The Significance of Human Error in Aviation

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Human Factors in the Aviation Industry

The aviation industry has grown into a billion dollar business since its first flight in 1903. More than 1.6 billion customers use the world commercial airlines for professional and leisure travel each year, and more than 40% of the world trade merchandises are transported by airplanes. The aviation industry is responsible for some 28 million jobs directly or indirectly, around the world (Michael, 2009).Since the mid-century, many government and private companies have been strenuously working to decrease the mishap rate in aviation, which have produced outstanding levels of safety. Granting, the overall mishap rate has dropped significantly over the years, regrettably decrease in human error associated mishaps in aviation have fail to match the decrease of disasters due to environmental and mechanical causes. Honestly, humans have been a growing cause in both military and commercial mishaps as automated equipment has become more dependable (Michael, 2009).

Humans, by our very own nature, commit errors or mistakes; for that reason, it must come as no amazement that human fault has been involved in a range of industrial mishaps, including about 80% of human error in the aviation industry. Actually, while the number of aviation mishaps related to automated failure has decreased significantly over the past 40 years; those related to human error have dropped at a much slower speed (Shappell & Wiegmann, 2003). After such findings, it would look like involvements designed in decreasing the occurrence or magnitudes of human error have not been as productive as those focused at automated or mechanical failures. Evidently, if mishaps are to be reduced more, additional importance must be employed ...

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Works Cited

Anca, J. M. 2013. “Safety Management and Human Factors” Retrieved from www.ashgate.com

"The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS)," Approach, July - August 2004 Accessed on February 27 2014 Retrieved from http://hfs.sagepub.com/

HFACS Analysis of Military and Civilian Aviation Accidents: A North American Comparison. ISASI, 2004 Retrieved from http://hfs.sagepub.com/

Matthews, Gerald. 2012 “The handbook of operator fatigue” Retrieved from www.ashgate.com

Michael, H. M. 2009. “Aviation and Safety” Retrieved from http://www.oig.dot.gov/

Reason, James, 2011 “Human Error” Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Shappell, S. A. & Wiegmann, D. A. 2003 “A human error approach to aviation accident analysis: The human factors analysis and classification system” Retrieved from http://www.errorsolutions.com/

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