Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 320)

This bibliography lists 125 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during January, 1989. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and psychology, life support systems and controlled environments, safety equipment, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, and flight crew behavior and performance

The Potential Impact of a Voluntary Non-punitive Self Report Program Under the Scope of the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority

The key recommendation from this study is to purpose the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Authority evaluation over the implementation of a new voluntary and non-punitive safety reporting program, with a different scope from the current one. The voluntary self-reporting programs in place in the USA, Europe and Australia should be used as a regulatory reference and the program development and implementation should be executed in close coordination with the different industry stakeholders. To access if the current Brazilian State Safety reporting system meets ICAO requirements, the researchers accessed pertinent aviation safety regulatory legislation. Additionally, to access if the current Brazilian State Safety reporting system is effective, the researchers surveyed 488 airline pilots operating under RBAC 121 and interviewed the other two stakeholders involved, the safety managers of both ANAC and Brazilian Airlines. The data found conclude that airline pilots have a culture of self-reporting and the stakeholders interviewed understand that Brazil has a reporting system with the opportunity for further development of some extremely important features to make it more effective and raise its level of contribution to flight safety. Finally, the researchers recommend that there be an update to the current Brazilian Aviation Authorities voluntary reporting system, in a way that the National CAA be assured to access all the content of each report, but only after the dissemination of the concepts of Just Culture across ANAC and Brazilian Civil Aviation. This update must be created and maintained by system stakeholders focusing on improving the Brazilian Operational Safety Program (PSO- BR)

Engineering psychology: Contribution to system safety

There has been a growing interest in the area of engineering psychology. This article considers some of the major accidents which have occurred in recent years, and the contribution which engineering psychology makes to designing systems and enhancing safety. Accidents are usually multi-causal, and the resident pathogens in the design and operation of human-machine systems can lead to devastating consequences not only for the workers themselves but also for people in the surrounding communities. Specifically, in each of the accidents discussed, operators were unaware of the seriousness of the system malfunctions because warning displays were poorly designed or located, and operators had not been sufficiently trained in dealing with these emergency situations. Since the 1940s machines and equipment have become more complex in nearly every industry. This, coupled with the continuing need to produce effective and safe systems, has resulted in psychology professionals being called to assist in designing even more efficient operating systems. In earlier times, a worker who made a mistake might spoil a piece of work or waste some time. Today, however, a worker's erroneous action can lead to dire consequences

Human factors approaches and models in LOC-I accident analysis and prevention: flight crew resource management techniques as a risk mitigation tool

Increased cockpit automation on modern jet aircraft aim to reduce the risk of Undesired Aircraft State (UAS) instances such as Loss of Control in Flight (LOC-I). Although LOCI globally accounts for only 9% of all analysed accidents IATA has reported that it was responsible for 58% of all accident fatalities in 2017. The focus of this paper is to answer whether Threat and Error Management and Crew Resources Management (CRM) techniques are an efficient risk management tool when facing a LOC-I threat. Three LOCI final aircraft accident reports were analysed to understand the structure of Human Factors (HF) during these flights. Methods from the HF field such as the Generic Error Modelling System (GEMS) and Skill-, Rule- and Knowledge-based (SRK) error approach provided invaluable insights to identify potential findings. A holistic investigation of cognitive structures in flight path management helped to visualise latent conditions and cognitively demanding tasks during LOC-I in routine operations. Bearing in mind the limited number of cases considered in this paper it should be considered as an overview in LOC-I accident analysis. It shows that leadership and teamwork, as essential aspects of CRM training, can serve as key strategies to mitigate HF problems and LOC-I risks

Applying Human Error Framework To Explore Prevention Strategies For Wrong Surface Events

