FROM THE EDITOR
SAFETY
“IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR PERFECT SAFETY, YOU WILL DO WELL TO SIT ON A FENCE AND WATCH THE BIRDS; BUT IF YOU REALLY WISH TO LEARN, YOU MUST MOUNT A MACHINE AND BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH ITS TRICKS BY ACTUAL TRIAL.” – WILBUR WRIGHT, FROM AN ADDRESS TO THE WESTERN SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS IN CHICAGO, 18 SEPTEMBER 1901.
Welcome to our annual Summer bonus
digital edition of D.O.M. magazine. This month, we have put together numerous articles that focus on Safety. Our contributing human factors writer Gordon Dupont feels that Safety is so important that we should always capitalize the word. If you have been paying attention to his articles, you will notice that “Safety” is always capitalized. I have chosen to do the same in this editorial column. The quote at the beginning of this
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
JOE ESCOBAR
jescobar@DOMmagazine.com 920.747.0195
column attributed to Wilbur Wright highlights a different culture of Safety that existed in the early days of aviation. Back then, pilots took risks every time they got behind the controls of an aircraft. Many aviators died in those early aviation days as they pushed the limits of those early flying machines. Mechanics were also learning as they went along. There were no mentors to teach them the ins-and-outs of proper maintenance! There were no maintenance manuals. When early maintenance manuals came out, they didn’t provide much information. I remember reading an old DC-3 maintenance manual a few years back and laughed out loud when I saw the reference to adjusting cable tensions. It said something like, “Adjust cables so they don’t flop, but not so tight that they bind.” Those early mechanics were mostly “winging it.” Fast forward to aviation today. Mechanics and pilots apply Safety measures every day. The aircraft we work on have redundant systems and lots of Safety measures built in. We use PPE to protect our bodies from environmental dangers. We rely on maintenance manuals, illustrated parts catalogs and other technical information to ensure we are properly maintaining the aircraft we work on. Many aviation companies even have dedicated Safety departments and personnel.
4
DOMmagazine.com | aug 2019 We are much more informed as
individuals than those early mechanics were. Yet accidents and incidents still happen. It’s our human characteristics that allow this to happen. As Patrick Kinane says in his article on page 48, “A person is a fallible being with an irrational brain that does not think like a machine.” Norms contribute to unsafe behaviors.
Why is the mechanic standing on top of a step stool placed on a work platform without any sort of fall protection? Because, “That’s the way we’ve always done it around here.” Distraction can lead to Safety issues. Have
you ever been in the middle of a task when you were called away? How do we ensure that we pick up where we left off? Fatigue is also dangerous. Many of us have been there — working long hours to get the aircraft out on schedule. Studies have shown that working after 18 hours is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of 0.05% - 0.10%! Is that truly Safe? In fact, all human factors affect Safety. As
a refresher, the Dirty Dozen are Fatigue, Complacency, Lack of Resources, Lack of Communication, Norms, Distraction, Stress, Pressure, Lack of Teamwork, Lack of Awareness, Lack of Knowledge and Lack of Assertiveness Dupont graciously educates our readers on Human Factors each month in his regular column, The Human Error. All of his past articles are available to read on
www.DOMmagazine.com. You can also visit
www.system-safety.com
to learn more about Dupont and his team and the training they provide. His website also provides plenty of resources to help people learn even more about Human Factors. Thanks for reading and stay Safe! Joe
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
