Steve Bentley, CEO of Sofema, lifts the lid on how to understand the options to drive improvements in your organisations production process.
Introduction
From time to time we are asked questions regarding the content of our training program, for example:
1. How to make a work package
2. How to do Aircraft Scheduling
3. Man Hour Estimation and Manpower Planning
4. Special Tools Purchasing
5. Billing and Tool Charging for outside parties
6. CAR M and CAR 145 Related to Production Planning
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors-compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
Introduction to Work Logging and Recording
Maybe the description belies the importance of the subject; however, the reality is that correctly recording work that has been carried out as well as how we document and hand over any outstanding tasks is of significant importance and creates multiple human factor exposures.
Inadequate recording of work carried out has been cited as a contributing factor in several incidents.
Presented by Steven Bentley, CEO of Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com. Steve commenced his auditing activities in 1989, more than 30 years ago, and shares his learning experiences related to effective auditing.
Introduction
This paper is intended to make you a better auditor – to understand how to determine in the most effective way the system deficiencies and to present these “findings” in the correct way.
There are several home truths and some quite surprising traps that otherwise experienced people fall into. Many people who perform audits look without seeing. Fortunately, it is not so difficult to deliver an effective audit if you pay attention to several straight-forward indicators.
Every Picture Tells a Story!
Sure, but sometimes there is a story behind the story.
Turns out the Captain had a very hairy landing (maybe wake turbulence from a departing aircraft) but in any event, he believed it was normal.
Basically the Cowl of this huge 55,000 pounds thrust engine “kissed” the ground.
Unfortunately, the Engineer missed this during his walk around!
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors-compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
What do we mean by complex systems?
Essentially, all large modern aircraft can be described as complex systems. But this is just the beginning because integrated organisations are also in themselves complicated systems and the combination of both together creates multiple exposures within the realm of Human Factor related errors, incidents & accidents.
Engaging with Complex Systems
Within the aircraft environment, a simple system should cause no problems in itself, with engineers being trained and possessing the appropriate competence to fully engage with the challenge of addressing the various problems.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
What are Repetitive Tasks?
When we talk about “repetitive tasks," we mean tasks that are performed several times during a shift (a daily check or transit check, for example). There are more mundane tasks, for example, checking aircraft life jackets. What happens physiologically is that as a person becomes complacent, his alertness decreases along with his performance.
Repetitive tasks are essential tasks that require a low level of mental acuity. Such tasks can quickly become tedious and therefore induce a low level of arousal within the worker.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
Introduction
Any pressure we feel can lead to stress, and stress can lead to human error. Current minimum turn-around times place additional pressure on maintenance staff and create a challenge for any defects that are found and the steps that need to be taken.
Considerations related to an AOC (EASA) introduction by www.sofemaonline.com.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 10 Air Legislation-compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
An Air Operator Certificate (AOC) is a European-required certificate that allows an operator to perform specific operations of commercial air transport.
The Air Operator Certificate certifies that the operator has both the ability and the necessary organization to guarantee the conditions required for safe aircraft operations in respect of the activities described in the certificate.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 10 Air Legislation-compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
Who is EASA?
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency or EASA is an Agency of the European Union with primary responsibility for Civil Aviation Safety.
EASA carries out certification, regulation, and standardisation, and also performs investigation and monitoring.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors-compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
Introduction
Stress is often associated with anxiety, fear, fatigue, and hostility. It can also arise as a result of feelings of inadequacy, where we may feel we don't have the appropriate experience, knowledge, or capability to complete our allocated tasks.
All these feelings can have a direct and negative impact on performance. In fact, our performance will generally improve with the onset of stress; however, it will then peak and begin to degrade rapidly as stress levels exceed our abilities to handle the situation.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors-compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
Fitness and Health
Aircraft maintenance certifying staff and technicians often undertake work that is physically demanding as well as being called on to work in multiple environments, including cold and heat, wind and rain.
