Aerospace Maintenance Safety

Since the origin of flight, the main goal of aircraft maintenance has been to efficiently correct defects and prevent failures. From the original days of manned or unmanned flight, the individuals and their processes to repair, modify, maintain, and service the vehicles that were used to rise above the ground have largely been unsung. Aircraft Maintenance is a comprehensive executive-summary-style report written for business professions, engineers, mechancis, technicians, educators, and students that covers everything from history, evolution, evaluation and the future. Author Bruce R. Aubin examines and explains the processes and systemsof aircraft maintenance that were developed to ensure the quality, viability, and safety of the people and machines committed to flight. Chapters cover: Aircraft Maintenance Organization and Structure Regulations and Environmental Effects on Maintenance Training Quality and Safety Planning and Scheduling Narrow- and Wide-body Aircraft and more

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2011 in the subject Sociology - Methodology and Methods, grade: 98%, University of Newcastle, course: Masters Of Aviation Management, language: English, abstract: Safety management system (SMS) program is a comprehensive, systematic and continuous process for recognizing hazards and managing risks for a viable aviation business to enhance safety. With proper guidance and planning from current literature, it recognizes the explicit complexity to distill more insights to the aspects of an SMS implementation. Real rigor must be in place for the underlying mechanism to detect the weaknesses within the defense mechanism, fix it before they are manifested as an undesired event. This is a shift from the traditional reactive systems to proactive/predictive systems. SMS is not a process to solve a specific safety issue, but rather an explicit, consistent and structured protocol which can resolve many issues to reduce risk realistically or as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). The four essential constituents- safety policy and goals, risk mitigation management, safety assurance and safety promotion, represents the foundation for SMS. This article delineates the SMS processes and the integration of human factors perspectives with the intent to propose an initial implementation program for a maintenance organisation into four phases. Ultimately, the effectiveness of an SMS implementation means the organization can manage the complexity of these mechanisms to defend against risk incubation to ALARP.

Considering the global awareness of human performance issues affecting maintenance personnel, there is enough evidence in the US ASRS reports to establish that systemic problems such as impractical maintenance procedures, inadequate training, and the safety versus profit challenge continue to contribute toward latent failures. Manoj S. Patankar and James C. Taylor strongly believe in incorporating the human factors principles in aviation maintenance. In this, their second of two volumes, they place particular emphasis on applying human factors principles in a book intended to serve as a practical guide, as well as an academic text. Features include: - A real 'how to' approach that serves as a companion to the previous volume: 'Risk Management and Error Reduction in Aviation Maintenance'. - Self-reports of maintenance errors used throughout to illustrate the systemic susceptibility for errors as well as to discuss corresponding solutions. - Two tools - a pre-task scorecard and a post-task scorecard - introduced as means to measure individual as well as organizational safety performance. - Interpersonal trust and professionalism explored in detail. - Ethical and procedural issues associated with collection and analysis of both qualitative as well as quantitative safety data discussed. The intended readership includes aviation maintenance personnel, e.g. FAA-type aircraft mechanics, CAA-type aircraft maintenance engineers, maintenance managers, regulators, and aviation students.

Considering the global awareness of human performance issues affecting maintenance personnel, there is enough evidence in the US ASRS reports to establish that systemic problems such as impractical maintenance procedures, inadequate training, and the safety versus profit challenge continue to contribute toward latent failures. Manoj S. Patankar and James C. Taylor strongly believe in incorporating the human factors principles in aviation maintenance. In this, their second of two volumes, they place particular emphasis on applying human factors principles in a book intended to serve as a practical guide, as well as an academic text. Features include: - A real 'how to' approach that serves as a companion to the previous volume: 'Risk Management and Error Reduction in Aviation Maintenance'. - Self-reports of maintenance errors used throughout to illustrate the systemic susceptibility for errors as well as to discuss corresponding solutions. - Two tools - a pre-task scorecard and a post-task scorecard - introduced as means to measure individual as well as organizational safety performance. - Interpersonal trust and professionalism explored in detail. - Ethical and procedural issues associated with collection and analysis of both qualitative as well as quantitative safety data discussed. The intended readership includes aviation maintenance personnel, e.g. FAA-type aircraft mechanics, CAA-type aircraft maintenance engineers, maintenance managers, regulators, and aviation students.

Although several U.S. and European airlines have started providing human factors training to their maintenance personnel, the academic community (some 300 academic programs in the United States and several others in Europe and Asia) has not yet started offering formal human factors education to maintenance students. The highly respected authors strongly believe in incorporating the human factors principles in aviation maintenance. This is the first of two volumes providing effective behavioural guidance on risk management in aviation maintenance for both the novice and the experienced maintenance personnel. Its practical guidelines assist both student and practising aviation maintenance personnel to develop sustainable safety culture. For the maintenance community it provides some theoretical discussion about the "Why?" for risk management and then focus on the 'How?' to implement a successful error reduction program. To help the maintenance community in making a strong case to their financial managers, the authors also discuss the return on investment for risk management programs. The issue of risk management is taken at two levels. First, it provides a basic awareness information to those who have little or no knowledge of maintenance human factors. Second, it provides a set of practical tools for the more experienced people so that they can be more effective in risk management and error recovery in their jobs. This invaluable book serves as a practical guide as well as an academic textbook. The book covers fundamental human factors principles from a risk management perspective. Upon reading this informative book, the audience will be able to apply the basic principles of risk management to aviation maintenance environment, and they will be able to use low-risk behaviours in their daily work.

Although much has been written about the occupational hazards confronting the cockpit crew, very little has been written on the occupational hazards faced by aviation maintenance and ground support personnel. This book fills this void by describing those hazards, their remediation, and their prevention. This important resource describes the different exposures and hazards in the aviation industry, including those of a chemical, physical, physiochemical, biological, or psychosocial nature. Biomedical engineers, physicians, nurses, flight surgeons, and aviation medical examiners will find this book to be a useful reference.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of human failure and its various forms and root causes. The analysis is developed through real aviation accidents and incidents and the deriving lessons learned. Features: Employs accumulated experience, and the scientific and research point of view, and recorded aviation accidents and incidents from the daily working environment Provides lessons learned and integrates the existing regulations into the human factors discipline Highlights the responsibility concerns and raises the accountability issues deriving from the engineers’ profession by concisely distinguishing human failure types Suggests a new approach in human factors training in order to meet current and future challenges imposed on aviation maintenance Offers a holistic approach in human factors aircraft maintenance Human Factors in Aircraft Maintenance is comprehensive, easy to read, and can be used as both a training and a reference guide for operators, regulators, auditors, researchers, academics, and aviation enthusiasts. It presents the opportunity for aircraft engineers, aviation safety officers, and psychologists to rethink their current training programs and examine the pros and cons of employing this new approach.