Defensa y fuerzas armadas · Estados Unidos

El sueño y la fatiga en defensa y fuerzas armadas

Personnel face high operational tempo, short and broken sleep and long deployments; defense civilians work shifts too. Fatigue degrades vigilance and decisions where errors can be fatal.

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Armed forces
Defense civilians

Regulación

Quién la regula y qué espera

El detalle normativo y de investigación de esta página se muestra en inglés.

Defense sits outside the ordinary regulatory picture for uniformed personnel: military personnel and uniquely military operations are excluded from OSHA by executive order, and the department sets its own fatigue policy. DoD Instruction 1010.10 asks component heads to build at least seven hours of sleep per 24 hours into duty schedules, training plans and battle plans, but only as mission requirements permit. The surface Navy goes further, requiring circadian watchbills and a minimum 7.5-hour sleep opportunity every 24 hours. The civilian workforce and on-base contractors are covered by ordinary workplace safety law.

U.S. Department of Defense — Regulado por

Quién la regula

Federal OSHA does not reach uniformed personnel or military-unique operations - a 1980 executive order sets that exclusion. The Department of Defense runs its own safety and fatigue policy, with the surface Navy adding a crew endurance instruction. DoD's 700,000 civilian employees are covered by the federal-agency safety program, and contractors on base are covered by OSHA as private employers. GAO provides oversight.

Sus obligaciones

Uniformed personnel are outside OSHA, so the obligation is the department's own. DoD Instruction 1010.10 directs component heads to mitigate sleep deprivation and to build at least seven hours of sleep per 24 hours into schedules and plans, as mission requirements permit. The surface Navy's crew endurance instruction of 11 December 2020 is firmer: circadian watchbills, a minimum 7.5-hour sleep opportunity per 24 hours, and workdays that should not routinely exceed twelve. Air Force flight operations carry mandatory crew rest rules. Civilian staff are covered by the federal-agency safety program, the ADA and FMLA.

Consecuencias

There is no OSHA fine for uniformed personnel; fatigue failures surface through mishap investigation boards, Inspector General complaints, relief of commanders and Congressional oversight, and they are paid for in readiness. In March 2026 the Government Accountability Office reported that most service members still sleep six hours or fewer a night against the department's own seven-hour figure, and that three of the nine fatigue recommendations it made in 2024 remain open. For civilian staff the exposure is safety findings and abatement plus accommodation and leave claims; contractors face standard OSHA citation.

Sanciones

No civil penalty attaches to fatigue for uniformed personnel, and the federal-agency program covering civilian staff provides for findings and abatement rather than fines. On-base private contractors face standard OSHA maximums, at 2025 levels in force for 2026: $16,550 serious, $165,514 willful or repeat.

Fuentes: Executive Order 12196 (1980); 29 CFR Part 1960; DoD Instruction 1010.10; Naval Surface Forces crew endurance instruction 3120.2A (2020); GAO reports GAO-24-105917 (2024) and GAO-21-366 (2021); NTSB Marine Accident Report MAR-19/01.

Puestos críticos por fatiga

Dónde más importa la fatiga en defensa y fuerzas armadas

Los puestos en los que un trabajador fatigado tiene más probabilidades de causar daños graves, las tareas que conllevan el riesgo y por qué se acumula la fatiga.

El detalle normativo y de investigación de esta página se muestra en inglés.

