Human Factors approach to technology procurement processes, examining the whole system including the user and his or her working environment. This approach employs Human Factors Integration technical standards in equipment design, adopts leading practices in the design of offline and operational trials, and implements a broad range of metrics to enable comprehensive equipment evaluation. The design of the working


environment should appeal to the security staff working within it and facilitate them in their tasks. Lighting levels, acoustics, surfaces and colours have an important effect on employees as well as passengers. But all too often, the focus of design is on the checkpoint at the expense of the staff rooms and training areas in which security officers also spend time gaining important rest and undertaking recurrent training in threat detection. Creating the right environment for high-performing security officers is not just about their time spent working at the security checkpoint but also the time spent during breaks, training, and even travelling to and from the airport. ‘Softer’ interventions are sometimes


more difficult to articulate but are potentially very powerful. At the core of understanding what makes a good security officer – and therefore what we need to look for when hiring – is a Competency Framework based on a comprehensive job analysis, setting out the skills and competencies required not just of security officers but also of supervisors and managers. A Competency Framework is the foundation for recruitment, selection, training and performance assessment, as well as more substantial activities such as organisational restructuring, role allocation, and job design. A Competency Framework requires modest investment by an airport or security contractor, can be updated over time to reflect new tasks and organisational structures, but is a very powerful tool in understanding how to achieve a high- performing security workforce. One human resourcing issue that is often overlooked but is inextricably linked to security officer competence and performance is employee wellbeing. Once new security officers finish their formal training, the responsibility for their day-to-day contact typically transfers to a team leader or duty manager. The problem experienced at many airports, within both federalised and privatised security


June 2012 Aviationsecurityinternational www.asi-mag.com 19


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