Questions for M9 Human Factors

1. Fatigue Management
The things that can cause fatigue are sleep, food, noise, lighting, temperature at work, break during work, change of activity,
type of shift, type of work, peer pressure.
2. Factors relevant to stress for the aircraft engineer in the workplace

Stress for aircraft engineer divide to 2 things

1. From job that they are doing

2. From organization environment

From job: because it is a difficult job and the stress will increase if that person don’t get guidance or advise for doing that job
or have limit duration of time but this kind of stress can be reduce by good management and good training etc.

From organization environment: That is social and how organization management work, peer pressure from colleagues, culture
of organization, shift patterns for work, over workload

The aircraft maintenance engineer can expect to work in a variety of different environments, from ‘line’ (generally outside the
hangar) to ‘base’ (usually inside a hangar or workshop), in all types of weather and climatic conditions, day and night. This
depends largely on the company he works for, and the function he fulfils in the company. Both physical environments have
their own specific features or factors that may impinge (อาจกระทบ) on human performance.

Noise in the workplace can have both short-term and long-term negative effects: it can be annoying, can interfere with verbal
communication and mask warnings, and it can damage workers’ hearing (either temporarily or permanently).

Exposure in excess of 115 dB without ear protection even for a short duration is not recommended. This equates to standing
within a few hundred meters of a moving jet aircraft.

Fumes can cause problem with inhalation of engineers and other problems such as eye irritation. If the fumes can’t dissipate
easily it may be appropriate to use breathing apparatus.

Poor ambient illumination of work is significant deficiency during investigation of certain engineering incidents.

Environmental conditions can affect physical performance. For example, cold conditions make numb fingers ( นิ้ ว ช า ) , reducing
the engineer’s ability to carry out repairs, and working in strong winds can be distracting, especially if having to work at height
Extreme environmental conditions may also be fatiguing, both physically and mentally.

Pneumatic tools can produce troublesome vibrations in this range and frequent use can lead to reduced local blood flow and
pain associated with VWF (Vibration white finger). Vibration can be annoying, possibly disrupting an engineer’s concentration.

Working Environment
  Workplace layout and the cleanliness and general tidiness (ความเปCนระเบียบเรียบรFอย) of the workplace
 The proper provision and use of safety equipment and signage (such as non-slip surfaces, safety harnesses, etc.);
 The storage and use of toxic chemical and fluids (clear labelling or storage in different locations)

Some or all of the factors associated with the engineer’s workplace may affect his ability to work safely and efficiently

Aircraft maintenance engineering requires all three components of the working environment to be managed carefully in order
to achieve a safe and efficient system

1) Engineers are trained to perform various tasks;

2) Successful task execution requires a suitable physical environment;
3) An unsuitable or unpleasant physical environment is likely to be de-motivating
3. How to do stress management
2 ways to management stress are defense (การปKองกัน) and coping (การเผชิญกับปPญหา)
1. Defense (การปKองกัน): can do by decrease the symptoms such as use medication or reducing the anxiety (ความวิตกกังวล)
such as blaming someone else
2. Coping (การเผชิ ญ กั บ ปP ญ หา): It is you dealing with the source of the stress rather than just dealing with the symptoms
such as prioritizing tasks, delegating (มอบหมาย) workload)

But you can’t always deal with all problem such as emergency job so sometimes you need to use these techniques to cope
with the stress include relaxation, good sleep, diet, exercise, counselling with friends, colleague, professional advice

4. How to do hand-over prepared? What material are need to use?

The important thing to do hand-over is communication between shifts. That includes these information below
1) Tasks have been completed
2) Tasks in progress (งานที่กําลังทําอยู[), status of that tasks, any problems
3) Tasks to be carried out (งานที่ตFองทํา)
4) General technical information

How to communication > you can use written reports from shift supervisor to another shift supervisor and it still should to back
up by spoken too or by individual engineers

Written reports such as maintenance cards, work orders, logs, warning flags.

5. How to organize the shift change-over?

Rolling Shift Patterns

When an engineer works change from one shift to another, the body’s internal clock isn’t immediately reset. It continues on its old
wake-sleep cycle for several days, and it is only gradually resynchronized. However, by this time, the engineer may have moved
onto the next shift.
So generally shift should be later shift such as early shift > late shift > night shift or day shift > night shift instead of rotation towards
earlier shifts such as night shift > late shift > early shift

Continuity of Tasks and Shift Handovers

When you have to handover the tasks to next shift and engineers who works for a long time feel very tired this is an area where
human errors can occur. So it can reduce error by use fewer shift changeovers such as use 3 handovers with 3 eight hour instead
2 handovers with 12 hours

6. Stressors that can cause stress to the engineer.

Engineer may found these stress
1) Domestic stress: It is stress about his/her normal life (major life change) such as marriage, divorce. That can cause
engineer can’t fully concentrate with task and safety.
2) Work related stress: divide 2 kind
i. Because of the job or task that they are doing at the moment
ii. Because of the organization environment
3) Time pressure: Because all commercial industry have to do the job on time or dead line because they want to utilization
aircraft the most and achieve customer satisfaction. Even no definitive deadline have been set, engineer may be self-
imposed to complete work such as because they want to complete tasks before end of a shift or before a break. And
engineer have to responsibility to carry out a safe job too.
7. Maintenance error reporting schemes (แผนการ) such as MEDA.

