• Introduction
The groups of people responsible for the aviation maintenance management have several qualities and skills that call for close study, inspection and consideration to acquire successfulness and efficiency. Such success is acquired when the maintenance managers possess expertise and profound understanding of the ergonomic dynamics involved in the aviation maintenance and management. It is exceedingly important to attain the required knowledge because human factors are undoubtedly the major reasons behind the aircraft disasters, catastrophes, and accidents.
Even though it is not possible to easily understand the human factors in the aviation maintenance easily, appropriate measures can be taken by the aviation maintenance managers to protect their human resources and the aircrafts. However, proper implementation requires the managers to have a competent background and consideration of the involved human factors in the aviation field (Wise, Hopkin& Garland, 2010).
This assignment will talk about every human factor involved in aviation management such as executions, problems signs, etc. that plays a part in the aviation management including technological issues, human communications, pressure and the private lives of the workforce. It is not an untold secret that people make mistakes and do blunders in more or less every place of work. Likewise, the aviation industry has ergonomics as a very common problem. For this reason, immediate consideration and upgrading are needed to promote efficiency and wellbeing of people at all levels.
In short, human conditions like exhaustion, haughtiness and nervous tension are directly to be blamed for causing aviation accidents. It is important to note here that human beings cause approximately eighty percent of the maintenance errors in aircrafts. When left non-detected, human errors can result in regrettable incidents, injuries, and time and money wastage(Wise, Hopkin& Garland, 2010).
It is possible to attain improved quality by getting awareness of the human factors. Such understanding facilitates the creation of an atmosphere that assures aircraft safety, ongoing work, and a responsible squad. In addition, decrease in the minor errors can cause considerable advantages including substantial cost reduction, minimum overlooked deadlines, the minimal number of work-related injuries, and particularly the apparent lessening of events that are mostly a result of maintenance error(Wise, Hopkin& Garland, 2010).
The Dirty Dozen: It is an unfortunate fact that the world witnessed many aviation accidents during 1980s and 1990s. The cause of many accidents was related to the poor human maintenance by one way, or another. As a consequence, Transport Canada made efforts to recognize human factors that decreased the human competency in the effective performance during maintenance projects. The identified human factors were twelve in number and were called the “Dirty Dozen." Eventually, those twelve factors were adopted by the worldwide aviation industries for conversing maintenance related to human inaccuracies and miscalculations. Therefore, it is extremely important for the aviation industry maintenance staff to have knowledge of the dirty dozen. They should be aware of the symptoms and precautionary measures to avoid the blunders caused due to the dirty dozen.
Lack of CommunicationMiscommunications or lack of communications is the major factors resulting in defective and imperfect aviation maintenance. There is always a chance of miscommunications when information is exchanged between the AMTs and the staff members. In the case of miscommunication between the related teams responsible for aviation maintenance, errors may occur that may ultimately cause a major catastrophe. Therefore, it is important to make sure that information is exchanged accurately and completely for avoiding any error. Clarification of the task is extremely significant to keep away from any confusion. It can be done by performing all maintenance steps according to the standard operating procedures.
Complacency: Complacency or smugness also results in poor aviation maintenance. However, it takes a longer time to develop in a technician’s attitude when he becomes over-confident about his knowledge and expertise. This kind of false confidence and poise makes the maintenance manager ignore a persistent function, particularly an inspection item. Thus, self-assurance regarding a habitual task without any difficulty makes a person falsely suppose that it is not necessary to inspect an item time and again. However, such complacency has resulted in many aviation accidents as the mentioned human error occurred.
Similarly, the mind of a technician may drift while performing a routine task resulting in the false execution. Smugness may be avoided by keeping everything in black and white as undocumented work has a higher chance of complacent behavior. It is significant because appropriate paperwork reinforces the importance of the work. It is also essential to getting oneself mentally engaged in all such tasks and to keep away from making false assumptions about an item’s condition.
Fatigue: Fatigue plays a major role as a human factor in the maintenance errors resulting in aviation accidents. It includes both mental and physical fatigue. Emotional fatigue also has a powerful influence on the mental and corporeal performance of the staff members. Fatigue is experienced by a person when his cognitive capability is declined affecting his decision-making, reaction timing, harmonization capability, momentum, power, and calmness. Fatigue also hampers the attention and vigilance of an individual that ultimately reduces his ability to concentrate on the job.
