Reference no: EM133038681

AVIA5018 Aviation Human Factors - The University of New South Wales

Question 1.

Too often the proposed solutions to incidents of noncompliance with operating procedures relate to stricter enforcement and punishment. Yet the safety record shows quite clearly that noncompliance continues to occur in the face of punishment and blame.
1a. Discuss what you consider are the main human factors issues that contribute to or are associated with procedural noncompliance. (250-300 words)

1b. Using your understanding of human capabilities, limitations and tendencies in the workplace, describe broadly how you - as a human factors adviser - would design and implement a safety intervention to foster compliance in a typical aviation workplace (hangar, control room, flight deck, operations room, apron, etc.). (250- 300 words)

Question 2.

This course has demonstrated that human factors initiatives, interventions and research have contributed to safe and effective performance in aviation and other HROs.
2a. What do you think have been the major ‘success stories' (two or more) of applying human factors? (250-300 words)

Nevertheless, challenges continue to confront operators, managers and researchers in aviation and other HROs in ensuring safety and improving performance and efficiency.
2b. In your opinion, where should the emphasis of applied human factors be in the foreseeable future? (250-300 words)

Question 3.

At the senior executive meeting of Airline X, the senior maintenance manager tabled a report that noted there had been a 40 per cent increase in the number of reported in-house maintenance safety incidents in the last 12 months compared to the previous year. Most members expressed concern about this outcome; indeed the CEO was openly angry and wanted the names of the most consistent "offenders."

You are sitting at the table as the airline's new safety manager (this is your first day on the job with this airline).

3a. Based solely on the information above, what hypotheses would you formulate about the safety culture at Airline X? (250-300 words)
At the meeting you are asked by the CEO what you intend to do about improving maintenance safety. Sensibly, you respond that you would need to investigate before committing to advice about an intervention.

During your subsequent investigations, you discover that your predecessor, with the encouragement and full support of the senior maintenance staff, had initiated a safety culture intervention fourteen months previously within the maintenance area. A cornerstone of this intervention was the development of a just culture (within maintenance) allied with strong encouragement to report safety incidents so as to foster prevention activities.

3b. Based on your findings, you pen a brief memo (250-300 words) to the CEO with your conclusions and advice. Please provide the body of this memo (i.e., no address and signature block details required) as the second part of this question.

Question 4.

How can human factors best support the aviation industry's evolution in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic? (500-600 words)

Question 5.

Errors associated with the use of automation have been linked to a number of aviation accidents and safety incidents. Two broad approaches have been postulated to explain automation-related human error: the operator(s) being ‘out of the loop'; and the operator(s) ‘actively managing' automated systems into incidents/accidents. In each approach, a number of human factors issues have been described to explain automation-related error.

Choose two human factors issues postulated to be associated with the use of automated systems and provide an accident or incident case study to illustrate each. (250-300 words for each of the two chosen issues)

Question 6.

What human factors trends and implications do you discern in recent, high-profile aviation accidents/events (you might consider some of the following: MH370, Virgin Galactic, MH17, TransAsia Airways 222, AirAsia Q28501, TransAsia 235, Germanwings 9525, Metrojet 9268, EgyptAir 804, EK521, LaMia 2933, Southwest Airlines 1380, Lion Air 610, Ethiopian Airlines 302, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303), and/or Sriwijaya Air SJ182?) (500-600 words)

Question 7.

It would appear that UAVs/UASs/drones are transforming military and ‘peaceful' aviation as well as leisure/hobbies.
6a. What are the most important human factors implications of unmanned aerial vehicles/systems? (250-300 words)

6b. How can human factors contribute to aviation safety in a world increasingly populated by drones? (250-300 words)

Question 8.

You are the new Chief Human Factors Adviser in Airservices Australia. Your recent proposal to implement a nontechnical skills training program for air traffic controllers has been eagerly accepted by the Chairman and the CEO. You now need to provide some detail about the content and rationale for this training to enable specialist contractors to develop a comprehensive training package. You must nominate five topics (each to be delivered in a 3 hour module), provide a rationale for the selection of each topic (in the context of ATC), and briefly outline the key learning points/content areas for each module. You might find it efficient to present this information as a tabulated outline of the five half-days of training. (100-120 words for each of the five topics)

Question 9.

You are the Principal Safety Officer (PSO) (an executive-level position) of Pacific Trax*, the second largest freight rail company in Australasia. A new CEO, formerly the CEO of two large and successful North American rail companies, has recently been appointed to Pacific Trax. She is known to place efficiency as her highest corporate priority. One of her first decisions has been to eliminate napping breaks, without any consultation with you or your safety team. Nap breaks have been implemented in Pacific Trax for over 20 years and allow drivers and engineers to take up to a 45 minute nap under a strict protocol when trains are stopped. You have been approached by numerous staff who want the decision reversed. You also feel a professional obligation to raise the issue with the new CEO. You decide to write a brief for the CEO, providing an evidence-based case in support of the reinstitution of napping breaks on safety grounds (and perhaps other reasons). (500-600 words)

Attachment:- Aviation Human Factors.rar