Name a common human-factor risk in tower operations and a mitigation technique.

• A. Fatigue; manage work-rest cycles, rotate tasks, and enforce breaks.
• B. Fatigue; skip breaks to save time.
• C. Fatigue; ignore breaks.
• D. Weather; report it later.

Answer: (A)

Fatigue is a common human-factor risk in tower operations because staff must stay highly vigilant during long shifts and handle complex, time-critical tasks. When fatigue grows, reaction times slow and attention can wander, increasing the chance of misjudgments in aircraft sequencing and communication. The best mitigation is to implement structured work-rest cycles, rotate tasks to reduce monotony, and enforce regular breaks; these practices keep operators alert, sustain decision quality, and enhance safety. Skipping or ignoring breaks worsens fatigue, and treating weather as something to report later misses timely risk management; weather factors require proactive monitoring and standard procedures, not deferral.