Lack of Knowledge: Disastrous incidents may also take place due to the lack of knowledge related to aircraft maintenance. It is exceedingly important for the maintenance managers to understand that all aircrafts are technologically different. With the development of technology with every passing day, the aircrafts are also structured and maintained in a different manner. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the maintenance work according to the approved standards. Technicians are required to follow the outlined steps based on the equipments’ functioning and engineering.
Distractions: Physical and psychological distractions are very common factors that occur while working on the aircraft or in the hanger. A technician’s attention may drift away by the arrival of a new plane or a cell phone tone. As a result, the maintenance procedure may get affected. From time to time, personal or financial problems may be the cause of distraction, and the disturbing thoughts may hamper the quality of work (Wise, Hopkin& Garland, 2010). Such mental and physical factors are considered as the main reason of decreasing the work effectiveness. A number of other distractions may also harm the working. Therefore, it is extremely important for the technicians to understand that their personal problems must not come in the way of duty as many lives are dependent on their work.
Lack of Teamwork: Communication and teamwork are closely interlinked, and their association plays a major role in the aviation industry. All the individuals in the aviation maintenance team have a great responsibility on their shoulders. The coordinators, pilots, technicians, and other team members are required to have a straightforward communication with each other to avoid any mishap. Good teamwork guarantees effective performance of duties. For this reason, every team member needs to recognize and acknowledge the actions essential to maintain the aircraft. For instance, the whole team is involved in the gear swing tasks and a positive result is only possible when multiple technicians undertake their duty responsibly. However, this responsibility needs effective and direct communication. It is not an untold secret that the success and failure of an organization are totally dependent on its workforce(Wise, Hopkin& Garland, 2010).
Lack of Resources: The execution of a task in a successful manner may be interfered when there is a lack of resources. This human factor makes it difficult for a technician to perform his task efficiently. In short, when there are insufficient resources (human, material, financial), it becomes impossible for an employee to give his best. Disastrous accidents also take place the available products are of low quality. Aviation maintenance must always be done by using appropriate tools. However, their lack may result in extremely tragic incidents in the end.
Proper maintenance is also needed for the aircraft fleet. Therefore, it is inevitable for the authorities to provide the required resources for completion of all maintenance tasks in the safest way possible. For instance, when a plane is allowed to travel without providing it with an operational system, the occurrence of a serious situation may amplify the problem. On the other hand, the need of an operational system may occur anytime. However, if there is no such system in the aircraft, grave troubles may originate. Therefore, the aviation industry needs to recognize the importance of providing appropriate equipment to every aircraft.
Pressure: The tasks involved in the maintenance of the aircrafts are rather difficult for the personnel. The expectation of giving best performance makes it challenging for the maintenance managers. These expectations consequently affect the efficiency of the workers. As far as mechanics is concerned, tight flight schedules and inflexible financial rules and regulations pressurize them in various ways. The authorities expect them to identify the mechanical problems instantaneously and get them fixed swiftly. It is worth-mentioning that aircraft mechanics is responsible for making sure that all the things are people-friendly and safe to travel via air. Similarly, it is important for the new trainees to be aware of the significance of knowing time pressures. It is because the time pressures force mechanics to make bad decisions that usually result in technical errors. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the fresh entrants to bring every major and minor issue in the notice of their relevant superior as soon as possible. They should understand that it is never wise to compromise safety in any case(Martinussen& Hunter, 2010).
Lack of Boldness/Assertiveness: Assertiveness can be defined as a person’s capability in expressing opinions, thoughts, principles, feelings, and wants in a positive and meaningful manner. In the aviation maintenance, the technicians must have an assertive attitude so that they can deal with the aviation repair issues confidently. First, it is extremely essential to report all the concerns and problems to the relevant supervisor. If an assertive attitude is not adopted, it may have a great effect on the passengers’ and workforces’ lives. It is easy to deal with a single issue once and for all rather than handling several issues at the same time. Therefore, facts and documentation must be used by the new entrants for supporting their argument in all the cases. Such an attitude is helpful in making others understand the standpoint. It is important to note here that an unassertive attitude may become the reason of great calamities as same has happened in the past. The failure of a technician to report a problem has caused many accidents in the times gone by.
On the other hand, the unconfident attitudes may be changed easily if the authorities work towards promoting better communication among the staff members. An open relationship is always the best means to avoid any misunderstanding. It is the duty of the aviation maintenance supervisors to encourage an assertive behavior in their subjects as it is one of the most important critical skills to acquire triumph and competence.
