Using a Game to Evaluate Passenger Screener Fatigue and Sleepiness at Airport Screening Checkpoints

Abstract

The sensitivity of a game-based neurocognitive test to detect sleepiness and fatigue among workers at an airport passenger screening checkpoint (screeners) was examined. Screener fatigue and sleepiness was evaluated using both the game-based test and self-reports over the course of an eight-hour shift. Fatigue and sleepiness using the game-based test was evaluated utilizing differences in pre- and post—shift performance on four games targeting fatigue-mediated cognitive processes including simple reaction time, spatial processing, logical relations, and mathematical processing. Self-reports of fatigue and sleepiness were also collected pre-and post-shift using a previously validated tool. Results revealed that screeners at the checkpoint experienced a significant increase in fatigue and sleepiness from pre- to post-shift, indicated by both performance on the game and the self-report tool. The results suggest that the game-based tool could be used to evaluate the impact of countermeasures to reduce screener fatigue at screening checkpoints.