Medical Matters

Medical Matters

Medical Matters are of paramount importance in air traffic control. It is well known that controllers are medically screened prior to beginning an ATC career in accordance with international medical requirements given in ICAO Annex 1, and as prescribed by national regualtion.

The controller occupation is known to be stressful, conducted as shift-work and with a considerable amount of electronic equipment at the working positions. Stress and shift-work are known to have adverse effect on health in a general way. Radiation from electronic equipment has a biological effect, but any possible health consequences from this are not yet scientifically established.

Furthermore, Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) are becomming an integral part of any ATS system. It is well documented that some factors can affect human performance, such as: motivation, personality and attitudes, communication. But fatigue has definitely a prominent role to play this list of factors, as highlighted by the provisions on the management of fatigue contained in Amendment 50B of ICAO Annex 11 – Air Traffic Services; those provisions have an applicability date of November 5, 2020. (ICAO, 2018)

These are just a few examples that demonstrates the importance of medical matters in ATC.

 

MEDICAL MATTERS AND ATC LICENCE

Besides the many medical aspects having specific effects on air traffic control, there is also a number of challenges related to the link that exist between an ATCO licence and the medical certification that allows the controller to exercise the privileges of its licence. For instance, medical matters require in-depth studies and research in order to obtain answers to the following questions:

  • Observe the most common medical reasons why controllers lose their licences;
  • Research possibilities for using medication to “control” the effects of illness to the extent that a license can be held or regained;
  • Search for information on possible links between working environment and illness;
  • Investigations into possibly dangerous working environments.

 

What falls under Medical Matters?

As said previously, the domain of Medical Matters is vast. As regards air traffic control, it encompasses inter alia the following aspects:

  • Ocular diseases and ocular fatigue;
  • Substance abuse in ATC;
  • HIV and AIDS in air traffic control;
  • Legal rights of pregnant ATCOs;
  • Colour vision and air traffic control;
  • Cognitive processes;
  • Mental fitness;
  • Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM);
  • Effects of night shifts;
  • Medication and air traffic control;
  • Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS);
  • Ageing controllers;
  • Hypoxia-related issues;
  • ATCOs with disabilities;
  • Electromagnetic hypersensitivity;
  • Sleep apnea and obesity.

For more information, visit one of the following WIKIFATCA pages:

Medical Matters 68

  1. Ageing Air Traffic Controllers: Consequences on Job Performance
  2. Air Traffic Controllers’ Physical Fitness Programme
  3. Annual Report of Sub-Committee Medical
  4. ATCOs and Colour Vision
  5. ATCOs with Disabilities
  6. CISM Programmes Throughout IFATCA Member Associations
  7. Cognitive Processes in Air Traffic Control
  8. Counselling as a Means of Reducing Stress Among Air Traffic Controllers
  9. Critical Incident Stress Management – Guidance Material
  10. Critical Incident Stress Management – Update of IFATCA Policy on Stress
  11. CRT/VDU Work When Pregnant
  12. Draft Convention for the Profession of Air Traffic Controllers
  13. Electro Magnetic Hyper Sensitivity
  14. Elements of FRMS Model
  15. Fatigue in ATC
  16. Fatigue Management in Air Traffic Control
  17. Fatigue Risk Management Systems
  18. Fatigue Risk Management Systems
  19. Female ATCOs and Shift Work
  20. Guidelines on Mental Fitness
  21. HIV and AIDS in Air Traffic Control
  22. Information Handbook
  23. Intimidation of the Air Traffic Controller
  24. Investigate the Mechanisms for Dealing with a Critical Incident/Accident
  25. Legal Rights of Pregnant ATCOs
  26. Loss of Licence
  27. MED 8.1.1 GENERAL
  28. MED 8.2.1 EFFECTS OF MEDICINE, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
  29. MED 8.2.2 OCULAR PROBLEMS
  30. MED 8.2.3 CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT
  31. MED 8.2.4 FATIGUE IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
  32. MED 8.2.5 WORK AS ATCO WHEN PREGNANT
  33. MED 8.2.6 SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
  34. MED 8.2.7 HIV AND AIDS IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
  35. MED 8.2.8 ATCOS WITH DISABILITIES
  36. MED 8.2.9 VIGILANCE DURING OPS SHIFTS
  37. Medical Effects of Night Shifts
  38. Medical Research on Ocular Diseases
  39. Medication and Air Traffic Control
  40. Mental Fitness
  41. Night Shift Paralysis in Air Traffic Control
  42. Nightshift Policy and Fatigue Management
  43. Ocular Disease and Ocular Fatigue Due to the Working Environment in ATC
  44. Policy Review on Medication
  45. Report of Sub-Committee Medical
  46. Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the ILO
  47. Report of the ILO Meeting of Experts on Problems Concerning Air Traffic Controllers
  48. Report on Committee C
  49. Rescinding Resolution C14 from Costa Rica Conference
  50. Review of IFATCA Policy Regarding ATCO Recruitment & Selection
  51. Review of ILO Conclusions
  52. Review of MED (Medical Matters) – Professional Policy of the TPM
  53. Review of Part IV – Professional Policy of the TPM
  54. Review Policy on Stress Management
  55. Revision and Review on the Ageing ATCO and Retirement Age for ATCOs Policy
  56. Sleep Apnea and Obesity
  57. Specific Medical Matters
  58. Stress in Air Traffic Control
  59. Study Hypoxia Warning
  60. Study on the Correlation Between Compensation for Loss of Licence, Early Retirement Programme, Medical Checks, Proficiency Checks and Conditions of Employment
  61. Substance Abuse in ATC
  62. Terms of Reference – SC4 Human and Environmental Factors in ATC
  63. The Fountain of Wellbeing
  64. The ILO Meeting of Experts on Problems Concerning Air Traffic Controllers
  65. Vigilance During OPS Shift
  66. WC 10.3.7 AGEING ATCOS
  67. WC 10.6.1 LOSS OF LICENCE
  68. Work and Rest Scheme

Last Update: September 19, 2020  

October 27, 2019   1141   superman    WIKI  

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