NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR HUMAN FACTORS PROBLEM IN WORKPLACE

 NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR HUMAN FACTORS PROBLEM IN WORKPLACE

(a)      Humans have performance limitations - therefore they make errors. Principles of HF establishes that policy of zero error tolerance is unlikely to be an effective safeguard against errors. Therefore, it is needed that effective program must be there to account for human factors problem in workplace – to established a policy of error management to create a safety net to trap human errors, to establish such  practices and procedures that human mind naturally follows and thus improve quality and safety. It is the human factors program that caters for this need.

(b)     An Effective Human Factors Programs train staff and put systems in place to pick up those errors – therefore, those errors don't result in delays, incidents or accidents.

(c)      Fewer errors by engineers mean reduced delays, incidents, and accidents. Therefore, the company is safer and more cost efficient.

(d)      A safer, more cost efficient, company means:

-    Fewer delays

-    Fewer injuries

-    Better company performance

-    And, therefore, better job security for its workers.

(e)      The study of human factors model establishes that humans are in the center of the working environment interacting with other elements. To have proper matching with peripheral components, proper practices and procedures are essentially needed, otherwise humans will not be able to perform in best way, rather there will be higher rates of error resulting in accidents and incidents, endangering aviation safety.

(f)      History of aviation accidents and incidents established already that it is the human factors chapter that needs to be studied, improved and practiced in aviation industry because accidents/incidents still happen in almost the same trend of statistics as those happened previously in spite of huge technological improvement in aviation. It implies that accidents don’t happen merely for technical failure, but those do happen mostly due to the failure of the human mind and management in working environment.

(g)      In 1940, it was calculated that approximately 70% of all aircraft accidents were the results of human errors.

(h)      International Air Transport Association (IATA) reviewed the situation 35 years later,  they found that there had been no reduction in the human error component of accident statistics. (Figure 1.4). 

Figure 1.4: The dominant role played by human performance in civil aircraft accidents Source: IATA, 1975

(i)       A study was carried out in 1986, in the by Sears, looking at significant accident causes in 93 aircraft accidents. These were as follows:

Causes/major contributory factors                                          %

of accidents in which this was a contributing factor

•        Pilot deviated from basic operational procedures            33

•        Inadequate cross-check by second crew member           26

•        Design faults                                                            13

•        Maintenance and inspection deficiencies                        12

•        Absence of approach guidance                                    10

•        Captain ignored crew inputs                                        10

•        Air traffic control failures or errors                                9

•        Improper crew response during abnormal conditions       9

•        Insufficient or incorrect weather information                  8

•        Runways hazards                                                      7

•        Air traffic control/crew communication deficiencies                    6

•        Improper decision to land                                          6

(j)      As can be seen from the list, maintenance and inspection deficiencies are one of the major contributory factors to accidents.

(k)      The UK CAA carried out a similar exercise in 1998 looking at causes of 621 global fatal accidents between 1980 and 1996. Again, the HF error in “maintenance or repair” area was found among the top 10 primary causal factors to accidents/incidents.

(l)       It is clear from such studies that human factors problems in aircraft maintenance engineering are a significant issue to be taken into serious consideration.