THE HUMAN ERROR Lack of Assertiveness By Gordon Dupont, System Safety Services
L
ack of assertiveness has been a contributing factor in way too many accidents. Looking at the cartoon takes us back to a fatal float plane accident up north many years ago. A conscious aircraft maintenance
engineer (AME) found a corroded rudder cable just inside the empennage on a routine annual inspection. He brought it to the attention of the owner of the aircraft, who said that he would order a cable for the next inspection as the cable didn’t look that bad. Not long after, the cable failed on a cross wind take-off, allowing a wing to dip and the aircraft to cartwheel violently and sink in the water. Four passen- gers were able to escape the sunk aircraft that hung under one float, but the owner, who was flying and not wearing the available shoulder harness, was not one of the fortunate four. By not wearing the shoulder harness, he had received a blow to his head that likely rendered him dazed long enough for him to drown. The AME was in the first boat to arrive on the scene. Looking down through the water, he saw one end of the broken cable attached to the rudder. One can only imagine the horror he must have felt when he realized that he had contributed to this error. His lack of assertiveness in doing
what he knew should have been done had cost three lives. The license suspension by the regulatory body meant nothing to him. He never touched an aircraft again and left the aviation industry. Lack of assertiveness is failing to act in a bold and confident manner on safety concerns. It also is failing to listen to views of others before making a decision. Failing to listen puts you in the aggressive category. Listening means that you are assertive and willing to hear what others have to say, but you still make the safety decision after taking their views into account. The image below illustrates that important balance.
04 2015 16
DOMmagazine
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