An examination and comparison of workload and subjective measures collected from railroad dispatchers

摘要

This study addresses whether subjective workload, stress and fatigue vary as a function of reported workload, time of day, and time on task for railroad dispatchers. Wrkload and subjective rating data were collected for two weeks at both a freight and a passenger dispatching facility. Results indicate that subjective fatigue is an amalgamation of time-on-task and time-of-day functions, though there appears to be a "rush hour" effect. Subjective stress and workload were mainly affected by reported workload and time-on-task. Number of trains handled was the more influential of the two reported workload measures.