Airside Operations Safety: Understanding the Effects of Human Factors (2022)

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24 Airside Personnel – Attributes/ Traits and Hiring Practices Part of the strategy to effectively manage the risks posed by human factors is for airports to hire personnel who have demonstrated the capacity or show the potential to operate safely in the airside environment and to develop the required skills through training and mentoring. Interviews with staff from 10 airports were conducted in order to discover how airports of various sizes and complexities have identified and understood the personal attributes/traits that positively or negatively influence an individual’s ability to operate safely, as well as to discover what hiring practices were found to be effective in identifying and selecting individuals for jobs that require them to operate in the airside environment. The airport staff interviewed were primarily individuals that played a formal or informal role in the training and development of personnel that would operate in the airside environment. Many of the individuals were responsible for formal airside training programs (e.g., movement area driver training), while others served in a supervisory or mentorship role for personnel that operate in the airside environment. The following airports participated in the interviews: • Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) • Denver International Airport (DEN) • Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) • Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) • Sacramento International Airport (SMF) • Dayton International Airport (DAY) • El Paso International Airport (ELP) • Blue Grass Airport (LEX) • Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) • Lebanon Municipal Airport (LEB) 4.1 Beneficial Attributes and Traits The interviews yielded many common attributes/traits that were either positive or negative for safely operating in the airside environ- ment. It should be noted that the presence or absence of any of the identified positive or negative attributes/traits within an individual should not be used as the only criteria for evaluating their ability to operate safely in the airside environment. Other factors, such as orga- nizational culture, supervision, training, policies/procedures, and safety systems, greatly influence an individual’s ability to operate safely in the airside environment. Table 4-1 summarizes the positive and negative attributes/traits that were identified through the interviews. Each of these items is discussed in more detail in the remainder of this section. C H A P T E R   4 Factors such as organizational culture, supervision, training, policies/proce- dures, and safety systems greatly influ- ence an individual’s ability to operate safely in the airside environment.

Airside Personnel – Attributes/Traits and Hiring Practices 25   Additionally, the table notes connection points between various positive and negative attributes/ traits. It should also be noted that the absence of one or more of the positive attributes/traits could be considered a negative (e.g., absence of a high attention to detail). 4.1.1 Driver Confidence, Willingness to Accept Training, and Willingness to Ask Questions Driver confidence is an important but complicated factor that contributes to an individual’s ability to operate safely in the airfield environment. Ideally, a driver should have a sufficient level of confi- dence to be able to use airfield radios and make effective decisions. However, over confidence can lead to an unwillingness to recognize unsafe circumstances or accept training to improve driver knowledge and abilities. Conversely, a lack of confidence can hamper a driver’s ability to make good decisions and use airfield radios properly. Confidence is typically developed by effectively completing a task several times. As a result, effective training and mentorship programs that enable new individuals to test and develop their skills to gain confidence are critical. As part of these programs, care should be taken to identify individuals who are overconfident or lack confidence, and they should be coached appropriately. A willingness to ask questions about how to operate safely in the airside environment and to clarify understanding of operational clearances were considered positive characteristics. 4.1.2 Attention to Detail, Active Listening, Thinking Ahead, and Situational Awareness During the airport interviews, common positive attributes contributing to solid decision making were identified, including employees’ attention to detail and the ability to visualize what is going on around them while in the airside environment. Several airports referred to these attributes collectively as having “good situational awareness.” The importance of honing the listening and comprehension skills of airside drivers related to radio communications was highlighted. These skills enhance the ability of a driver to understand where aircraft and other vehicles are located, where they are going, and how their movements affect the driver. Most of the airport staff interviewed also mentioned that the absence of these attributes typically led to an increased potential for safety errors. Beneficial Challenging • Ability to identify, assess, and mitigate hazards while operating in the airside environment • High attention to detail • Willingness to accept training and learn (connected to negative trait related to overconfidence) • Willingness to ask questions • Being an active listener • Ability to think ahead • Ability to maintain situational awareness • Ability to manage multiple complex tasks simultaneously • A good driver outside of work • Sufficient (but not excessive) confidence in ability and understanding of driving requirements, rules, and environment • Poor communication skills • No vested or professional interest in the job • Overconfidence (unwilling to recognize mistakes or need for training/development) • Insufficient level of confidence • Fixation on a single task, which causes failures with other tasks (e.g., tunnel vision) • Complacency • Lack of familiarity with airport environment and equipment (e.g., radios, aircraft, airfield vehicles) Table 4-1. Summary of beneficial and challenging personal attributes/traits. Driver confidence is an important but complicated factor that contributes to an individual’s ability to operate safely in the airfield environment.

