Human Factors
Jamie D Hart Aviation safety
Human Factors in Aviation
Aviation as a whole has many problems that effect day to day operations. From bad
maintaince practices, accidents, incidents and faulty training and SOPs. In the past it was
said to be the fault of the machine. Now with inspecting and research it has been
established that it is more due to human error than that of the machine. Since the end of
WWII human factors issues have become a huge concern in aviation safety. It’s
estimated that anywhere between 90% to 95% of aviation accidents and incidents are
caused by human factors. Human factors is a all encompassing effort to compile data
about human capabilities and limitations and apply that data to equipment, systems,
software, facilities, procedures, jobs, environments, training, staffing, and personnel
management to produce safe comfortable, ergonomic and effective human performance.
The FAA is currently making an effort to integrate human factors into all aspects of aviation
where safety is a major concern. As a result the FAA issued FAA order 9550.8 which is a human
factors policy that states the following: Human factors shall be systematically integrated into the
planning and execution of the functions of all FAA elements and activities associated with
system acquisitions and system operations. FAA endeavors shall emphasize human factors
considerations to enhance system performance and capitalize upon the relative strengths of
people and machines. These considerations shall be integrated at the earliest phases of FAA
projects. The FAA has realized that when most individuals think of a system or project, they
usually consider only the tangibles such as hardware, software and equipment. Most individuals
fail to think about the end user of the product, the human being. Therefore
Human Factors in Aviation
Aviation as a whole has many problems that effect day to day operations. From bad
maintaince practices, accidents, incidents and faulty training and SOPs. In the past it was
said to be the fault of the machine. Now with inspecting and research it has been
established that it is more due to human error than that of the machine. Since the end of
WWII human factors issues have become a huge concern in aviation safety. It’s
estimated that anywhere between 90% to 95% of aviation accidents and incidents are
caused by human factors. Human factors is a all encompassing effort to compile data
about human capabilities and limitations and apply that data to equipment, systems,
software, facilities, procedures, jobs, environments, training, staffing, and personnel
management to produce safe comfortable, ergonomic and effective human performance.
The FAA is currently making an effort to integrate human factors into all aspects of aviation
where safety is a major concern. As a result the FAA issued FAA order 9550.8 which is a human
factors policy that states the following: Human factors shall be systematically integrated into the
planning and execution of the functions of all FAA elements and activities associated with
system acquisitions and system operations. FAA endeavors shall emphasize human factors
considerations to enhance system performance and capitalize upon the relative strengths of
people and machines. These considerations shall be integrated at the earliest phases of FAA
projects. The FAA has realized that when most individuals think of a system or project, they
usually consider only the tangibles such as hardware, software and equipment. Most individuals
fail to think about the end user of the product, the human being. Therefore