The unpredictable nature of humans in a world of precision

 Growing up as a young man I often heard about how women are an enigma that will never be understood. As I have grown older, I came to notice that in every facet of human interaction, there is a level of unpredictability, regardless of associated sex or gender. Sure, you can use mind games or psychology to alter an interaction in your favor but there are always those who will respond in an undesired or unintended way. 

When you apply this to a work environment it can become messy. When accounting for the impact of a human on their work environment, specifically aviation in this instance, this is called "Human Factor" (Aviationlearning). The great thing about humans is their ability to adapt and also perform a wide variety of tasks. Yet the quality of the results isn't always consistent. This stems from the way that our brains respond to stimuli. You have emotions, the way our minds wander into thoughts outside of what we are doing, and just events happening in our lives. These lead to our work being great when focused, but less so when we are angry, tired, or just not as focused and spaced out.

If we now take this knowledge into aviation, an environment that demands respect and consistent, quality performance, you can see how the human factor is a monumental task to address. An example I would like to provide of the need for precision is stemmed from personal experience from my time working on the P-3C Orion in the Navy. I had a qualification as a Plane Handler and was responsible for ground operations when I was launching, recovering, or performing operations of an aircraft that required engine turn up. A job of launching an aircraft when it had ground equipment attached was very tedious as I had to perform a standard preflight check and launch the aircraft but now with other people to direct and monitor, plus the ground service equipment (GSE). I directed steps to be performed, but, I also need the individuals in the plane and on the ground to notify me as steps were completed. Utilizing GSE means that you are connecting equipment to an aircraft, turning up the engines, and then removing the equipment while the propellers are spinning. Being cognizant of proper handling of equipment and where you are in relations to the hazard areas of a live aircraft are musts. Each person has to know what they are doing and the steps involved. Things have to be done in a specific order to completion. We utilized hand signals to communicate as it is too loud to speak and hearing protection makes talking difficult without loud noises already. All I can rely on are visual cues. 

There are many steps and places for human error to occur. Visually identifying that panels are closed after GSE removal, ensuring engines aren't smoking upon power up or any fluids being leaked are examples. It honestly all hinges on each of us making sure we are each paying attention and correcting any mistakes or issues immediately. Problems are relayed to each of us so we all know what is happening. Pilots need to know what is going on in or around the aircraft so that they can make proper decisions. The Handler needs to know to make decisions on what is happening for safe ground operations and relaying information between pilots and ground crew. Each individual has to pay attention to their surroundings and each other, while using the correct hand signals and passing information promptly. 

If one of us starts losing focus it could mean more than just a delayed launch, it may lead to preventable injury or death, or damages to equipment or aircraft. The flightline is a dynamic environment by itself. There are aircraft taxiing, fuel trucks moving around, and maintenance personnel along with aircrew walking or moving equipment. Any moment something unexpected may occur and it is up to each individual to recognize and communicate when something is happening. The human factor is hard to manage as it is easy to forget to check something or space out during a long evolution and relying on visual cues can get boring when waiting.  Keeping check on one another is important, often a nudge helps refocus someone. If you notice an aircraft taxiing toward your operations share with others, pause what you are doing if possible, to let the aircraft go by safely. Common sense goes a long way.

Communication is the easiest thing to use to prevent the human factor from gunking things up. If you make an error, say so.  Make sure the details of your work are written down and tracked. Something like shift turnover is busy and a lot of details are being shared. People are tired at the start or end of shift and things are easily forgotten. Ask when you need to and ensure you are heard not just shrugged off. During evolutions speaking clearly and repeating what is heard ensures smooth work and understanding.

All of us have bad days and struggles we go through which is why it is so critical to look out for each other. If you are performing a task and aren't sure your work is up to par ask someone to double check your work for you. Communicate that you are having a hard time to someone so they can check on you, you don't have to share the details, just say you are struggling a bit. If you never say anything no one will know something is going on and a mistake may slip by or be made that otherwise wouldn't have. Always ask if you have a question, if you see something say something. Many mistakes that occur happen because someone noticed something was odd but never asked the needed questions to follow through and prevent the incident and someone assumed things were fine. 

The human factor is real but tackling it as a team can mitigate it. 

References

Human factors in aviation (n.d.) Aviationlearning.net 

http://aviationlearning.net/files/HumanFactors%20AAt%20booklet.pdf