Staffing Standards for Aviation Safety Inspectors (2007) / Chapter Skim
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4 Issues to be Addressed in Staffing Models
4 Issues to be Addressed in Staffing Models
Pages 65-84
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From page 65... ...
As explained in Chapter 1, despite the directed emphasis on manpower planning, we think it essential that the human resource deficiencies be addressed in order that an intelligent manpower modeling effort can be undertaken. Issues Raised by Stakeholders The committee heard from representatives of numerous groups that are directly affected by the ASI workforce.
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From page 66... ...
That is, given a regulatory environment that mandates certain inspections, reviews, and audits, the system could not function at current ASI staffing levels without the use of competent designees. Perceived Problem Areas Stakeholders representing various groups in the aviation community identified a number of perceived problems with current ASI staffing and human resource management, often illustrating specific cases in which the number of ASIs or their collective technical capacity was deemed inadequate.
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From page 67... ...
, the Aviation Safety Action Program, or Flight Operational Quality Assurance. Some stakeholders believe that the knowledge mismatch problem and the problem of ASIs keeping current on new technologies are exacerbated by excluding them, on ethical or other grounds, from free technical training that is offered by organizations under FAA oversight.
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From page 68... ...
In general, stakeholders endorsed the idea that the FAA needs enough ASIs, properly trained and deployed, to address peak and emerging work demands, as well as to carry out routine processes. There was wide agreement that ASIs need continuing technical training on new sys
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From page 69... ...
Finally, some stakeholders believe that the FAA needs better job descriptions and knowledge, skills, and abilities inventories for ASI jobs. ASI Perspectives The committee was briefed by a number of ASI representatives during several of its meetings.
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From page 70... ...
70 STAFFING STANDARDS FOR AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTORS -- Several ASIs mentioned that technology is changing faster than guidance for the use or maintenance of that technology is developed. · Training may not be available in a timely fashion.
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From page 71... ...
The work program covers fieldwork but not important administrative activities like cataloguing and updating manuals or creating documentation related to ISO 9000 certification now being pursued by Aviation Safety (Federal Aviation Administration, 2006)
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From page 72... ...
-- Geography and the associated travel time is a major factor in the amount of time available for inspections at some flight standards district offices. · If ASIs were able to perform more of the aviation education activities included in the work program outlined in Order 1800.56F (Federal Aviation Administration, 2005a, p.
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From page 73... ...
ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED IN STAFFING MODELS 73 · Many ASIs believe the FAA headquarters is overly reactive to outside pressures and creates work by not considering the broader implications of the actions it takes. · In addition, there is a strong belief that the FAA in general and the Flight Standards Service (AFS)
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From page 74... ...
There was general agreement in the areas of training needs, issues of geographic distribution, and impacts of peak demands caused by regulation changes. The committee balanced what we heard from the stakeholders with what we read or learned from the FAA and other sources in forming a general understanding of the unique requirements or challenges involved in the development of any ASI staffing model.
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From page 75... ...
ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED IN STAFFING MODELS 75 some of which are related to the changing U.S. and global aviation landscape and others to policies and changes inside the FAA.
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From page 76... ...
. The FAA projects 155.9 million enplanements for regional carriers in 2006 and forecasts that this growth will continue at an annual average rate of 4.3 percent in revenue passenger load from 2006 to 2017, reaching 250.4 million enplanements in 2017 (Federal Aviation Administration, 2006)
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From page 77... ...
In response to these and other challenges, AFS has established international field offices in some locations. The FAA also has implemented agreements with other national and regional aviation regulatory authorities that ensure that they set and enforce quality standards equivalent to those of the FAA, so direct ASI oversight can be reduced (see, for example, Order 8100.14a, Federal Aviation Administration, 2005f)
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From page 78... ...
It was introduced in hopes of reducing the number of air carrier and general aviation accidents and improving the job training and quality for aviation safety personnel while leading to significant savings for the FAA and the aviation industry (SASO Mission Need Statement, Federal Aviation Administration, 2001)
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From page 79... ...
129-41, Federal Aviation Administration, 2005b; FAR Part 135 Amendment No. 135-81, Federal Aviation Administration, 2005c)
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From page 80... ...
Order 1800.56F (Federal Aviation Administration, 2005g) enumerates the flight standards work functions to be completed by AFS personnel.
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From page 81... ...
We learned from our interviews with job incumbents and other stakeholders that individuals enter the ASI job series from a variety of backgrounds. It appears that those individuals whose prior experience has been limited to routine repairs or installations under close monitoring or supervision from others may have an insufficient understanding of how entire systems work, and they may be unprepared to engage in preventive risk assessment following the system safety approach.
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From page 82... ...
are in place and may need to include more time for continuing technical training when determining staffing levels for some ASI positions. Lack of Performance Criteria for ASIs.
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From page 83... ...
This finding suggests that a measure of work quality or thoroughness, rather than merely a count of tasks accomplished, may be needed to reveal shortfalls in ASI staffing. Implications for ASI staffing: Clearly, neither definition nor measurement of performance is a simple matter for the ASI job domain, but both will be critical to the development of a useful staffing model.
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From page 84... ...
Whereas Chapter 2 provided guidance on the formal properties that should be considered in developing such a model, this chapter completes the picture by identifying the substantive aspects of the ASI staffing situation that must be accommodated in it. One recurrent theme, introduced in Chapter 1 and sustained through the report, is that no modeling effort, however well conceived, can succeed without the development of defensible human resource management elements -- in particular, meaningful performance measures, accurately maintained job descriptions with matching requirements, and the institutional commitment not only to implement the model properly but also to maintain it.
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