Human Factors in Aviation

What is Human Factor?

Human factors can be many different things. It can be a persons attitude such as anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, resignation. Human factors can also come in the form of more physical conditions such as having a head cold, feeling fatigued, optical illusions, middle ear issues and much more. These are just some issues that are considered human factors that can cause issues in flight later on. There are some simple fixes, but others are complicated to fix and may require being grounded until the person feels better (PHAK). 

Air Traffic Control 

When people hear human factors in aviation there are different areas of concern such as maintenance, or the pilot. However, all aspects of aviation deal with human factor. Air Traffic Control can have one of the most demanding work environments. Human factor needs to be the highest priority for safety. Employees can not just show up fatigued, or feel extreme amounts of stress. Optical illusions or vision problems can also effect how employees conduct their safety procedures. Not only are there physical challenges but also mentally there needs to be open communication and proper communication between the air traffic control team and the aircraft. They need to keep cool and calm under stressful situations and learn to mitigate these issues. 

Some ways to resolve these safety challenges is to understand ones limitations, to follow safety procedures. Air Traffic Control should continue to train and update procedures as needed for any technology advances. The team should be able to watch each other ensure that if their co-workers have a sudden change in attitude or health they have the ability to leave and be replaced. There needs to be open communication within the team.