Wrong surface events are a serious and ongoing risk to aviation safety in the United States National Airspace System. A wrong surface event occurs when an aircraft lands, departs or attempts to land or depart from a surface other than the intended landing or takeoff, also including aircraft landing at the wrong airport. This research examined the contextual factors that contributed to human error ultimately leading to wrong surface events, assessed the efficacy of technology that can be used to prevent, and aviation professional’s awareness of wrong surface events in order to determine prevention strategies that can reduce occurrences in the NAS. Four NTSB reports were reviewed to identify context that influences a pilot’s actions in wrong surface events. Next, flight deck and air traffic control tower based technologies were examined for their ability to detect and alert the conditions in the four event reports. Finally, eleven aviation professionals were interviewed to assess their awareness and knowledge of risks, strategies, historical events, and terminology related to wrong surface events. The results identified numerous recurring contextual factors in wrong surface events. While technology intended to prevent wrong surface events is improving, numerous shortfalls were identified that inhibit the system’s ability to effectively prevent such occurrences. Additionally, results showed an overall lack of awareness among pilots and a pilot training department of wrong surface events and their associated risks, suggesting that efforts to prevent wrong surface events through training are ineffective. The results give opportunities for human error mitigation strategies to be employed to reduce occurrences of wrong surface events

Managing Environmental, Health, and Safety Risks: A Comparative Assessment of the Minerals Management Service and Other Agencies

This study compares and contrasts regulatory and related practices—in particular, regulatory decisionmaking, risk assessment and planning processes, inspection and compliance, and organization structure, budgets, and training—of the Minerals Management Service (MMS, now the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, or BOEMRE) with those of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Comparing MMS practices with those of other federal agencies that also manage low-probability but high-consequence environmental risks provides a basis for identifying opportunities for enhancing regulatory capacity and safety performance in managing deepwater energy exploration and production. Our research finds important differences in processes for setting standards; peer review contribution to the rulemaking process; establishment of tolerable risk thresholds; and training of key staff. The paper concludes with several recommendations for how various EPA and FAA practices might be modified and used at BOEMRE to strengthen its regulatory and risk management processes.Minerals Management Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, risk management

An Evaluation of the Relationships Between Safety Management System Intiatives, Transformational Safety Leadership, Self-Efficacy, Safety Behavior and Safety Related Events Mediated by Safety Motivation in Collegiate Aviation

The study conceptualized Safety Management System (SMS) initiative, self-efficacy, and transformational safety leadership as constructs that relates to safety behavior (measured by safety compliance and safety participation) when mediated by safety motivation using a concurrent-triangulation approach. The study also evaluated the relationship between safety behavior and safety -related events. Structural equation modeling techniques was used to derive a final measurement model that fit the empirical data and was used to test the study hypotheses. Utilizing a sample of 282 collegiate flight students and instructors from a large public university, a 46-item survey was conducted to measure respondent’s perceptions on the study variables. Semi- structured interviews were also conducted with 4 top-level management personnel to sample their opinions on the effectiveness of the SMS initiative. Factual safety performance data on the flight program over a six-year period was analyzed to complete a triangulation approach. The results indicate that perceptions of SMS policy implementation have direct, positive effect on safety compliance and SMS process engagement has direct, positive effect on safety participation. Self-efficacy had direct, positive effect on both safety compliance and safety participation. Safety motivation fully mediated the effect of transformational safety leadership on safety participation. Safety –related events did not fully mediate the effect between safety compliance and safety participation. There were indications that respondents were not familiar with the Emergency Response Plan. An ANOVA suggests that certified flight instructors significantly had better safety participation and safety compliance than pre-private pilots did. Senior significantly had better safety participation than juniors. A T-test of mean did not reveal any significant differences in safety participation and safety compliance between respondents with formal SMS training and those without. A review of factual safety data suggests a positive effect on the safety reporting and safety meeting attendance among respondents due to the SMS initiative. Interviews revealed that top-level management support, resource provision and resilience are key elements in the success of any SMS initiative. The theoretical and policy implications of this study to improve proactive safety in collegiate aviation are discussed

Human Error and Accident Causation Theories, Frameworks and Analytical Techniques: An Annotated Bibliography

Over the last several decades, humans have played a progressively more important causal role in aviation accidents as aircraft have become more [complex]. Consequently, a growing number of aviation organizations are tasking their safety personnel with developing safety programs to address the highly complex and often nebulous issue of human error. However, there is generally no “off-the-shelf” or standard approach for addressing human error in aviation. Indeed, recent years have seen a proliferation of human error frameworks and accident investigation schemes to the point where there now appears to be as many human error models as there are people interested in the topic. The purpose of the present document is to summarize research and technical articles that either directly present a specific human error or accident analysis system, or use error frameworks in analyzing human performance data within a specific context or task. The hope is that this review of the literature will provide practitioners with a starting point for identifying error analysis and accident investigation schemes that will best suit their individual or organizational needs