Human Factors and Aviation Safety

This assignment delves into the crucial field of human factors and their impact on aviation safety. It examines various aspects, including safety culture, risk management strategies, the influence of fatigue, and the use of technology to enhance safety. Students will analyze case studies, research relevant literature, and critically evaluate methods for mitigating human error in aviation.

Running head: ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
Advanced Aviation Human Factors
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
Executive Summary:
The report gives an overview of the human factors in the aviation industry. Task one, in the
report deals with fatigue risk management. The second task deals with explaining the
considerations of human factors for airline staff. The third task of the report is a discussion about
minimizing the traumatic incidents like aircraft crash with necessary recommendations provided
on mental health of the pilots and the procedures undertaken for cockpit entry/exit and also the
outcomes. Task 4 of the report however deals with recommendations on briefing on flight safety
for a new flight.

2ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................4
Fatigue Risk Management...........................................................................................................4
Recommendations........................................................................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
a. Human Factors Considerations for Airline Staff Crossing Operational Baggage Make-up
Area..............................................................................................................................................8
b. Human Factors Considerations for Changing the Behavior of Staff, Issues Faced and they
are overcome................................................................................................................................9
c. Use of SMS as your structure for Change of Staff Behavior.................................................10
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................11
a. Determining the Mental Health of Pilots...............................................................................11
b. Cockpit Entry/ Exit Procedures and Their Potential Outcomes............................................12
Task 4.............................................................................................................................................13
Recommendations for New Flight Safety Briefings..................................................................13
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
References:....................................................................................................................................15

3ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
Introduction:
The report here discusses about the advanced aviation human factors. Here, the report has
four parts. In task 1, the report analyses about the roster for aviation security staff and its effects
on fatigue and hence the necessary measures undertaken for improvement taking into account the
hours required for the security staff, their safety aspects including their satisfaction and
wellbeing. The second task deals with explaining the considerations of human factors in the
aviation industry beyond the operational baggage make-up area. In this part, there is also
explanation of the considerations of the human factors necessary for behavioral change of the
staffs so that they choose to use the longer route around the safe walkway. There are issues
discussed in the part and suggestions provided to overcome them. There is also discussion about
the change in behaviors of staffs with the help of strategic management structure so that the staff
use longer route. The third task in the report discusses about minimizing the traumatic incidents
like aircraft crash and provides necessary recommendations on mental health and cockpit
entry/exit procedures and the outcomes. The fourth task of the report gives an overview of
briefing for flight safety justified with recommendations.
Task 1
Fatigue Risk Management
Fatigue defined as a psychological state that leads to reduced physical and mental
performance resulting in insomnia or loss of sleep, circadian phase or workload that has the
ability to impair the alertness of people and the ability for working efficiently and safely
(Naweed, Rainbird & Chapman, 2015).

4ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
Therefore, Fatigue Risk management (FRM) used to moderate the impact created by
fatigue. Conceptually, FRM is a system designed for informing decisions about mitigating the
risk created by fatigue (Dawson et al., 2015). Thus, FRM deals with a list of processes and
procedures for maximizin the alertness of the personnel that in turn helps in minimizing
performance errors responsible for the creation of risk and hazards for aircraft crewmembers of
the aircraft. Thus, International Civil Aviation Organization, European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) and Civil Aviation Authority of Australia (CASA) have enforced using FRM for the
assurance of better performance
However, for understanding the importance of FRM, a clear view of the instances
mentioned below is of prime necessity:
a. The mental ability for performance of work related task after remaining awake for an
approximate 16 hours is same as having percentage of 0.05 % alcohol in blood concentration.
b. Lack of sleep for 24 hours can lead to impairment mentally that can hamper the
performance in a way considered equivalent to having 0.10% blood alcohol level of
concentration.
c. Sleep debt of two hours for individuals within two weeks will deliver a level of
performance similar to one delivered by individuals remaining awake for sixteen hours
d. People who work for sixteen hours or more in a day remain increasingly accident or
injury prone in comparison to the people working for only 8 hours time schedule.
However, the reality of aviation industry defined by the fact that maintenance
technicians have less sleep hours thereby creating a sleep debt twice compared to national

5ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
average (Signal et al., 2013). This indicates that even a less hour of sleep in the night over certain
time impacts performance in a negative manner. The following the common mistakes that are
committed because of fatigue:
 The reaction time becomes comparatively slower
 There is trouble faced where there is need for concentration and remembering things is
required
 Accuracy becomes low and there persist an attitude of carelessness
 There is chances of falling asleep while on the job or while driving back home
 There remains a greater risk of committing a critical mistake related to safety.
Recommendations:
There are two kinds of pressure that technician related to Aviation maintenance staffs
face. This pressure includes actual pressure defined by the pressure that is in reality imposed
directly or indirectly on the staffs for completing a task within a given time (Quinlan, Hampson,
& Gregson, 2013). On the other hand, self-imposed pressure is the target of an individual or a
team for completing a task in lesser time than allotted. However, such pressures handled by
following the following steps:
 By allocating appropriate time for task that are related to maintenance
 Ensuring a briefing of the task to be carried out which will reflect priorities of the task
 By making sure, there is a two-way communication for the moderation and identification
of effects of pressure on performance and behavior.
It is usually noticed that the busiest time for the aviation technicians happens to be the shift
and task hand over since it is during this time that the existing completion of paperwork gets

6ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
completed in a rush and briefing done for the upcoming shift(Clothier & Walker, 2015). Thus,
the initiation of a fatigue management program (FRM) will ensure:
 Detection of fatigue symptoms
 Identification of hazards that happens as a result of fatigue
 Assessment of health risk and the safety associated with it
 Enables implementation counter measure related to safety
 Helps in the determination of tools and approaches that reduce fatigue risk
 Creation of practices related to business for fatigue risk management.
However, implementation of FRM is done in phases. This will enable the technicians of the
aviation maintenance in evenly spreading the workload. Various resources and tools ensure the
implementation and design of FRM in phases (Dawson, Chapman & Thomas, 2012). The phases
include fatigue mitigation, fatigue risk assessment and ensuring continuous improvement.
Promotion of FRM substantially reduces risk related to fatigue in the aviation sector.
An important area of FRM is to include regulation in the period of duty of the aviation
maintenance technicians of the aviation maintenance that will ensure the time for end of duty for
a batch of technicians (Clothier & Walker, 2015). Thus, there should be control on the hours of
duty will enhance efficiency of technician in the concerned sector. There are certain guidelines
imposed on duty hours that are mentioned as follows:
1. A particular shift of aviation maintenance technicians should not be more than twelve
hours.
2. Extension of overtime shifts should not exceed sixteen hours.

7ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
3. Duty work scheduled must include a break time and overtime. Standby time should not
have extension for 72 hours in a succession of 7 days time.
4. Before a scheduled break there should be maximum of four hours of work
5. A minimum break period of 10 minutes for every work hour ensured. Thus, in a day
the break hour should amount to approximate 30 minutes in a day.
6. There should not be night for more than six days in a week with work time duration of
eight hours that even includes extra hours. Twelve-hour shifts can be there for just four days in a
week that also includes overtime.
7. Night shifts that involve duty hours of twelve hours along with overtime inclusion
break should ensure that technicians undertake a minimum nine hours of sleep before proceeding
for the upcoming shift.
8. Technicians should have normal shifts of only eight hours for five days a week that
will allow aviation maintenance technicians with opportunity for a minimum uninterrupted sleep
for nine hours before commencing to next duty.
TASK 2
a. Human Factors Considerations for Airline Staff Crossing Operational Baggage Make-up
Area
Human factor considerations have increasingly grown in the aviation sector as they have
now realized that the human error that is more responsible for most incidents and accidents in
aviation sector compared to any kind of mechanical failure (Shappell & Wiegmann, 2012).

8ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
Therefore, according to the aviation authorities, human factors is a term synonymous with
maintenance resource management (MRM) or Crew resource management (CRM) However, the
concept remains much broader in scope and knowledge base. Thus human factors represents
gathering information related to human abilities and limitations, and other characteristics thereby
applying it to machines, tools, systems, tasks, jobs and environment thereby ensuring production
of safe and comfortable ambience that is effective for the use of human beings (Armstrong &
Taylor, 2014 ). However, when the aviation sector is concerned human factors dedicated to the
effective understanding of how the human beings can efficiently and safely integrates with
technology. This particular understanding then converted into training, policies and design for
ensuring better performance. In spite of technological gains, the safety and success of the
aviation sector is dependent on the human beings. Therefore, the industry undertakes major
investments in equipment, systems and training for ensuring implications that lasts longer. This
is because improved performance from humans can lead to reduction in the accident rate of
commercial aviation. The industry places major focus on design of interfaces of human airplane
and at the same time effective procedures for maintenance technicians and flight crews.
b. Human Factors Considerations for Changing the Behavior of Staff, Issues Faced and
they are overcome
The human factors considerations for the change of behavior of the staff includes in
choosing to use a longer route around safe walkway is as follows (Carayon, 2016):
1. Evaluation of a recognized maintenance error as a result of the human factors with
proper identification of any damage like the poor ergonomics, loss of tactile sensation, hearing
loss, and a reduced vision.

9ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
2. Through the identification of population studies that indicates that the rate of non-fatal
illness and occupational injuries are twice as high as any other industry.
3. Identification of the mortality rates of the aircraft engine mechanics.
4. Ensuring exposure of aircraft maintenance technicians for experiencing the exposure to
new repair stations transition for repairing the composite structure.
Issues and Ways to overcome them
The various issues in the Aviation industry are safety, passenger experience,
sustainability, environment and profitability along with ensuring the safety factors of the aviation
maintenance staffs (Cui & Li 2015). There should be leadership in the repair stations that will
recognize the both the health factors and the factors related to work. There should also be
evidence of employee participation. Through assurance that the work force is knowledgeable
about the health related factors and there is a work relation with the existing safety and health
programs at the repair stations. Availability of age related training facilities for workers
emphasized and any access to records for illness and occupational injuries submitted to the
regulatory agencies. The authorities must also ensure culture safety within the workforce (Biggs
et al., 2016).
c. Use of SMS as your structure for Change of Staff Behavior
Safety Management System (SMS) defined as formal and top-down approach followed in
business for managing safety risk that follows systematic approach in the management of safety
related to organizational policies, structures, procedures and accountabilities. There are four
components of SMS such as safety assurance, safety assurance, safety risk management and
safety promotion (Glendon, Clarke & McKenna, 2016). However, one of the major components

10ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
of SMS is the management of risk. Risk management ensures identification of flight hazards
where analysis of hazards done based on risk factor and unacceptable risk mitigated for
acceptable levels.
Hazard defined as a potential source of harm for instance it is defined as a condition,
activity or object within potential that is causing considerable injuries to personnel, damage to
structures and equipment, material loss and reduced ability in performing a particular function.
As regulation done by the national aviation authorities, therefore such hazards relates to flight
safety (Brauer, 2016). However, several airlines organization includes hazards related to
equipment damage, personal injury and environmental damage.
The Safety Management System has three approaches of identification of Safety Hazards:
The first approach known as the reactive approach that deals with the investigation of events,
incidents and accidents. The second approach known as the proactive approach ensures
identification of any kind of safety related hazard proactively through analyzing the activities of
the organization through the usage of tools like the voluntary and mandatory reporting systems,
safety surveys and safety audits. The third approach however includes capturing the real time
system performance during normal operations. Thus if such approaches of SMS are followed
then it is bound to change the behavior of staff in the aviation sector.
Task 3
a. Determining the Mental Health of Pilots
A pilot’s mental health should be judged by performance of six main tasks mentioned as
follows (Otto & Webber, 2013):

11ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
1. Those not psychologically fit selected out for flying
2. Regular monitoring of the psychological health of pilots who newly enter into
employment and training
3. Assessment and treatment of the Pilots who might develop psychological problems
while on duty
4. Determination of age and time that ensure complete physical fitness for working in the
aviation sector
5. Providing emotional support to those who are declared unfit for flying, be it on a
longer term or on a temporary basis
6. Prevention of problems related to mental health through intervention, research and
promotion.
b. Cockpit Entry/ Exit Procedures and Their Potential Outcomes
The cockpit entry and exit procedures put forward by Aviation Authorities are as follows.
These procedures not only apply to the international flight but also domestic flights (Roth,
Mavin, & Munro, 2015).
1. Securing the Compartment Door of the Crew
The pilot must ensure that door of the crew compartment must be locked and closed
properly along with all external doors. The pilot in command is the sole authority to decide entry
and exit of a person.

12ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
2. Vigilance of the Area outside the Compartment Door
The pilot-in-command for a flight should ensure that no crewmember gets permission to
open the door unless a visual device and an audio procedure technique become acceptable by the
director in verifying the area outside the cockpit.
3. Ensuring Discreet Communication with members of the flight crew
The person holding a certificate of air operator must conduct procedures acceptable to the
Director for assurance of safe flying
Outcomes:
However, if the pilots while entering or exiting the cockpit does not ensure these safety
measures then the flight deck can become accessible by a hostile group or individual intending to
have a control of the aircraft.
Task 4
Recommendations for New Flight Safety Briefings
The following flight safety briefings should be included in the new flight where the
passengers need briefing on the following:
 On equipments kept for passenger use in case of emergency
 On the normal and emergency usage of the installed oxygen equipment
 Provide awareness on the floatation equipment for emergency landing of flight over
water

13ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
 Information about opening the entry doors of the passengers and on the usage of the
emergency exists
 Procedures followed in case of emergency landing
The above mentioned briefings should be addressed prior to a take-off so that the passengers
are aware about the safety measures in case of an adversity. The briefing for the new flight
should be either be performed live by one of crew members of the cabin or it can be portrayed as
a video that will be shown in the in flight entertainment medium. It is better if both the
procedures are followed because a live performance will enable people to pro actively act in case
of any emergency. The video will enhance the effect and will make the passengers doubly sure
about the usage of the safety measure. This will also be helpful for a person who will be
travelling for the first time by a flight.
Conclusion:
The report ends by providing recommendations for new flight safety briefings. There is
also discussion about the mental health and procedures followed for entry and exit into the
cockpit along with outcomes. The report uses the safety management system for evaluation of
the change in behavior of the staff. There are discussion on human factors in the aviation sector
and discussion on fatigue risk management in the report.

14ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
References:
Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Biggs, S. E., Banks, T. D., Davey, J. D., & Freeman, J. E. (2013). Safety leaders’ perceptions of
safety culture in a large Australasian construction organisation. Safety science, 52, 3-12.
Brauer, R. L. (2016). Safety and health for engineers. John Wiley & Sons.
Carayon, P. (Ed.). (2016). Handbook of human factors and ergonomics in health care and
patient safety. CRC Press.
Clothier, R. A., & Walker, R. A. (2015). Safety risk management of unmanned aircraft systems.
In Handbook of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (pp. 2229-2275). Springer Netherlands.
Cui, Q., & Li, Y. (2015). The change trend and influencing factors of civil aviation safety
efficiency: the case of Chinese airline companies. Safety science, 75, 56-63.
Dawson, D., Chapman, J., & Thomas, M. J. (2012). Fatigue-proofing: a new approach to
reducing fatigue-related risk using the principles of error management. Sleep medicine
reviews, 16(2), 167-175.
Dawson, D., Mayger, K., Thomas, M. J., & Thompson, K. (2015). Fatigue risk management by
volunteer fire-fighters: Use of informal strategies to augment formal policy. Accident
Analysis & Prevention, 84, 92-98.

15ADVANCED AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS
Glendon, A. I., Clarke, S., & McKenna, E. (2016). Human safety and risk management. Crc
Press.
Naweed, A., Rainbird, S., & Chapman, J. (2015). Investigating the formal countermeasures and
informal strategies used to mitigate SPAD risk in train driving. Ergonomics, 58(6), 883-
896.
Otto, J. L., & Webber, B. J. (2013). Mental health diagnoses and counseling among pilots of
remotely piloted aircraft in the United States Air Force. Medical Surveillance Monthly
Report, 20(3), 3-8.
Quinlan, M., Hampson, I., & Gregson, S. (2013). Outsourcing and offshoring aircraft
maintenance in the US: Implications for safety. Safety Science, 57, 283-292.
Roth, W. M., Mavin, T. J., & Munro, I. (2015). How a cockpit forgets speeds (and speed-related
events): toward a kinetic description of joint cognitive systems. Cognition, Technology &
Work, 17(2), 279-299.
Shappell, S. A., & Wiegmann, D. A. (2012). A human error approach to aviation accident
analysis: The human factors analysis and classification system. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd..
Signal, T. L., Gander, P. H., van den Berg, M. J., & Graeber, R. C. (2013). In-flight sleep of
flight crew during a 7-hour rest break: implications for research and flight
safety. Sleep, 36(1), 109-115.