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Controller reporter complains about lack of staffing on swing shift and supervisors failure to call out overtime.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 140367 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199003 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : zlc |
| State Reference | UT |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : hpn |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : radar |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Experience | controller non radar : 4 controller radar : 3 |
| ASRS Report | 140367 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
On the swing shift on 3/wed/90, 5 controllers called in sick. Earlier that week several controllers had asked for leave and were denied due to 'lack of staffing.' no overtime was called out. The only adjustment that was made was requiring one of the area supervisors to work a sector. There were several times during the shift that someone had asked for help with either a slow response or no response. The lack of adequate staffing created an unsafe situation. Later that week, the supervisor who was in charge of the shift was given a pat on the back for doing such a good job of handling this situation and not calling out overtime. This was done in front of all the supervisors. I feel that because of this situation, all the supervisors will now hesitate before calling in the necessary overtime. One supervisor stated that the area 'was running by a thread' that night, and it was an unsafe situation.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CTLR REPORTER COMPLAINS ABOUT LACK OF STAFFING ON SWING SHIFT AND SUPVRS FAILURE TO CALL OUT OVERTIME.
Narrative: ON THE SWING SHIFT ON 3/WED/90, 5 CTLRS CALLED IN SICK. EARLIER THAT WK SEVERAL CTLRS HAD ASKED FOR LEAVE AND WERE DENIED DUE TO 'LACK OF STAFFING.' NO OVERTIME WAS CALLED OUT. THE ONLY ADJUSTMENT THAT WAS MADE WAS REQUIRING ONE OF THE AREA SUPVRS TO WORK A SECTOR. THERE WERE SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE SHIFT THAT SOMEONE HAD ASKED FOR HELP WITH EITHER A SLOW RESPONSE OR NO RESPONSE. THE LACK OF ADEQUATE STAFFING CREATED AN UNSAFE SITUATION. LATER THAT WK, THE SUPVR WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF THE SHIFT WAS GIVEN A PAT ON THE BACK FOR DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB OF HANDLING THIS SITUATION AND NOT CALLING OUT OVERTIME. THIS WAS DONE IN FRONT OF ALL THE SUPVRS. I FEEL THAT BECAUSE OF THIS SITUATION, ALL THE SUPVRS WILL NOW HESITATE BEFORE CALLING IN THE NECESSARY OVERTIME. ONE SUPVR STATED THAT THE AREA 'WAS RUNNING BY A THREAD' THAT NIGHT, AND IT WAS AN UNSAFE SITUATION.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.