Encl. (1) to COMDTINST 3500.2
and misinformation about endurance. Recommended education topics include the
physiological need for sleep, how sleep is disrupted, the consequences of
disrupted sleep, approaches to promote and protect sleep at work and home, and
diet considerations, as well as various personal and work-environment issues,
including stress, exercise, alcohol and medication use, and ambient environmental
factors.
A particularly effective way of introducing CEM principles and concepts is to
make CEM a topic during unit safety training events. The basics of CEM can be
taught in this context at a gradual pace. After the training is complete, the CEM
plan developed by the WG in Step 3 can be introduced and discussed at length.
The CEMS Tool provides all the necessary information and presentation material
to conduct the education and training. Simply go into the "Endurance Resources"
within the CEMS Tool to access the Education Resource Library and online
Guide.
The specific elements of a new CEM plan should not be deployed until all
personnel have been educated, and have had an opportunity to comment on the
details of the plan. Providing members with the opportunity to comment on the
CEM plan will build ownership and improve acceptance of the CEM plan.
Depending on the number and type of changes proposed in the CEM plan, it
might be useful to implement the changes gradually, or in phases, to minimize the
amount of change that personnel must deal with at any one time. Remember,
change is stressful!
Task 2 - Environmental changes are directed at removing, or minimizing,
environmental barriers that can lessen the effects of endurance risk controls. For
example, changing work schedules to provide more opportunity for sleep without
considering the disruptive effects of environmental factors like noise, light,
temperature, and bedding on sleep may result in no improvement to the sleep
endurance risk factor. For endurance risk controls to be effective, environmental
factors that can also affect the endurance risk must first be controlled. It is
important to note that environmental changes are not isolated to the physical
environment, but also include organizational and cultural climate.
Task 3 - Light management is essential if endurance-management efforts
include physiological adaptation to nighttime schedules. Task 1 should educate
members that light is the primary cue to the biological clock that influences
circadian rhythms, and that exposure to specific light sources at prescribed times
improves alertness and promotes physiological adaptation to nighttime work
schedules. The Endurance Resources section of the CEMS Tool provides specific
guidance for using light management. If night time work is identified as a risk
factor, light management must be considered in the control options.
Task 4 - Endurance coaches provide on-site guidance concerning endurance
management activities; they also observe and correct any behavior that can
compromise the endurance management plan. WG members are typically also
endurance coaches; however, additional people can participate in the process.
11
Previous Page