Incidents are errors that don’t cause accidents but still cause a problem. However all incidents are significant to the aircraft
maintenance industry, as they may warn of a potential future accident. So all maintenance incidents have to report to the CAAT.
These data are used to disclose trends, necessary, implement action to reduce the criticality of further errors.

MEDA Process: help to identifying factors that contribute to existing errors and avoiding future errors. There are 5 step for MEDA

1) Event: when any events occur then maintenance organization have to select the error-caused events that will be
investigated
2) Decision: after fixing the problem and returning the airplane to service, operator has to make a decision by asking Was the
event maintenance-related about that errors? If yes, the operator has to do MEDA investigation
3) Investigation: The operator use MEDA results form for doing an investigation. The trained investigator uses the form to
record general information about the airplane, when the maintenance and the event occurred, the error, the factors that
contributing to the error, list of possible prevention strategies.
4) Prevention strategies: The operator reviews, prioritizes, implements, and tracks prevention strategies (process improvement)
in order to avoid or reduce the likelihood of similar errors in the future.
 5) Feedback: Operator provides feedback to the maintenance workforce for letting technicians know the changes in the
maintenance system as a result of the MEDA process. The operator has to ensure that employees has contribution to the
MEDA process by sharing investigation results with them.
8. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a man over a machine.

Machine help people to do repetitive tasks such as calculations and record information for better than humans and for lower value.
That’s why machines have replaced many human jobs. Machine is much more effective than human but human still has own distinct
benefits over machines such as skill, creation etc. whereas machines lacks in reasoning.

9. Main type of errors and how can they be eliminated?

There are slips, lapses, mistakes

1) Slips (เผลอทํ า ): This is actions not intended or planned to do such as mis-ordering steps in a procedure. (เรี ย งลํ า ดั บ การ
ทํางานผิด) Slips occur when doing the tasks
2) Lapses (ลื ม ): This is missed actions and omissions (การละเวF น ) such as forgetting to replace an engine cowling. Lapses
occurs storage memory stage.
3) Mistakes: They do the wrong things but they don’t have intention to do it. (Believing it is correct but it isn’t correct) such
as mis-selection of bolts when fitting on aircraft windscreen. Mistakes occur at the planning stage.

Violations sometimes appear to be human errors, but it different from slips, lapses, mistakes because they are illegal actions
such as somebody did something knowing it to be against the rules.

The behavior of aircraft maintenance engineers can be divide to 3 categories:

1) Skill-based: It is rely on stored routines or motor programs that they have been learned with practice and may be executed
without conscious thought.
2) Rule-based: It is routine or procedures has been learned.
3) Knowledge-based: These require the aircraft maintenance engineer to evaluate information and use his knowledge and
experience to formulate a plan for dealing with the situation.
 Human Errors can defenses (ปKองกัน) by organization such as duplicate inspections, pilot pre-flight functional checks etc. or that
is as several slices of Swiss Cheese Model.

Error management seeks to (พยายามที่จะ)

1) Prevent errors from occurring by predict where they are most likely to occur and then to put in place preventive measures.
Do incident reporting schemes ( แ ผ น ก า ร ) . All data on errors, incidents and accidents should be captured with a Safety
Management System (SMS), which should provide mechanisms for identifying potential weak spots and error-prone
activities or situations. (กิ จ กรรมหรื อ สถานการณn ท่ี เ กิ ด error ไดF ง[ า ย). Use this output for guiding local training, company
procedures, introduction of new defenses, and modification of existing defenses.
2) Eliminate or mitigate (บรรเทา) the bad effect of errors
10. Describe an engine run on an aircraft using the SHELL module as a guide

SHEL Model is help to understanding of human factors or framework around which human factors issues can be structured.

1) Software: such as maintenance procedures, maintenance manuals, checklist layout

2) Hardware: such as tools, test equipment, physical structure of aircraft
3) Environment: such as physical environment (conditions in the hangar or line, work patterns)
4) Liveware: including maintenance engineers, supervisors, planners, managers (It is centre of the model)
11. State the hazards in the workplace and the precautions (ขFอควรระวัง) the engineer should take to avoid them.

There are many potential (สามารถเปCนไดF) hazards in the aircraft maintenance industry and it is impossible to list them all here. And
we can list Physical hazards may include:

1) Very bright lights

2) Very loud sounds
3) Confined (จํากัด) or enclosed areas
4) Working at significant heights
5) Noxious (เปCนพิษ) substances (liquids, fumes, etc.)
6) Excessive temperatures (too cold or too hot)
7) Moving equipment, moving vehicles and vibration

Then aircraft maintenance organization need to

1) Assessments of work including inspections to determine Health and Safety Risks

2) Provide safe working practices (การกระทํ า , การซF อ ม) and procedures for plant, machinery, work equipment, materials
and substances
3) Inform person who related of any risk
4) Provide suitable training and/or instruction to meet any Health and Safety Risks
5) Develop and introduce practice and procedures to reduce risks to Health and Safety including the provision of special
protective devices and personal protective equipment
6) Provide welfare (สวัสดิการ) for employees
7) Discuss and consult employee representative (ตัวแทน) on Health and Safety matters

If hazards can’t be removed from the workplace, employees should be aware that they exist and how to avoid them. This can be
effected through training and warning signs.

12. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages when working as a team member to working as a individual

Individual