potentially jeopardising train crew health and train safety. The aim of this thesis was to investigate fatigue, its risk factors, and the associations between fatigue, well-being outcomes, and performance among staff members in the rail industry by conducting a series of studies. It also aimed to develop a usable online fatigue measure to examine fatigue in a real-life setting. A large-scale questionnaire survey was conducted to examine the prevalence of fatigue, identify the risk factors related to fatigue, and investigate the associations between fatigue and well-being outcomes among railway staff in general. An online experiment was then run to investigate the effects of time of day and workload on fatigue and the association between subjective fatigue and objective performance, with a student sample. Finally, a questionnaire exploring the potential risk factors and greater details for fatigue among railway staff was conducted, followed by a diary study investigating the effects of workload and other risk factors in the prediction of fatigue, and the impact of fatigue on objective performance in work life, with a railway staff sample. The results of this thesis suggested that job demands, especially mental workload and overtime work were the main predictors of different types of fatigue among train crew, although the risk factors for fatigue appeared to differ between job roles. Job demands, shift-work and other negative work characteristics were shown to increase fatigue, while positive work and individual characteristics were shown to play a buffering role against it. The results also demonstrated that increased subjective fatigue contributed to sub-standard performance and poor well-being. In particular, fatigue was found to mediate the effects of risk factors on well-being outcomes. The study provided empirical support for potential organisational interventions to combat fatigue and improve staff members' well-being.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 March 2019
Date of Acceptance:	25 March 2019
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2022 11:52
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/121126

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