Aircraft Maintenance Technology

MAY 2016

The aircraft maintenance professional's source for technological advancements, maintenance alerts, news, articles, events, and careers

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FROM THE FA A 38 MAY 2016 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS HAVE RAISED the awareness toward the human factors hazards in maintenance. Dr. Bill sees reports on the increased use of the trusted sources from FAA's Human Factors Website. He offers a few examples. The regulations currently require that Part 121 operators have a safety management system well under way. That is clearly happening. The indus- try is embracing SMS for more reasons than mere regulatory compliance. I am noticing that the word "required" is hardly used when industry personnel talk about SMS. I see enthusiasm for the recognized value in a structured approach to spot trends and to recognize and address hazards before they cost money, injure a worker, or threaten the continuing safety of flight for airline operators. The good news is that there is a large "trickle down" approach where Part 121 operators are asking their suppliers to establish and capitalize on a SMS. Of course, a supplier is not likely to have the same requirement for a large SMS that a 7/24/365 airline has. Each SMS is different and matched to orga- nization needs. These organization-specific needs, in my opinion, have triggered a revised interest in maintenance human factors. I offer three examples here, which include how to categorize hazards, how to estimate return on investment, and best fatigue risk management methods and training. All of these topics are worth revisiting. CATEGORIZING HUMAN FACTORS Increased attention to safety management, data col- lection, voluntary reporting, and hazard manage- ment begs for organized categorization of hazards and errors. Over the years maintenance personnel have used the Swiss Cheese, SHELL, Bow Tie, and PEAR. Of course, I am partial to PEAR being the co-inventor and chief promoter of the concept for 20 plus years. PEAR, for review, stands for People, the Environment in which they work, the Actions workers perform, and the Resources necessary to perform the work. PEAR is the main human fac- tors training paradigm for FAA inspector training as well as for CASA Australia HF training for engi- DR. WILLIAM B. JOHNSON is the FAA Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Human Factors in Aircraft Maintenance Systems. His comments are based on nearly 50 years of combined experience as a pilot/mechanic, an airline engineering and MRO consultant, a professor, and an FAA scientific executive. NEW SMS CALLS FOR TRUSTED HUMAN FACTORS SOURCES Proper SMS will quickly discover if there is a maintenance fatigue issue in an organization. By design, an SMS must identify such hazards, determine the corrective action, promote the action, and assess the impact. By Dr. Bill Johnson

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