Introducing the CANSO Fatigue Risk Management Task Force

Overview:
As global air traffic has not only recovered but in many regions now exceeds pre-COVID levels, operational complexity and workload and staffing challenges across air navigation services continue to intensify. In this environment, fatigue risk among air traffic controllers and other operational staff has once again become a critical safety and performance concern.

This session introduces the CANSO Fatigue Risk Management (FRM) Task Force, established to support ANSPs in implementing fatigue management to strengthen modern, practical, and risk-based approaches to managing fatigue. While the Task Force will not generate new scientific research, it will apply established scientific methods and principles to help organisations systematically capture, assess, and manage fatigue-related risk within their operational contexts.

The session will highlight the human impact of fatigue, the safety and performance risks associated with chronic fatigue, and the shared responsibility (generally, when we speak of shared responsibility when it comes to fatigue management, it means the company’s responsibility to rest. It would suggest focusing on the value for organisations to build fatigue-resilient systems) across organisations to build fatigue-resilient systems. Drawing on findings from CANSO’s recently completed Global Fatigue Risk Management Maturity Study, the plenary will share early lessons learned from around the world, identify emerging best practices, and preview upcoming Task Force resources — including a practical guide to FRMS implementation and a harmonised Safety Assurance Argument for Fatigue.

Session Objectives:
• Introduce the newly formed CANSO Fatigue Risk Management Task Force, its mandate, and planned deliverables
• Share common challenges and best practices from ANSPs addressing fatigue in high-demand operational environments
• Explore how fatigue data, risk assessment, and organisational learning can be integrated into a proactive and sustainable FRMS cycle, using scientifically informed methods
• Reinforce the link between fatigue management, human performance, and long-term organisational resilience