Abstract
The present evaluation was conducted to assess whether crews can cope and adapt to a restricted living and work environment. Two United States Coast Guard small boat stations with similar environmental conditions, mission profiles, and workload levels were selected for this evaluation. At one station, shore-side facilities were replaced with a 50-foot live-aboard boat (NORCREW). The second station, maintained shore-side facilities (COMP). Survey and daily log data on human factors variables, which have been used to predict adaptation to work environments, were collected from 18 crew members. Analysis of these data did not reveal any significant adverse psychophysiological effects associated with the live-aboard concept. Data revealed time-of-day effects consistent with conventional thought and chronobiological theory which leads the authors to conclude that the live aboard concept does not appear to disrupt circadian cycles. Overall, the consistent failure to detect any differences between NORCREW and COMP on human factors variables clearly suggests that further consideration of this concept is warranted.
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