Puesto	Riesgo	Tareas de alto riesgo	Por qué se acumula la fatiga
Military aviator (USAF, USN/USMC, Army Aviation) Reglas Designación normativa Uniformed service member - outside OSHA (EO 12196); DoDI 1010.10 sleep targets 'as mission requirements permit' Horas y descanso Service crew-rest rules (e.g. AFMAN 11-202 Vol 3, OPNAVINST 3710.7) - internal	Riesgo crítico	Night and NVG flying; long-range and air-to-air refuelling sorties; low-level flying; operations across time zones after short rest	Early and night sorties, surge flying in exercises and operations, deployments across time zones, standby
Officer of the deck (OOD) / surface warfare officer Reglas Designación normativa Uniformed service member - outside OSHA (EO 12196); DoDI 1010.10 sleep targets 'as mission requirements permit' Horas y descanso COMNAVSURFPAC/LANTINST 3120.2A: circadian watchbills, 7.5 h sleep opportunity in 24 h (internal)	Riesgo crítico	Bridge and operations-room watchkeeping on 1-in-2 or 1-in-3 rotations; restricted-water navigation; replenishment at sea; combat system operation	Watch rotations fragmenting sleep, long periods at sea, drills during rest
Motor transport operator (Army 88M; USMC 3531) Reglas Designación normativa Uniformed service member - outside OSHA (EO 12196); DoDI 1010.10 sleep targets 'as mission requirements permit' Horas y descanso Service instructions only; no enforceable DoD-wide fatigue standard	Riesgo crítico	Driving heavy and armored vehicles in convoy at night and under NVG; road moves after exercise night shifts; ammunition and fuel transport	Exercises and deployments with sleep restriction, 24 h operations, long road moves
Aircraft maintainer (crew chief, weapons loader) Reglas Designación normativa Uniformed service member - outside OSHA (EO 12196); DoDI 1010.10 sleep targets 'as mission requirements permit' Horas y descanso Service instructions only; no enforceable DoD-wide fatigue standard	Riesgo crítico	Night-shift maintenance and arming of aircraft; flight-control and weapons-loading tasks; surge maintenance during exercises	Shift work with surges, flight-line night shifts, deployed 12 h shifts
Security forces / military police sentry Reglas Designación normativa Uniformed service member - outside OSHA (EO 12196); DoDI 1010.10 sleep targets 'as mission requirements permit' Horas y descanso Service instructions only; no enforceable DoD-wide fatigue standard	Riesgo alto	Night sentry and gate duty with live weapons; armed guard of munitions and aircraft; vigilance patrols	Night guard rotations (e.g. 2-on/4-off) on top of the normal working day, monotony
Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician Reglas Designación normativa Uniformed service member - outside OSHA (EO 12196); DoDI 1010.10 sleep targets 'as mission requirements permit' Horas y descanso Service instructions only; no enforceable DoD-wide fatigue standard	Riesgo alto	Render-safe procedures on explosive ordnance; ammunition inspection and repair; night call-outs to IED and EOD tasks	On-call duty with night call-outs, deployments, long tasks in heat and protective equipment

Casos

Cuando la fatiga quedó registrada

Hallazgos y procesos publicados por reguladores, tribunales e investigadores en Estados Unidos.

El detalle normativo y de investigación de esta página se muestra en inglés.