26 Airside Operations Safety: Understanding the Effects of Human Factors Attention to detail and situational awareness are not always easily observed in a classroom- style training environment. Consequently, many airports expressed the importance of allowing trainees to gain real-world experience while being chaperoned by a more experienced individual who can work with the trainee, better understand their aptitude for situational awareness, and recommend any additional training needed to improve in this area. 4.1.3 Ability to Identify, Assess, and Mitigate Hazards Another important skill for airside personnel that was pointed out during the interviews is the ability to identify potential safety hazards (e.g., aircraft operating around them, jet blasts) and take the appropriate action to prevent a safety incident from occurring. Many times, the ability to identify potential hazards comes from experience operating in the airside environment and knowledge of the aircraft that operate at the airport. It was mentioned that individuals with pilot experience or other aviation-related experience (e.g., air traffic) have an advanced understanding of airfield operations and therefore typically perform better. 4.1.4 Managing Multiple Complex Tasks Simultaneously Versus Fixation Operating in the airside environment typically requires an indi- vidual to perform two or more tasks simultaneously. For example, air- port operations personnel typically drive on the airfield but must also inspect the airfield for safety deficiencies and see and avoid aircraft. As a result, it is especially important to avoid fixation on a single task while operating on the airfield (e.g., inspecting the airfield) at the expense of not performing another essential task required to operate safely in the environment (e.g., see and avoid aircraft). Individuals prone to task fixation or who struggle to manage multiple tasks at the same time typically have more difficulty operating safely in the airside environment. 4.1.5 Good Driving Outside of Work Many airports identified that individuals who were good drivers outside of work (e.g., fewer vehicle moving violations) tended to be better at operating a vehicle in the airside environment. It is also important to note that, in some urbanized environments, airport staff may not own a personal vehicle. Consequently, they may only operate a vehicle while at work. If an individual has limited experience operating a vehicle, additional training/familiarization may be needed regarding the general operation of vehicles. 4.2 Challenging Attributes and Traits 4.2.1 Poor Communications Skills Effective communication skills were generally seen as a requirement to be able to operate safely in the airfield environment. Individuals with poor communication skills generally struggle with radio communica- tion or are more likely to be susceptible to making communication- related errors. Several airports identified poor communication as the primary contributing factor to most V/PDs at their airports. Poor communication can manifest itself in many ways, including becoming Operating in the airside environment typically requires an individual to perform two or more tasks simultaneously. Individuals prone to task fixation . . . have more difficulty operating safely. Poor communication can manifest itself in many ways, including becoming lax with proper phraseology and terminology, failing to ask questions when a clearance/request is unclear, and failing to effec tively communicate intentions or requests.

