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Research carried out by Cardiff University on the causes of maritime fatigue was instrumental in increasing understanding of contributing factors such as long working hours, and the inadequacy of current reporting systems. Because 90% of goods are transported by sea, fatigue influences at the individual and community level, as well as resulting in significant financial penalties for companies when accidents occur. Cardiff research has led to significant changes across industry and government in (a) personal awareness/management, such as improved safety training and (b) new international legislation and company policy aimed at reducing fatigue and improving health and safety at sea.
Research at Portsmouth has had a major impact on risk reduction, improved service life and reduced inspection/maintenance costs of safety critical and expensive fan and compressor components in military and civil aero-engines, as demonstrated particularly by the Liftfan Blisk manufactured by Rolls-Royce.
The research outcomes have also impacted on the specification of design stress levels by Rolls-Royce and MOD for aerofoils susceptible to FOD, enabling damage size inspection limits to be established at higher and more economic levels. The research has also provided increased confidence in the application of weld-repair of FOD and of surface treatment using Laser Shock Peening against FOD.
Quality of life for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has improved, responding to their stated major priority for help with fatigue. Their self-management of fatigue has improved using our cognitive-behavioural therapy intervention. Over 30,000 patients and healthcare professionals a year request our resulting self-management booklet, distributed via Arthritis Research UK.
This group's research spearheaded a new international patient/professional consensus that fatigue must be measured in all clinical trials. Along with the Bristol RA Fatigue scales, which we developed (translated into 35 languages) this has helped to place fatigue at the centre of drug development by changing the way the pharmaceutical industry performs multi-national drug trials.
Nursing management has now improved demonstrably. Fatigue evaluation and intervention have now been recommended in national guidelines.
Seafarer fatigue is a major issue for the safety and economics of shipping and the protection of the marine environment. Estimates suggest that 25% of marine casualties are caused by fatigue.
Project HORIZON demonstrated that sleepiness levels for some watch-keeping regimes are high, and actual sleep can occur. The main outcome of the project was a fatigue prediction model for use by voyage planners to ease workloads on ships' crews.
The introduction of such fatigue risk mitigation measures will potentially save lives, have an impact on the competitive success of global shipping companies, and bring significant economic and environmental benefit.
The impact of this research has been evident in a change of practice regarding the consideration of fatigue in musculoskeletal profiling, and as an aetiological risk factor for injury. This change in practice is evidenced across a range of user groups, influencing evidence-based practice in both the clinical and sporting context. The body of research has generated a shift in the consideration of fatigue with regards sporting injury incidence. Postgraduate teaching has evolved to consider injury prevention strategies in relation to fatigue, and Governing Body injury audits have cited this research in working toward injury prevention policies.