A major oil company contracted Circadian after starting drilling operations in a remote offshore location on the eastern edge of
Russia.
Due to its location, journey to the rig was extraordinarily long, managing that journey was very complicated given flight connections and long boat rides to the rig, and complicated.
Circadian assignment was to conduct an analysis of the fatigue induced by the journey to the rig, determine alertness upon arrival, make recommendations to control overall fatigue-induced risk and to improve overall journey management.
The focus of the project was on the personnel assigned to the semi submersible rig being utilized for the initial geological test. At the time of the project, there were 111 people on board, from a total of 16 companies, representing 18 nationalities
.
Data required to analyze journey management and work schedule fatigue was obtained during a site visit to the rig.
The Circadian consultant’s inbound trip to the rig was the same route taken by those traveling to the rig from the UK through Moscow, while the outbound trip approximated the journey taken by those traveling back to Asia and then onto the United States. Thus, the consultant obtained first hand experience on the relevant issues involved in journey management to and from this remote drilling site. During the site visit and consultation, Circadian interviewed 51 of the 111 of the people on board and recruited 16 volunteers for a more thorough journey management and shift schedule fatigue study.
Participants included a cross section of personnel who travel to the rig from five primary locations: UK & Europe, Asia (mainly
Indonesia &
Singapore),
South Africa,
Australia and the
United States.
Study participants completed logs detailing their journeys to the rig.
Log information was downloaded into the Circadian Alertness Simulation (CAS) software and analyzed.
CAS computes continuous fatigue and alertness levels based on sleep wake activity and human circadian rhythms.
Site consultations and interviews provided further information on the conditions of general rig life and explored the impact of the modes of transportation to and from the rig and the various locations used to house personnel during layovers.
Based on an objective analysis of inbound travel logs, it was determined that the amount of sleep obtained in the last 12 hours of the journey was the most important factor in determining alertness upon rig arrival.
When adequate sleep was obtained during this critical 12 hour period, the personnel arrived on the rig at an acceptable alertness and performability level that would be considered “fit for duty” by Circadian.
The second most important factor on rig arrival alertness was the time of day on each individual’s circadian clock, which equates to the “jet lag” or time zone variance effect that one has between home departure time and rig arrival time.
Even if one arrived on the rig fully alert, the residual jet lag diminished alertness during the first shifts.
The impact of the journey duration and the time zone offset were found to be stronger when the focus was on high alertness throughout the first shift.
Employee interviews indicated that the quality and quantity of sleep obtained during travel to the rig was most directly influenced by the accommodations provided by each means of transport or by each facility used for layovers during travel. Major components that impacted the quality of accommodations included environmental factors such as, temperature, noise, air quality, light levels, food, shower / restroom facilities, etc. as well as a general feeling of comfort and security.
Interviews further confirmed that length and quality of sleep, particularly during the last 12 hours of travel was significantly influenced by how close the last 12 hours coincided to their normal at home sleeping times.
The significance of the difference between their circadian clock and rig arrival time diminished over the first couple of days on the rig.
Based on a statistical analysis of the log data and interviews, Circadian developed the following recommendations:
- That all personnel being transported to the rig be given the opportunity to obtain a full sleep episode during the 12 hour period just prior to transport.
- The highest quality layover facilities should be utilized for this purpose and/or upgrades should be made to any suboptimal accommodations currently being utilized. Ability to obtain quality sleep could be further enhanced by providing equipment to overcome suboptimal environmental conditions, such as ear plugs for noise and eye masks for light.
- Assistance in overcoming the fatigue induced by jet lag, as well as improving overall journey management, could be obtained through training, including topics such as human physiology, circadian rhythms, the architecture and management of sleep, and practical tips to enhance travel.
- Further assistance to overcome jet lag can be provided through the use of travel protocols for specific itineraries.
- Improvement to current travel policies, such as the ability to obtain “day rooms” in airport or nearby hotels for long layovers could further enhance overall employee journey management and fitness-for-duty upon arrival.