We hope that by completing this course, you have gained insight into why it is so important for aviation mechanics to be aware of and respect the many human factors that affect our ability to perform safely. In particular, we hope that you will take advantage of the human factors mitigation strategies and safety tools we have suggested. Above all else, we hope that you have tried on your human factors spectacles and taken a glimpse at how important it is to embrace and believe in the zero violations way of thinking; not only for yourself, but also for your co-workers and the many aviation maintenance organizations that make up our industry.
The purpose of this review is to remind you what was covered in the course and to prepare you for the test. Spending a few minutes to reflect on what was taught in the course will greatly increase your ability to recall what you have learned and improve your ability to select the correct answers on the test. Of course, downloading, printing out, and reviewing the AMT General Handbook FAA-H-8083-30, chapter 14, Human Factors will greatly aid your ability to internalize and actualize this information.
Here are some of the important points made in the course:
First the course introduced what human factors are, and how the different specializations of research, psychology, engineering and science have combined and reinforced the ways we approach the human factors equation. The course visited the history and evolution of maintenance human factors and provided some insight about who the players have been along the way as the study of maintenance human factors has matured.
In the course, we discussed each of the Dirty Dozen human factors and suggested mitigation strategies and safety nets that can be utilized to protect you, your maintenance organization, the aviation maintenance industry, and the flying public from the negative consequences that can occur when unintentional human factors become causal factors for occurrences, incidents, and accidents.
We introduced tangible ways that a mechanic can utilize the human factors information. The PEAR model suggested a quick and easy way to remember the four important areas of human factors associated with creating a safe aviation maintenance industry.
We spent time to discuss and clarify the differences between unintentional and intentional human errors and qualified the intentional human error as a violation. Then we explained why the violation error is so dangerous and why it is so important to recognize when you feel the need to make the decision to be involved in a violation or not. Hopefully, we have provided you with enough food for thought that you will always choose not to violate.
The course used a hangar safety scenario to demonstrate how rationalizations can make it too easy to forget about human factors and why it is important to never forget the safety-nets that are put in place to protect from the negative consequences of unintentional human errors. We emphasized that those safety-nets come in many forms including policies, procedures, regulations, and best practices. But in order for them to work, they must be unconditionally used. When safety-nets are found to be ineffective, they need to be changed; but we must use them in order to learn when they are not doing their intended job. When they do not work, it must be reported so they can be made more effective.
We gave you some on-line resources where you can get more information about maintenance human factors and offered new ways you can look at the human factors in your hangar as soon as you go back.
Please take the time to review this course as many times as you like. Talk about what you have learned from this course with your co-workers, supervisors, and company management. Get involved in helping our industry realize that ..... “Safety Begins with Zero Violations”.
To receive appropriate course credit for this course you must:
- Have an account on FAASafety.gov
- Be logged into that account
- Be enrolled in the course
- You must visit each chapter of the course, using the navigation bars at the top or bottom of each screen, and complete all the course material found on each.
NOTE: Some links may take you to other sites or open windows on top of the course window. You will need to return to this course on FAASafety.gov to complete the exam. This might be as simple as closing all the additional windows. However, you may find it necessary to return to FAASafety.gov, log in again, and then "continue" the course from the Course List.
- Upon completion of the review section the
button will turn blue 
indicating you are ready to start the examination. Upon successful completion of the exam you are given the appropriate course credit automatically.