may 2020 · Florida, United States
Fatigued fighter pilot lands too fast at night; $176m jet destroyed
- Seguridad
- Financiero
On a night sortie a fighter jet touched down at about 202 knots, far above normal landing speed, and the aircraft was destroyed after its flight controls fought the pilot's inputs; the pilot ejected with non-life-threatening injuries. The accident investigation board found that cognitive degradation due to fatigue substantially contributed. The pilot had frequently been getting poor, interrupted sleep and rated his own cognitive degradation well above his usual baseline at the end of the mission.
Caso US-defence-03Informar de un error
ago 2017 · At sea, east of Singapore
Destroyer bridge crew averaging under five hours' rest loses control and collides with tanker; ten killed
- Seguridad
Two months after an earlier fatal destroyer collision, a second navy destroyer lost steering control in a congested strait east of Singapore and was struck by an oil tanker, killing ten sailors and injuring 48. The National Transportation Safety Board identified watchstander fatigue as one of the accident's safety issues: the 14 crew on the bridge had averaged just over 4.9 hours of rest in the previous 24 hours, one watchstander had not slept the night before, and senior officers described their sleep as poor. The Board's probable cause centred on the navy's lack of effective operational oversight, training and bridge procedures.
Caso US-defence-02Informar de un error
jun 2017 · At sea, off Japan
Acutely fatigued bridge team on navy destroyer fails to avoid container ship; seven sailors killed
- Seguridad
At about 1.30 am a navy destroyer collided with a container ship in a busy shipping lane off Japan, killing seven sailors. The National Transportation Safety Board found several bridge and combat information center watchstanders were likely acutely fatigued after a compressed schedule left little rest before an overnight watch, and that this impaired their awareness of and response to the approaching ship. The Board also found the navy's oversight of scheduling and fatigue mitigation was ineffective.
Caso US-defence-01Informar de un error
jun 2016 · Tennessee, United States
Navy flight demonstration pilot killed; fatigue a contributing causal factor
- Seguridad
A navy flight demonstration team pilot was killed when his fighter jet crashed in Tennessee. The navy's command investigation found the primary cause was pilot error, with weather and fatigue as contributing causal factors, and found that other errors that day were likely due to tiredness. The navy changed the team's season schedule to allow more rest and moved to make pilots feel able to say when they were not physically or mentally ready to fly.
Caso US-defence-06Informar de un error
sept 2014 · Puerto Rico, United States
Federal patrol cutter watch officer on 3.5 hours' sleep likely asleep on watch; cutter runs down and sinks a $200,000 fishing boat
- Seguridad
A federal maritime patrol cutter collided with a fishing vessel at dawn off Puerto Rico; the two fishermen jumped overboard and were recovered, and the fishing vessel sank. The officer of the deck had slept about 3.5 hours in the previous 24 and had not told his commanding officer he was unfit for duty. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded he most likely fell asleep before the collision and recommended the cutter's service apply its crew endurance management program in all operational units.
Caso US-defence-14Informar de un error
ago 2011 · California, United States
Military-exercise role player paid for 17- and 19-hour days crashes head-on driving home; court finds fatigue claim 'pure speculation' and clears contractor
- Seguridad
- Legal
A civilian role player hired by a defense support contractor for military pre-deployment exercises in California logged 17- and 19-hour paid days, then set off on a roughly 500-mile drive home. Almost 100 miles from the base he crossed into oncoming traffic, killing a motorist and himself and injuring the motorist's wife. The family argued work fatigue made the crash a foreseeable risk of the job. The California Court of Appeal held that whether he missed the curve because of fatigue was 'pure speculation', noting no evidence of his sleep the night before, his 0.06 percent blood alcohol, and the contractor's rules requiring at least five hours' uninterrupted sleep. Summary judgment for the employer was affirmed.
Caso US-defence-13Informar de un error
feb 2009 · Hawaii, United States
Navy cruiser runs aground after leaving shipyard; captain had slept 15 hours in three days
- Seguridad
- Financiero
A navy guided-missile cruiser ran aground on a reef shortly after leaving shipyard repairs, causing an estimated US$25 to 40 million in damage and reef destruction. The navy safety investigation found the commanding officer had slept only about four and a half hours in the previous 24 hours and about 15 hours over three days while pushing to get the ship under way, and that he acknowledged being tired. The board recommended an operational pause of at least 96 hours between shipyard periods and sea trials so crews are adequately rested.
Caso US-defence-04Informar de un error
mar 2004 · Texas, United States
Guardsman on about 20 minutes' sleep after all-night tank recovery mission falls asleep driving home, three die; no duty because superiors did not send him home
- Seguridad
- Legal
A state National Guard tank maintenance soldier in Texas worked all day, went on an all-night recovery mission with perhaps 20 minutes' sleep, was up again at 6:45 a.m. and worked all the next day before being dismissed. Eighteen miles into his drive home he fell asleep, crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a car, killing a father and son; he later died of his injuries. The Guard had sleep rules, including an unwritten plan of at least four hours' sleep a night, and an officer said he would have ordered the soldier to stay and sleep had he known. The federal court still found the United States owed no duty, because no superior took an affirmative act of control over him because of his fatigue.
