Fitness, Stress & Time Pressure (9.4.1-3) PDF

Fitness, Stress and Time Pressure (9.4.1-3) Learning Objectives 9.4.1.1 Explain the regulatory requirements for tness to conduct aircraft maintenance (Level 2). 9.4.1.2 Describe positive measures to maintain health, including nutrition and hydration (Level 2). 9.4.2.1 Describe acut...

Fitness, Stress and Time Pressure (9.4.1-3) Learning Objectives 9.4.1.1 Explain the regulatory requirements for tness to conduct aircraft maintenance (Level 2). 9.4.1.2 Describe positive measures to maintain health, including nutrition and hydration (Level 2). 9.4.2.1 Describe acute stress and chronic stress (Level 2). 9.4.2.2 Explain the causes and symptoms of stress, types of domestic stress initiators (Level 2). 9.4.2.3 Explain typical causes of work-related stress and how the stresses may be managed (Level 2). 9.4.3.1 Describe how time pressure and deadlines are common in aircraft maintenance and how they may add to workplace stress levels (Level 2). 9.4.3.2 Describe strategies for managing the effects of time pressure and deadlines (Level 2). Summary The performance abilities and limitations of AMEs have already been described in this module. Other factors may also affect the maintenance worker, potentially rendering them less able to carry out their work and maintain the levels of safety required. These factors include tness and health, stress, time pressures, workload, fatigue and the effects of medication, alcohol and drugs. These subjects are discussed in this chapter. 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 131 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Overall Fitness and Health Introduction Working in an aircraft maintenance environment can be physically demanding. In addition, the work may have to be carried out in widely varying physical environments, including cramped spaces, temperature extremes, etc. These aspects of the physical environment are discussed later in this module. There are at present no de ned requirements for physical or mental tness for maintenance staff. Aviation regulators put responsibility for self-analysis on the individual to determine whether they are t for work. Regulations state, for example: ‘The holder of an AME’s licence shall not exercise the privileges of such a licence if he knows or suspects that their physical or mental condition renders him un t to exercise such privileges.’ There are two aspects to tness and health: The overall health and suitability of aircraft maintenance personnel prior to taking on employment. The day-to-day well-being of the maintenance professional once employed. An engineer may have reduced ability to perform maintenance or carry out inspections if they are in poor physical tness or health. For example, they may be constrained in some way, such as by a chronic illness causing restriction to freedom of movement, or poor eyesight. In addition, an airworthiness authority, when determining whether to issuie a licence, will consider these factors and may judge the condition to be of such signi cance that a licence could not be issued. This would not, however, affect the individual’s possibility of obtaining employment in an alternative post within the industry, where tness and health requirements are less stringent. 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 132 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Image by skeeze from Pixabay The individual has the responsibility to determine whether they are t for work 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 133 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Pre-employment Health Some employers may require a medical examination upon commencement of employment. This allows them to judge the tness and health of an applicant, which may also satisfy some insurance- related need. Aspects of health which may deteriorate over time, such as eyesight or hearing, are usually tested at pre-employment so that any worsening of the condition can be measured during the employment term. Image by Pexels Some employers may require a medical examination upon commencement of employment 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 134 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Fitness to Conduct Aircraft Maintenance Fitness and health can have a signi cant effect on job performance (both physical and cognitive). Day- to-day tness and health can be degraded through major or minor illness (physical or mental) or major or minor injury. Day-to-day tness is also subject to the effects of toxins and other foreign substances (such as carbon monoxide poisoning, alcohol, illicit drugs, etc.) CASR Part-66.150 speci es that: A Licensed AME commits an offence if: At a particular time, he or she exercises a privilege mentioned in the Part 66 Manual of Standards for his or her aircraft engineer licence or for a rating endorsed on the licence; and At that time: He or she knows that he or she has a medically signi cant condition; and The condition is safety relevant. A similar statement in EASA Part 66 speci es that: ‘certifying staff must not exercise the privileges of their certi cation authorisation if they know or suspect that their physical or mental condition renders them un t.’ Responsibility falls upon the individual aircraft maintenance worker to determine whether they are not well enough to work on a particular day. Alternatively, their colleagues or supervisor may persuade or advise them to absent themselves until they feel better. In effect, it is a legal requirement for aircraft maintenance workers to make sure they are t for work. Image by skeeze from Pixabay It is a legal requirement for aircraft maintenance workers to make sure they are t for work 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 135 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Positive Measures to Maintain Health AMEs can take common sense steps to maintain their tness and health. These include: Eating regular meals and a well-balanced diet; Getting suf cient good quality rest and sleep; Taking regular exercise (exercise suf cient to double the resting pulse rate for 20 minutes, three times a week is often recommended); Stopping smoking; Sensible alcohol intake (for men, this is no more than 3 - 4 units a day or 28 per week, where a unit is equivalent to a middy of beer or a glass of wine or a nip of spirits). Day-to-day health and tness can be in uenced by the use of medication, alcohol and illicit drugs. Image by RitaE from Pixabay Regular meals and a well-balanced diet help maintain tness and health 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 136 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  An Ideal Diet There are many general guidelines for an ideal diet, but consideration must always be made for the lifestyle a person leads. For example, a low kilojoule diet is appropriate if a person is trying to lose weight, but if they are also exercising heavily, then some suggested low kilojoule diets may be too low in necessary proteins. These notes provide generalised suggestions only. Image by Louis Hansel @shotso ouis on Unsplash Dietry consideration must always be made for the lifestyle a person leads 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 137 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Hydration The human body requires water for the day-to-day functioning of the body at a cellular level. Humans lose water constantly through breathing, sweating and excretion, so if water is not replaced regularly, dehydration can occur. Image by Arnie Watkins from Pexels The human body requires water for the day-to-day functioning 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 138 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Dehydration Dehydration has the ability to induce fatigue with the resulting reduction in judgment, all without us even being aware of it: 1. Our body is made up of about 60% water; 2. Our brain is made up of 85% water and requires a very narrow range of water content to remain at its peak; 3. We lose just over 2 litres of water per normal day through breathing, perspiring and excreting; 4. Without water, we can live only about 3 days; 5. If working outside on a hot day, a person can lose about 1 litre of water per hour; 6. Doctors say that up to 75% of people do not drink enough water, which translates to dehydration. Image by Shirley Tan from Pexels Some uids can dehydrate the body 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 139 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Replenishing Fluids It is often said that any uid is better than nothing, but also remember that certain substances such as caffeine and alcohol can have a diuretic effect, causing the body to lose more water than it consumes. But generally, any liquid will have a short-term positive effect on dehydration. It is important to replenish uids 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 140 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Stress: Domestic and Work-Related Introduction Stress is an inescapable part of life. Stress can be de ned as any force, that when applied to a system, causes some signi cant modi cation of its form, where forces can be physical, psychological or due to social pressures. From a human viewpoint, stress results from the imposition of any demand or set of demands which require us to react, adapt or behave in a particular manner in order to cope with or satisfy them. Up to a point, such demands are stimulating and useful, but if the demands are beyond our personal capacity to deal with them, the resulting stress is a problem. Acute or Chronic Stress Stress can be: Acute - intense, short duration, occasional stimulus Chronic - long duration with frequent or constant stimulus. Moderate stress or arousal is necessary for motivation, work performance and good mental health. But stress at excessive or chronic levels can be harmful to individuals and degrades work performance. Image by Kat Jayne from Pexels Stress at excessive or chronic levels can be harmful to individuals 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 141 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Causes and Symptoms of Stress Stress is usually experienced due to the presence of some form of stressor, which might be a one-off stimulus (such as a challenging problem or a punch in the nose), or an on-going factor (such as an extremely hot hangar or a bitter divorce). From these we get acute stress (typically intense but of short duration) and chronic stress (frequent recurrence or of long duration) respectively. Different stressors affect different people to varying extents. Causes of stress may be: Physical - such as heat, cold, noise, vibration, or presence of something damaging to health (e.g., carbon monoxide). Psychological - such as emotional upset (e.g., due to bereavements, domestic problems, etc.), or worries about real or imagined problems (e.g., due to nancial problems, ill health, etc.). Reactive - such as events occurring in everyday life (e.g., working under time pressure, encountering unexpected situations, etc.). Image by Pedro Figueras from Pexels Reactive stress is a result of events that can occur in everyday life 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 142 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Types of Stressors The human body is susceptible to many types of physical and mental challenges which can cause stress. These include: Physical - heat, noise, vibration, etc. Social - anxiety, incentives, group pressures Drugs - alcohol, nicotine, medication, etc. Work - boredom, fatigue, sleep deprivation too much to do in too little time Body clock - shift changes, jet lag Personal - domestic worries, aches and pains, feeling sick, etc. 