Lack of Awareness: When a person does not have the ability to recognize the possible results of any action or have no sense of foreseeing the probable outcomes, such an attitude is termed as a lack of awareness in that individual. When aviation maintenance is considered, it is a usual habit of the technicians to perform similar maintenance throughout the day. However, when a task is completed several times a day, the technicians naturally get less cautious and watchful that make them negligible of their surroundings and duties. This lack of awareness usually ends in a tragic way as even the smallest ignorance causes great disasters. Therefore, every task must be done as cautiously just like the time it was first done (Martinussen& Hunter, 2010).
Stress: Stress is one of the many factors due to which aviation maintenance becomes a challenge for the concerned people. It should be noted here that the maintenance timeframe for avoiding flight cancelations and flight delays is very short. Millions of dollars are on stake if airplanes start functioning improperly as airlines have to change or renew them. In the contemporary times, the fast-paced technological changes have made a technician’s job extremely stressful. It is because AMTs are now required to have knowhow of the current advancements in the technological sector. Other stressors that make a technician’s job difficult and complex include night-time working hours, long working hours, and confined spaces. Such stressful conditions may make technicians anxious and tired, and the improper execution of tasks may ultimately result in calamities (Martinussen& Hunter, 2010).
The stressors are categorized into physical and psychological stressors. As far as physical stressors are concerned, they include hotness/coldness, lighting quality, confined spaces and noise. All such environmental factors are harmful to the technicians’ work efficiency. The heart rate may increase due to the high temperatures in the working area causing the body to get overheated.
On the other hand, the workers may feel drowsy and tired due to the severe low temperatures in the surroundings. The constant landings and taking off of the aircrafts in the hanger make it difficult for the technicians to work with concentration due to the noise. It is important for the technicians to consult manuals and technical information for working perfectly. However, if the workspace does not have proper lighting, some necessary information may be missed, or the plane may be repaired incorrectly. Similarly, insufficient spaces in the working area make it difficult for the AMTs to complete their tasks comfortably and for longer hours (Martinussen& Hunter, 2010).
Psychological Stressors are directly related with private and professional problems. When people have marital problems, monetary issues, work-related concerns etc., their performance is naturally obstructed due to constant anxiety and worry. The maintenance of aircrafts requires a calmness of mind as it is an extremely demanding task. Any disturbed thought process may cause negligence on the part of the assigned technician. Similarly, the anxiety level of the working staff may increase if the deadlines are tight. Most importantly, if a worker is going through relationship complications, there are higher chances of getting distracted during the work due to mental stress (Wiener, 1988). Similarly, physiological stressors like bad physical health, fatigue, and diseases can affect one’s performance tremendously.
Norms: Unwritten rules are considered as norms that are tolerated and followed by the industries/organizations on a daily basis. However, there are always several norms that are deviating for employees and oppose the acknowledged standards. Aviation industry also follows numerous that prove fatal in the end. It is worth-mentioning that indistinct problems are mostly resolved through norms so that confusions may be cleared instantly. Technicians follow other technicians’ examples in resolving any issue (Wiener, 1988). As mentioned, norms may prove dangerous such as making use of shortcuts to maintain the aircraft, using one’s memory to resolve the issue rather than consulting standard guidelines, and not following the approved set of rules (Martinussen& Hunter, 2010).
• Conclusion
According to the facts and figures, twenty percent of all aviation accidents were caused due to failures in the mechanisms of the aircrafts. On the other hand, eighty percent of the total accidents were a direct result of errors made by human beings (Wiener, 1988).
If a close inspection of the pilot community is done, one will easily observe that it is inevitable for the current aviation industry to get knowledge of human factors as a major part of its training sphere, especially the aviation technicians who are responsible for aircrafts’ maintenance. One can take the example of any aviation accident to have an authentic analysis of the human errors that mounted and resulted in the accident’s occurrence.
In short, it is important to consider the chain of events to have an idea regarding the maintenance level and the starting point of the human errors. It is exceedingly necessary because when the chain of events is not given the chance to persist, there is a very low probability of the occurrence of an unfortunate event.
References
Martinussen, M., & Hunter, D. R. (2010).Aviation Psychology and Human Factors. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Print.
Wiener, E. L. (1988). Human Factors in Aviation. San Diego: Academic Press. Print.
Wise, J. A., Hopkin, V. D., & Garland, D. J. (2010). Handbook of Aviation Human Factors. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Print.