Caso US-defence-12Informar de un error
abr 2003 · Pennsylvania, United States
Defense agency driver with sleep apnea dozes at the wheel on site; appeals board rules crash happened on duty
- Seguridad
- Legal
A motor vehicle driver for a federal defense agency lost consciousness for one or two seconds while driving between lots early in his shift and hit a post, injuring his stomach and leg. Doctors found he had sleep apnea, which one said could have caused him to fall asleep. The compensation office denied the claim as caused by a personal condition, but in 2005 the Employees' Compensation Appeals Board held he had inadvertently fallen asleep while performing his duties, so the crash occurred in the performance of duty, and sent the case back to assess his injuries.
Caso US-defence-07Informar de un error
mar 2003 · Iraq
Convoy after 42 hours on the move takes wrong turn into ambush; 11 soldiers killed
- Seguridad
An army maintenance company convoy, at the tail of the advance into Iraq, made a navigation error and drove into a city, where it was ambushed; 11 soldiers were killed and seven captured. The army's report found the unit had spent more than two days on the move with little rest, and that acute fatigue, isolation and harsh environmental conditions contributed to the navigational error. It is one of the clearest military examples of extended wakefulness degrading route-finding and decision-making.
Caso US-defence-05Informar de un error
oct 1990 · United States
Marine barracks fire watch who nodded off on two footlockers is guilty of sleeping on post even though no one found him asleep
- Legal
- Financiero
A Marine private first class posted as the building fire watch, responsible for the security of a barracks, sat down on two footlockers at about 3:45 a.m., when he was due to wake his relief, and nodded off until about 4:00 a.m.; he then told his relief he had been sleeping. He pleaded guilty to sleeping on post among other offences, and argued on appeal that the offence required someone to have "found" him asleep. The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review held that how a sentinel is discovered sleeping is not an element of the offence and affirmed the findings and sentence.
Caso US-defence-11Informar de un error
sept 1964 · United States
Sentry with probable narcolepsy convicted of sleeping on post; military appeals court sets aside conviction because a medical inability to stay awake is a full defense
- Legal
- Financiero
A serviceman was found sleeping on post as a sentinel in 1964 and, later that year, fell asleep while lacing his boots and failed to report to the motor pool as ordered. He gave evidence that he fell asleep without apparent reason on duty, in class and in barracks, once even standing up during the battalion commander's inspection, and his doctor said his history and response to medication favoured narcolepsy. The U.S. Court of Military Appeals held that the court-martial was wrongly told his failure to stay awake had to be "reasonable"; if illness made it impossible to remain awake he was excused, so the convictions were set aside and a rehearing allowed.
Caso US-defence-10Informar de un error
mar 1953 · Korea
Marine found asleep in his fighting hole on full alert in the presence of the enemy; five years' confinement and dishonourable discharge upheld
- Seguridad
- Legal
One night in 1953 a Marine in Korea, after a special ammunition-supply assignment, was ordered to stand watch in a fighting hole on the main line of resistance while his platoon was on one hundred percent alert because of suspected enemy action. His platoon sergeant approached unchallenged, called his name twice without reply, and took his weapon from the hole without waking him. Convicted of sleeping on post, he argued he was not a sentinel or lookout; the U.S. Court of Military Appeals held that he was and affirmed the sentence as reduced on review.
Caso US-defence-09Informar de un error
sept 1952 · Korea
Lone soldier in a forward bunker fails to answer the field telephone for 30 minutes and is found slumped asleep; ten-year sentence upheld on circumstantial proof of sleep
- Seguridad
- Legal
In 1952 a soldier began a solo sentinel tour at 8 p.m. in a forward bunker on the main line of resistance in Korea, one of seven men left manning outposts while the rest of the platoon went forward on a raid. From 9:00 p.m. his platoon guide called him continuously on the field telephone for about thirty minutes without answer, then crossed about fifty yards in the dark and found him seated with his head on his knees, motionless and breathing heavily, the phone in his hand and his rifle on a ledge; he said he had been scratching. The U.S. Court of Military Appeals held the circumstantial evidence sufficient to prove he was asleep and affirmed his conviction.
Caso US-defence-08Informar de un error
may 1952 · South Korea
Marine convicted of sleeping on post in Korea: military appeals court rules the conflict was 'time of war', so the offence was capital and the special court-martial had no jurisdiction
- Legal
A Marine private first class was convicted by a special court-martial in Korea of sleeping on post and sentenced to a bad-conduct discharge, forfeitures and confinement. The Court of Military Appeals held that the Korean conflict was a 'time of war', so sleeping on post was punishable by death and therefore a capital offence that a special court-martial had no power to try. The findings and sentence were void, and the court stressed that battle conditions demand that wartime penalties apply.
Caso US-defence-15Informar de un error