Airside Personnel – Attributes/Traits and Hiring Practices 27   lax with proper phraseology and terminology, failing to ask questions when a movement area clearance/request is unclear, and failing to effectively communicate intentions or requests. Effective communicators are willing to ask questions when communication is unclear, consis- tently use proper terminology/phraseology, and clearly communicate their intents/requests when operating in the airside environment. 4.2.2 No Vested/Professional Interest Airports typically reported seeing more safety issues with individuals who did not demonstrate a vested or professional interest in the job they were performing. The attitude of “this is just a job” and not a career or profession typically led to a diminished level of proficiency and care when operating in the airside environment. Individuals who saw their job as a career opportunity or a professional interest typically demonstrated a higher level of care and responsibility when operating in the airside environment. 4.2.3 Complacency Multiple airports highlighted the importance for individuals to guard against becoming complacent in the performance of their duties in the airside environment. Complacency can lead to decision errors or failure to recognize hazards. Many times, this occurs with duties an individual performs repeatedly, which can lead to a false sense of security. Regular, recurrent training and testing were identified as ways to guard against complacency. 4.2.4 Lack of Familiarity with Equipment/Airport Familiarity with the airport and the equipment a person will be using (e.g., vehicle, radio) was identified as essential to safely operating in the airside environment. A lack of familiarity with these items increases the potential for someone to make an error. As a result, it is important that individuals be properly trained on the equipment they will be using and the airfield layout. Representatives from the Blue Grass Airport mentioned that some individuals struggle with understanding airfield markings and signage. As a result, the airport painted various airfield markings at its regional aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) training center to allow individuals to see what various markings looked like prior to operating a vehicle on the airfield. 4.3 Effective Hiring Practices Hiring the right people to work in the airside environment is a critical decision for improving the safety of airside operations. Consistently hiring individuals that possess the positive attributes/ traits described in the previous section and taking appropriate training and mentorship actions should generally help improve safety in the airside environment. For the purposes of this discussion, hiring does not solely focus on the act of selecting an individual to work in the airside environment; it also includes the initial training and coaching of the individual prior to the person working in the airfield environment without direct and immediate supervision (e.g., someone doing the task with them). During interviews, airport staff were asked about their hiring and on-boarding practices related to individuals working in the airside environment. Additionally, they were asked what hiring practices they have found most effective for selecting individuals well suited to work in that environment. Some of the effective hiring and on-boarding practices that were identified are discussed in the following.

28 Airside Operations Safety: Understanding the Effects of Human Factors 4.3.1 Personality Assessments Representatives from several airports stated that they used personality assessments to better understand the attributes and traits of the individuals they were hiring. Some airports even hired outside consultancies to facilitate these personality assessments. The results of the assessments were used to identify and understand the potential positive and negative attributes/traits of those operating in the airside environment. 4.3.2 Supervision and Observation In general, all airports identified close initial supervision and observation of new employees as being critical to effective hiring. Some airport organizations have established probationary periods for new employees to give the individual and organization an opportunity to verify the indi- vidual’s ability to satisfactorily complete their assigned duties. During this initial on-boarding phase, it is critical that more experienced personnel observe new personnel to identify potential deficiencies and provide coaching/training to address those deficiencies. 4.3.3 Experience Considerations for Task/Role to Be Completed and Environmental Factors Several airport representatives stated that the overall experience and aptitude of a person needed to be considered when assigning them a specific task or role in the airside environment. For example, while an individual may be able to operate a vehicle safely in the movement area during normal conditions, an airport may not want to require the individual to perform the same task under different circumstances with complicating environmental factors (e.g., winter weather, low visibility) unless the individual has training or experience with these circumstances. Airports may want to establish special training and practical demonstration requirements for individuals that need to operate in these circumstances. 4.3.4 Multi-Layered Testing Program Multiple airport representatives stated that they believed it was essential to establish multi- layered testing programs for new employees. Many times, training is primarily completed in a classroom setting with a test at the end of the training course. However, individuals should be required to satisfactorily perform their tasks or duties in the airside environment under the observation of a supervisor. Individuals should be required to demonstrate proficiency under various complicating environmental conditions, including poor weather, reduced visibility, and winter weather. 4.4 Toronto as a Model The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) had a number of special practices related to training design and hiring to improve the safety of airside operations. GTAA hired a behav- ioral science company to conduct interviews with employees to identify and document negative attitudes/perceptions and develop programs for improvement. One negative attitude that was identified was individuals being focused only on their own actions and not working as a team. As a result, GTAA designed new training and safety promotion strategies to cultivate more of a team approach. Additionally, GTAA redesigned its airside driver training program because it felt that the program was focused on teaching people what they needed to know to obtain their license to drive on the airfield rather than on what they needed to know to operate safely in the environment.