Hazardous Materials Cleanup and Continuous Operations

Hazardous materials recovery teams can perform for long periods of time with the right support. Civilian and military personnel have long been expected to operate at an acceptable level of efficiency in difficult, continuous, and sustained operations. This has led to a large body of studies done on operational requirements. Identified factors that may contribute to various types of performance degradation include: protective equipment and environmental demands (heat, cold, high altitude); extreme environments (undersea, polar, outer space); conditions of low stimulation inducing boredom; night operations; prolonged combat and exposure to life-threatening work; sleep deprivation; and other situations. In non-military settings, workers often have work and union rules, the freedom to quit a job, and they cannot be ordered to perform certain tasks except in very special circumstances. Failure to adhere to performance guidelines can be the result of organizational breakdown. In this way, organizational disruption can lead to sleep loss, fatigue, poor performance, accidents, psychological stress, and reduced effectiveness.