Human Factors in Maintenance Flashcards

In James Reason's error classification, a technician who intends to torque a bolt but forgets to do so after being interrupted has committed which type of error?

Answer: Lapse

A lapse is a memory failure in which an intended action is forgotten, often after an interruption.

What does the PEAR model used in aviation maintenance human factors stand for?

Answer: People, Environment, Actions, Resources

PEAR (People, Environment, Actions, Resources) is the FAA-endorsed framework for looking at human factors in maintenance.

Under the OSHA occupational noise standard, at what 8-hour time-weighted average does an employer have to start a hearing conservation program?

Answer: 85 dBA

OSHA sets the action level for a hearing conservation program at an 85 dBA 8-hour TWA, and the permissible exposure limit at 90 dBA.

In the SHELL model, the 'L-E' interface describes the relationship between the technician and what?

Answer: The working environment, such as lighting, noise and temperature

In SHELL, E stands for Environment, so the L-E interface covers how physical conditions affect the person at the center.

A technician signs off a task as complete because 'we always do it this way,' even though the method differs from the maintenance manual. This is best described as:

Answer: A routine violation driven by a group norm

Routinely departing from approved procedures because of an accepted shop practice is a routine violation reinforced by a negative norm.

Which hazardous attitude is shown by a mechanic who says, 'Nothing bad will happen; I've skipped that check a hundred times'?

Answer: Invulnerability

Believing that accidents happen to other people is the invulnerability attitude.

According to the Yerkes-Dodson relationship, how does task performance relate to arousal or stress?

Answer: Performance peaks at a moderate level of arousal and drops at the extremes

Yerkes-Dodson describes an inverted-U curve, with the best performance at moderate arousal.