Stress, complacency, and distraction

Technical questions List some factors that cause stress while on watch. List some factors that cause personal stress. How should you deal with un-wanted visitors in the wheelhouse? List some methods for reducing stress. What is the difference between an active distraction and a passive distraction?

Case study Lash Atlantico and Hellenic Carrier (fig. 5-1) Noordam and Mount Ymitos. (fig. 5-2)

Stress Concentrated on a simple (and unnecessary) task rather than paying attention to other more important tasks or maintaining a good overall perspective on his situation.

Stress Some people just lose control both mentally and physically and become useless; Some people find something, some one thing, they know how to do well and concentrate on that to the exclusion of everything else; Some people remain competent at a few tasks but ignore others; Some people rise to the occasion, set priorities, and begin solving the most important problems first.

Dealing with stress First, not all stress is bad. We need some stress in order to keep our attention. Lack of stress complacency. Too much self-confidence. We need a little bit of stress in order to stay alert and concentrate on our jobs. The challenge is having enough stress to avoid complacency without getting so much stress that we become ineffective or in capacitated.

Dealing with stress Second, stress levels go down as things become more familiar. There have been instances of people falling asleep while on watch, not just because they were tired, but also because they were bored.

Personal stress We cannot deny that stress induced by our personal circumstances has an effect on our work. (ill relative, financial difficulties and separations)

Distraction To bring our stress down to a manageable even useful level. One way to manage stress level is by sharing the working load among several people.

Distraction There is a potential “downside” to adding personnel on the bridge. With so many “qualified” people on the bridge, individual watch-standers will begin to assume that everyone else is paying attention to the ship’s movements, and thus the vigilance of watch- standers will decrease.

Distraction 2. Individuals who are not actively contributing to the handling and navigation of the ship may become either active or passive distractions to those who are working.

Internal Distraction Active distraction: one that force a useful worker to take his or her mind off the task at hand. (an idle conversation) Passive distraction: one that allow, but doesn’t force a useful worker to take his or her mind off the job at hand. (a visitor in bridge)

External Distraction An unusual vessel or a low-flying aircraft. A new harbor, small ferry operation, sailing regattas, and dredging projects.

Distraction Routing bridge operations can create both distrac- tions and complacency at the same time. Take for instance, watch change. Watch change is an opportunity to let stress, complacency, and distraction overrule our sound seamanship.

Case Study: The Noordam and the Mount Ymitos

Overcoming stress, complacency, and distraction Knowing about the problem is the first step to solving it. The routine watch should not be routine. It should be a constant challenge. We just have to discipline ourselves not to let them become distractions.

Discussion questions Have you ever been in or near a truly catastrophic situation? How did different people react to this unusual level of stress? Has your personal stress ever affected your job performance? How? Have you ever had “unwanted” individuals in your wheelhouse? How did you deal with that? What happened while they were around?