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Cómo se vincula cada producto con sus obligaciones

Las calificaciones describen con qué fuerza se vincula un producto a una obligación. Ninguno cumple por usted una obligación y ninguno conlleva una garantía de cumplimiento.

El detalle normativo y de investigación de esta página se muestra en inglés.

Sleepfit

Apoya su deber general de cuidado

No US rule requires sleep screening of military or civilian defense staff; DoDI 1010.10 encourages adequate sleep for service members. Sleepfit supports it and your 29 CFR 1960 program. It screens; diagnosis stays with your clinicians.

Acerca de Sleepfit

Fatiguefit4Duty

Apoya su deber general de cuidado

No US rule sets a fitness-for-duty fatigue check for defense staff; DoDI 1010.10 encourages sleep for service members. Fatiguefit4Duty supports your fatigue program. A fitness-for-duty check, not a fitness-for-duty decision - the duty call stays with you.

Acerca de Fatiguefit4Duty

Awareness eLearning

Apoya su deber general de cuidado

No binding rule names fatigue training for defense staff or contractors; DoDI 1010.10 promotes adequate sleep without a curriculum. Awareness eLearning supplies fatigue and sleep content with a completion record.

Acerca de Awareness eLearning

Was It Fatigue?

Apoya su deber general de cuidado

No defense rule makes fatigue a required element of a mishap investigation. Was It Fatigue? supports your mishap board with a structured account of sleep and duty history. A structured judgment aid, not a determination of cause.

Acerca de Was It Fatigue?

SleepWellBaby

No obligation is engaged here. Sleep support for civilian staff with infants is a voluntary wellbeing measure, outside both the military instructions and the federal-agency safety program.

Acerca de SleepWellBaby

Paquete recomendado

Por dónde empezaríamos en defensa y fuerzas armadas

Cada paquete tiene precio según la prevalencia: toda su cohorte obtiene acceso, y usted paga por la proporción que se prevé que necesite cada producto. Cómo funcionan los precios.

Recomendado · Niveles 2 y 3

Prevention Bundle

Riesgo de fatiga de forma proactiva: evaluar, gestionar y capacitar, con el tamizaje del sueño como base.

Alternativa · Niveles 2, 3 y 5

Fatigue Lifecycle Bundle

Evaluar, gestionar, investigar: desde el Census hasta el inicio del turno y la revisión posterior al incidente.

Por qué esta combinación en Estados Unidos

No US rule names a fatigue tool for defense staff; DoDI 1010.10 encourages sleep for service members and 29 CFR 1960 sets the agency safety program. Sleepfit screens, Fatiguefit4Duty adds a pre-task check, Awareness eLearning trains. Fatigue Lifecycle adds mishap review.

Vea lo que el sueño y la fatiga significan para su fuerza laboral en defensa y fuerzas armadas.

Indíquenos aproximadamente cuántas personas emplea. Su panorama estima cuántas probablemente duermen mal y cuánto cuesta, a partir de investigaciones publicadas sobre defensa y fuerzas armadas. Luego elija a quién cubrir y le llevaremos al siguiente paso adecuado.

Vea el panorama de su fuerza laboral

Un ejemplo de instantánea de la fuerza laboral en una tableta: problemas de sueño modelados y el costo del sueño deficiente para 1.400 personas en transporte y logística.

El sueño y la fatiga en defensa y fuerzas armadas

A quién cubre esta página

Quién la regula y qué espera

Quién la regula

Sus obligaciones

Consecuencias

Sanciones

Dónde más importa la fatiga en defensa y fuerzas armadas

Cuando la fatiga quedó registrada

Fatigued fighter pilot lands too fast at night; $176m jet destroyed

Cómo se vincula cada producto con sus obligaciones

Sleepfit

Fatiguefit4Duty

Awareness eLearning

Was It Fatigue?

SleepWellBaby

Por dónde empezaríamos en defensa y fuerzas armadas

Prevention Bundle

Fatigue Lifecycle Bundle

Vea lo que el sueño y la fatiga significan para su fuerza laboral en defensa y fuerzas armadas.