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 143 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Effects of Stress Possible signs of stress can include: Physiological symptoms - such as sweating, dryness of the mouth, etc. Health effects - such as nausea, headaches, sleep problems, diarrhoea, ulcers, etc. Behavioural symptoms - such as restlessness and irritability, shaking, nervous laughter, taking longer over tasks, changes to appetite, excessive drinking, etc. Cognitive effects - such as poor concentration, indecision, forgetfulness, mistakes, etc. Subjective effects - such as anxiety, irritability, depression, moodiness, aggression, etc. It should be noted that individuals respond to stressful situations in very different ways. Generally speaking, though, people tend to regard negative stress situations (e.g., being made redundant at work) as more stressful than positive stress situations (e.g., being present at the birth of a child). Management has a duty to identify individuals who may be suffering from stress and to minimise workplace stresses. Individual cases can be helped by sympathetic and skilful counselling which allows a return to effective work and certi cation duties. Image by Alexander Dummer from Pexels Individuals respond to stressful situations in very different ways 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 144 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Domestic Stress When aircraft maintenance workers go to work, they cannot leave stresses associated with home behind. Pre-occupation with a source of domestic stress can play on one’s mind during the working day, distracting from the task at hand. Inability to concentrate fully may affect the engineer’s task performance and ability to pay due attention to safety. Domestic stress typically results from major life changes at home, such as marriage, birth of a child, a son or daughter leaving home, bereavement of a close family member or friend, marital problems, or divorce. Image by Kaboompics.com from Pexels A source of domestic stress can play on one’s mind during the working day 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 145 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Work-Related Stress AMEs can experience stress for two reasons at work - because of the task or job they are undertaking at that moment, or because of the general organisational environment. Stress can be felt when carrying out certain tasks that are particularly challenging or dif cult. This stress can be increased by lack of guidance in the situation, or by time pressures to complete the task or job (covered later in this chapter). This type of stress can be reduced by careful management, good training, etc. Within the organisation, the social and managerial aspects of work can be stressful. Peer pressure, organisational culture and management can all be stressors to individuals. In the commercial world that AMEs work in, shift patterns, lack of control over one’s own workload, company reorganisation and job uncertainty can also be sources of stress. Stress Management Once we become aware of stress, we generally respond to it by using one of two strategies: defence or coping. Defence strategies involve alleviation of the symptoms (taking medication, alcohol, etc.) or reducing the anxiety (e.g., denying that there is a problem or blaming someone else). Denial, or shifting the blame for the stress to someone or something else, quite obviously does nothing to ease the situation. Coping strategies involve dealing with the source of the stress rather than just the symptoms (e.g., delegating workload, prioritising tasks, sorting out the problem, etc.). Coping is the process whereby the individual either adjusts to the perceived demands of the situation or changes the situation itself. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to deal with the problem if it is outside the control of the individual (such as during an emergency). But there are well-published techniques for helping individuals to cope with stress. Good stress management techniques include: Relaxation techniques Careful regulation of sleep and diet A regime of regular physical exercise Counselling - ranging from talking to a supportive friend or colleague to seeking professional advice. 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 146 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  There is no magic formula to cure stress and anxiety, merely common sense and practical advice. Stress is part of our lifestyle. It is inevitable but manageable. Individual management of stress is relatively easy once learnt. But we each have to learn a way that suits us and adopt techniques that work best. The objective is not to confront stress head-on. The idea is to defuse it, to divide it into manageable chunks, and to remind yourself that it is temporary. It will pass and there is a future. Alcohol does not defuse stress; it masks and defers it and then it is added to the stress of the next day. Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay Stress is part of our lifestyle - it is inevitable but manageable Managing Stress in the Workplace Managers have a responsibility to make the workplace as comfortable as possible for their employees. This includes keeping stress to a manageable level. Managers must identify and remove stressors or minimise their effects. They also should identify and assist employees they consider susceptible to stress or otherwise at risk. 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 147 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Strategies for Coping with or Defusing Stress Strategies for coping with stress include: Exercise /sports Physical demand takes your mind off mental problems and is good for you. Physical demand that also demands mental concentration is even better i.e., golf, or sailing, is more diverting than jogging. Fresh air The wide world around us helps keep everything in perspective. Diversions/hobbies Mental and manipulative occupation is a marvellous relaxant something that requires total concentration. Relaxation therapy and meditation These use the same technique of mental occupation and diversion so that the build-up of stress is de ated by inattention. It is not the same as lying in the sun and snoozing as the brain can still dwell on the problem without something to distract it. These are effective and easy-to-learn techniques for focusing the conscious mind on a trivial routine, like breathing in and out. Image by Sage Friedman on Unsplash Relaxation therapy and meditation are examples of strategies 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 148 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Time Pressure and Deadlines Introduction Most commercial industries impose some form of deadline, and consequently time pressure, on their employees. Aircraft maintenance is no exception. One of the potential stressors in maintenance is time pressure. This might be actual pressure in which clearly speci ed deadlines are imposed by an external source (e.g., management or supervisors) and passed on to engineers. Or it may be perceived pressure in which engineers feel that there are time pressures when carrying out tasks, although no de nitive deadlines have been set. In addition, time pressure may be self-imposed, in which case engineers set themselves deadlines to complete work (e.g., completing a task before a break or before the end of a shift). Image by Pexels One potential stressors in maintenance is time pressure 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 149 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Operational Con ict Management has contractual pressures associated with ensuring an aircraft is released to service within the time frame speci ed by customers. Striving for higher aircraft utilisation means more maintenance must be accomplished in fewer hours, with these hours frequently being at night. Failure to do so can impact ight punctuality and passenger satisfaction. Thus, AMEs have two driving forces: The deadlines handed down to them. Their responsibilities to carry out a safe job. The potential con ict between these two driving pressures can cause problems. The Effects of Time Pressure and Deadlines As with stress, it is generally thought that some time pressure is stimulating and may actually improve task performance. However, it is almost certainly true that excessive time pressure (either actual or perceived, external or self-imposed), is likely to mean that due care and attention when carrying out tasks diminishes, and more errors will be made. Ultimately, these errors can lead to aircraft incidents and accidents. 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 150 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only  Managing Time Pressure and Deadlines One potential method of managing time pressures exerted on engineers is through regulation. For example, FAA research has highlighted the need to isolate AMEs from commercial pressures. They propose this would help to ensure that airworthiness issues will always take precedence over commercial and time pressures. Time pressures can make ‘corner-cutting’ a cultural norm in an organisation. Sometimes, only an incident or accident reveals such norms. Those responsible for setting deadlines and allocating tasks should consider: Prioritising various pieces of work that need to be done The actual time available to carry out work (considering breaks, shift handovers, etc.) The personnel available throughout the job (allowing a contingency for illness) The most appropriate utilisation of staff (considering an engineer’s specialisation, strengths and limitations) Availability of parts and spares. It is important that engineering staff at all levels are not afraid to voice concerns about inappropriate deadlines, and if necessary, cite the need to do a safe job when deadlines seem too short. Within aircraft maintenance, responsibility should be spread across all those who play a part. Image by Tyler Harris on Unsplash Engineering staff at all levels should not be afraid to voice concerns about inappropriate deadlines 2023-01-12 B-09 Human Factors Page 151 of 340 CASA Part 66 - Training Materials Only