Human factors and Maintenance error in aviation

Human Factors and Maintenance Error in Aviation
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Abstract
The safety of aviation industry relies on minimizing errors in all parts of the system. In the recent past, much attention has been focused towards minimizing human error in inspection as well as maintenance. The tasks of inspection and maintenance are parts of aviation organizations where various people undertake different activities in an environment that consist of sparse feedback, time pressures and at times very harsh weather conditions. Such circumstances together with the tendency of human error lead to various forms of errors in aviation and some instances lead to accidents and even loss of life. While errors that cause accidents are normally salient, maintenance errors also have other consequences such as delays. These consequences may impede productivity or inconveniences to the public. The discussion will give an overview of human error and maintenance error in the aviation industry. The paper will also highlight various approaches that may be effective in identifying and managing human error in the aviation sector.
Introduction
Human conditions such as stress, fatigue, and complacency are very critical in aviation maintenance. Such conditions together with other conditions are referred to as human factors. The term has become popular since the industry has noticed that human error underlies most accidents in the aviation industry. It has been established that 80% of the maintenance errors comprise human factors and in the event, they go undetected; they may result in wasted time, worker injuries and even accidents (Latorella & Prabhu, 2000).

It is normally synonymous with MRM (maintenance resource management) or (CRM (crew resource management) (CRM).
Elements of Human Factors
Aviation maintenance can largely be affected by human factors. Human factors consist of several disciplines including clinical psychology, computer science, cognitive science, safety engineering, organizational psychology, experimental psychology and many others (Latorella & Prabhu, 2000). The human factor is a term covering the science of understanding the attributes of human capability.
Responding to maintenance error
The safety of aviation heavily relies on maintenance and in the event it is not correctly done then we are likely to experience a significant proportion of accidents as well as incidents. Certain examples of maintenance errors include missing parts, parts installed incorrectly and failure to perform the necessary checks. Unlike many other challenges of aviation safety, it may be more difficult to detect the mistakes or errors of ATM (aviation maintenance technician). In many cases, these errors exist but invisible and have the potential of remaining hidden, ending up affecting safe aircraft operations for a longer period (Hobbs, 2008). Aviation maintenance technicians are often faced with some human factors that are unique within the aviation industry. Normally they work in the morning hours or late in the evening, in confined platforms or spaces that have a variety of adverse conditions like very low temperatures.
The work carried out by aviation maintenance technicians can also be physically strenuous and also needs attention to detail. As a result of that, ATMs often spend more hours preparing for a given task that carrying it out. One of the responses to human errors involves identifying the causal mechanism and altering the system to avoid repetition of the error (“Maintenance Error – SKYbrary Aviation Safety,” 2016). However, it calls for sophisticated error detection systems that can identify complex interactions as well as the assumption that variability of people is minimal. Since improving human performance may assist in reducing the rate of commercial aviation accidents, there is a need for much focus on developing procedures for maintenance technicians and flight crews and on crafting human-airplane interfaces. Human specialists also need to participate in analyzing operational safety as well as building tools to assist operators to deal better with human error. The human specialist should, therefore, work very closely with safety experts, engineers, test and training pilots, cabin crews and mechanics to appropriately integrate human factors in airplanes. Human factors should, therefore, be addressed in flight deck design, passenger cabin design, error management and in-service support (Strauch & Sandler, 1984).
Conclusion
Human factors entail gathering information concerning human limitations, abilities, as well as other attributes and applying it to systems, machines, tools, tasks, environments and jobs to realize a safe, effective and comfortable, human use. In the industry of aviation, human factors are devoted to improve understanding of ways that people may effectively and safely be integrated with technology. It is that understanding which is then converted into designs, policies, procedures, and training to assist humans to perform better.
Reference
Hobbs, A. (2008). An Overview of Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance. Australian Transport Safety Bureau, 1, 2-9.
Latorella, K. & Prabhu, P. (2000). A review of human error in aviation maintenance and inspection. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 26(2), 133-161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0169-8141(99)00063-3
Maintenance Error – SKYbrary Aviation Safety. (2016). Skybrary.aero. Retrieved 7 December 2016, from http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Maintenance_Error
Strauch, B. & Sandler, C. (1984). Human Factors Consideration in Aviation Maintenance. Proceedings Of The Human Factors And Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 28(10), 913-916. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/154193128402801017