Narrative:

On [date] at [time] I was notified by my supervisor that I was going to be 'forced' to work overtime on [date] on my day off per the [company operations] terms due to no volunteers and I was the junior employee on the [aircraft type] desk. The issue I have with this process is they are putting me; the company's certificate; and more importantly peoples' safety in jeopardy.please let me explain; as of today's date; I have worked almost 1;100 extra hours in overtime and will be well over 1;200 before the end of the year without this forced day. [Maintenance control personnel] work (4) 12 hour days and has (4) days off normally. In the week that I'm being 'forced' to work another day; I am already working (2) of my days off which leaves me with only (1) day off. The rotation prior; I will only have (1) day off in the last (8) days and to put it in perspective with this 'forced overtime with what I've already volunteered to work; I'll be working (19) 12 hour days out of the next (21) days. As a holder of airman's certificate in a safety sensitive position you must recognize when fatigue; stress; and lack of staffing is at point of breaking. I confess I need to take time off; coupled with stress here at home and health problems that are directly related to my job from long hours are taking its toll. My supervisors are more focused on enforcing the [company operations]; than my health; the certificate of this company; and safety of our owners/employees that I directly affect by my actions. I felt I had to take a vacation day on the 14th due to the forcing of working but it has been suggested it will be turned down because outside the [company operations] time frame to approve. One year ago our president [name] stated [recently] that the company intended to make a major investment in maintenance control by addition of manpower and other resources so we could properly accomplish our daily duties. Much of our department feels very slighted and manpower has yet to be added. Many of us are working hundreds and in some cases over a thousand extra hours a year; yes there is a dollar reward for working; but we can't lose sight of the function to the operation [maintenance control] provides. I understand that a bad decision; recommendation; or judgment call can have catastrophic consequences; certificate action; damage/loss of equipment and life. I believe it is not good practice to force employees to work beyond their normal schedule with what they are comfortable. It adds undue stress; health implications; and leads to compromised decisions. The company; our [new mission plan] states we won't comprise safety in any way and is our 'highest priority;' but this completely contradicts the dirty dozen; good safety practices; and the [new mission plan]. I shouldn't have to ask to take vacation (which more than likely will be denied) to get rest to work a day I'm being forced to work. I try to manage my stress; rest periods; and know my limits. Each individual should know their breaking points and know when to step back. I'm at that point of knowing my point of breaking (liability) and my actions are/will be affected further by being forced to work more. I hope this report sheds light on duty times and lack of staffing. Hopefully the question will be ask. Do we really want to run our business this way and as usual put our head in the sand? I've never seen [company] 'force' pilots to fly airplanes who were fatigued or uncomfortable about any issues and this might be a good opportunity to start the conversation of what is occurring within the [company] maintenance department and if this a practice we want to embrace. I've been told by my supervisors this is the way the business needs to be run and there are no other options; I have to question their conclusions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Maintenance Technician reported being forced to work overtime; describes a high stress environment due to low staffing resulting in fatigue and an unsafe situation.

Narrative: On [Date] at [Time] I was notified by my supervisor that I was going to be 'forced' to work overtime on [Date] on my day off per the [company operations] terms due to no volunteers and I was the junior employee on the [Aircraft Type] desk. The issue I have with this process is they are putting me; the company's certificate; and more importantly peoples' safety in jeopardy.Please let me explain; as of today's date; I have worked almost 1;100 extra hours in overtime and will be well over 1;200 before the end of the year without this forced day. [Maintenance Control personnel] work (4) 12 hour days and has (4) days off normally. In the week that I'm being 'forced' to work another day; I am already working (2) of my days off which leaves me with only (1) day off. The rotation prior; I will only have (1) day off in the last (8) days and to put it in perspective with this 'forced overtime with what I've already volunteered to work; I'll be working (19) 12 hour days out of the next (21) days. As a holder of airman's certificate in a safety sensitive position you must recognize when fatigue; stress; and lack of staffing is at point of breaking. I confess I need to take time off; coupled with stress here at home and health problems that are directly related to my job from long hours are taking its toll. My supervisors are more focused on enforcing the [company operations]; than my health; the certificate of this company; and safety of our owners/employees that I directly affect by my actions. I felt I had to take a vacation day on the 14th due to the forcing of working but it has been suggested it will be turned down because outside the [company operations] time frame to approve. One year ago our president [Name] stated [recently] that the company intended to make a major investment in Maintenance Control by addition of manpower and other resources so we could properly accomplish our daily duties. Much of our department feels very slighted and manpower has yet to be added. Many of us are working hundreds and in some cases over a thousand extra hours a year; yes there is a dollar reward for working; but we can't lose sight of the function to the operation [Maintenance Control] provides. I understand that a bad decision; recommendation; or judgment call can have catastrophic consequences; certificate action; damage/loss of equipment and life. I believe it is not good practice to force employees to work beyond their normal schedule with what they are comfortable. It adds undue stress; health implications; and leads to compromised decisions. The company; our [new mission plan] states we won't comprise safety in any way and is our 'highest priority;' but this completely contradicts the dirty dozen; good safety practices; and the [new mission plan]. I shouldn't have to ask to take vacation (which more than likely will be denied) to get rest to work a day I'm being forced to work. I try to manage my stress; rest periods; and know my limits. Each individual should know their breaking points and know when to step back. I'm at that point of knowing my point of breaking (liability) and my actions are/will be affected further by being forced to work more. I hope this report sheds light on duty times and lack of staffing. Hopefully the question will be ask. Do we really want to run our business this way and as usual put our head in the sand? I've never seen [Company] 'force' pilots to fly airplanes who were fatigued or uncomfortable about any issues and this might be a good opportunity to start the conversation of what is occurring within the [Company] maintenance department and if this a practice we want to embrace. I've been told by my supervisors this is the way the business needs to be run and there are no other options; I have to question their conclusions.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.