The reporter has raised a safety concern in relation to cabin crew duty hours and non-adherence to the company Safety Management System (SMS).
The reporter is concerned that cabin crew are working continuously long days, exceeding duty hours (over eleven hours) and then starting the next day's shift with minimum rest. The reporter states that rest periods are interrupted by the operations department texting/calling at 0300 [local] when their standby shift does not commence until 0600 [local] potentially contributing to fatigue.
The reporter is further concerned that submitted safety reports regarding the above matters have been ignored due to staff shortages.
We acknowledge receipt of the confidential report submitted through your office titled, ‘Safety concerns regarding cabin crew duty hours and non-adherence to the company Safety Management System (SMS)’.
The [division] within [Operator] has conducted an extensive investigation into the concerns raised. We can confidently state that the programs and systems used for rostering of cabin crew capture any potential regulatory breaches prior to them occurring.
[Operator] operate on a monthly rostering system for all flight crew, utilising the [rostering system]. [Rostering system] is a widely adopted software program, used worldwide by numerous major airlines to monitor, and manage their regulatory requirements. This program has been designed to ensure that no member of the crew can be rostered more than 100 hours in a 30-day period, and allows for adequate rest time, in line with Schedule B of the Aircraft Cabin Crew Award.
During the investigation, a review of all actual duty times in excess of 11 hours was conducted and it was identified that adequate rest periods were rostered between sequential shifts. The organisation schedules rest in relation to flight requirements as per the requirements of Schedule B.
We note the concerns raised in relation to ongoing fatigue and interrupted rest periods, and we are working with the management team across flight operations to ensure that no unnecessary communication is made with the cabin crew during their rest period.
[Operator] takes fatigue issues seriously, and all managers are expected to manage fatigue-related issues as per the guidelines outlined in our SMS manual.
The [division] can assure you that all submitted safety reports are reviewed and addressed appropriately before they are closed. The [safety reports] program has a function where the reporter of the occurrence is notified when this occurs, and all reports are discussed upon receipt at the daily operations meeting.
At this stage no breach of internal policy has been found. All documents reviewed during the investigation are available to the ATSB if required.
CASA has reviewed the REPCON and the operator’s response.
A review of the operator’s operations manual indicates that the operator makes the CAO 48.1 flight crew limits applicable to cabin crew. Therefore, duties in excess or 11 hours (up to 13 hours) are permissible. The reporter might be referring to cabin crew EA limits as these are mentioned but not detailed in the operations manual.
From this, no safety concerns arise except for the information regarding interrupted sleep due to phone calls which would contribute to elevated levels of fatigue risk.
The operator’s response states, 'We note the concerns raised in relation to ongoing fatigue and interrupted rest periods, and we are working with the management team across flight operations to ensure that no unnecessary communication is made with the flight crew during their rest period'.
CASA will continue to monitor through scheduled surveillance activity.