Fitness and health can have a significant effect upon job performance (both physical and cognitive). Day-to-day fitness can be reduced through illness (physical or mental) or injury.
If you are asking the question "How Can I become an EASA Part 147 Instructor", you are in the right place!
SofemaOnline takes a look at how to achieve your goal of becoming an Aviation Instructor!
What Does EASA Say about becoming an EASA aircraft maintenance instructor?
Part 147-A.105 (f), state that the experience and qualifications of instructors, knowledge examiners, and practical assessors shall be established in accordance with criteria published or in accordance with a procedure and to a standard agreed by the competent authority.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
Maintenance Management Focus
Supervisors and Managers have an important role in ensuring that safety and safe working practices are a top-down leadership “led” objective that is instilled in mechanics and certifying staff and visible throughout the business.
Considering Supervisors
The supervisor’s role is somewhat different to the manager role as the supervisor position requires a more “hands on” approach, to the potential for errors to be made by technicians and certifying staff.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors-compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
What do we mean by Team?
When we’re in the presence of others, people are more physiologically aroused and energized, and dominant behaviours are strengthened. This phenomenon is called social facilitation.
Within the maintenance environment, we need to work together as a team to enable the accomplishment of complex tasks; however, there is a difference between working as a team and working as individuals within a team.
Complex systems need ‘teams’ to get tasks done; teams have to be conceived, planned, and implemented with care.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors-compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
Concerning Safety Culture
Safety culture is how we perceive the combination of attitude, beliefs, perceptions, and values, and it is considered part of the organisation culture, sometimes described by the phrase "the way we do things around here.".
What do we mean by Safety Culture within an Organisation?
Safety Culture is the way safety is perceived, valued, and prioritized within an organisation.
Safety Culture reflects the true commitment to safety at all levels in the organisation.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors compliant training for third-country workshop personnel.
What is Peer Pressure?
Peer pressure is the pressure we feel to do what our group or peers expect of us. Peer pressure is closely linked to organizational norms and culture.
We consider peers as people who are part of our own social group, so the term "peer pressure" means the influence that peers can have on each other. The term "peer pressure" is not usually used to describe socially desirable behaviours, rather a degree of pressure to conform to the "group norms".
Sofemaonline.com offers online training including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors compliant training for third country workshop personnel.
What is Motivation?
Motivation can be thought of as a basic human drive that arouses, directs, and sustains all human behaviour.
In general, all “Human Behaviour” occurs following a related motivating requirement.
Motivated behaviour could be described as goal-directed and purposeful.
Sofemaonline.com offers online training, including EASA Part 66 Module 9 Human Factors compliant training for third country workshop personnel.
Introduction
Social psychology looks at the interactions as well as the pressure a group places on its individual members.
Individuals are responsible for themselves, their successes and failures. People may also hold others or be held by others as responsible for any action (or inaction). It is usual to find that relationships vary from an environment where groups have very clear and explicit rules that keep people in line to groups where the rules or pressures are more subtle.
Presented by Sofema Aviation Services (www.sassofia.com) and Sofema Online (www.sofemaonline.com)
Within the EASA Part 145 environment, SMS is inextricably linked to HF working and behaviours, as well as culture and attitude within the workplace.
What does a “GOOD” Organisation look like?
Consider the following, and let’s call them “Positive Organizational Characteristics”.
SofemaOnline (www.sofemaonline.com) takes a look at what we understand when we talk about Murphy’s law!
Who & What is Murphy’s Law?
Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will") was born out of an event at Edwards Air Force Base USA in 1949.
It was named after Capt. Edward A. Murphy, an engineer working on Air Force Project MX981, an exercise to see how much sudden deceleration a person can stand in a crash.
One day, after finding that a transducer was wired wrong, he cursed the technician responsible and said, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he'll find it.". The contractor's project manager kept a list of "laws" and added this one, which he called Murphy's Law.
