The need for a multi-factorial model of safe human performance in air traffic control

• Authors: Tamsyn Edwards;Sarah Sharples;John R. Wilson;Barry Kirwan
• Venue: Proceedings of the 28th Annual European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics
• Year: 2010

Motivation -- A review of the focus on single-factor effects on performance, and understanding of how this focus on single factors is relevant to human performance decrements and incidents in an Air Traffic Control environment. Research approach -- A literature review of 83 articles investigating human factor interactions, followed by an analysis of 420 European aviation incident reports. Findings/Design -- The results suggest that Human Factors approaches reported in the literature are fundamentally single-factor, or at most two-factor in nature. Multiple factor co-occurrences were found to exist throughout aviation incident reports. Research limitations/Implications -- It is believed that reporting biases may have impacted the accuracy of incident reports. Data may therefore need to be interpreted with some caution. The implication of the contrasting findings from literature and incident reports suggests the need now for a new approach to understanding how multiple human factors impact performance, how incidents occur, and how they can be prevented. Originality/Value -- This research demonstrates the need for a modified focus in human factor literature, and encourages further investigation of the impact of multiple factor interactions on performance decrements, especially within safety-critical environments. Take away message -- A multi-factor approach to human performance is needed to explain and prevent performance decrements in safety critical environments.