Global War On Error®
Aviation is a very error intolerant environment.
Tell me something we don’t know do I hear you cry?
In June 09 I attended a one day CASA sponsored seminar in Perth given by the internationally recognised error management expert, Tony Kern.
The full-day seminar covered:
· background to human error: physiology and psychology
· violation and error-producing conditions & countermeasures for LAMEs & pilots
· developing a personal safety management system (PSMS) to integrate seamlessly with organisational safety management systems
· flight discipline & compliance: the cornerstone of professionalism
· practical error management – tips & strategies for individuals.
It was most interesting and time very well spent, indeed it dovetailed well into my own personal thoughts on continuous improvement and SMS’s generally. What was new of course was the personal error aspects.
Then in mid July I received an email from Tony Kern’s organisation “Convergent Performance.”, with an invitation to take a new on line training course. Being an LAME I naturally chose the “Maintenance Reliability Certification Program”. I found some concepts of the training a tad difficult to grasp but after some solid hours of reading, thinking and testing I got most of it. The web site presentation is easy to follow and manipulate making learning that much easier.
What I really thought was very interesting was the blend of some common sense error reduction methods to issues that I believe in Australian GA we are particularly guilty of.
Each module must be taken and passed in sequential order with a minimum pass mark of 80%.
To quote the Convergent Performance web site:
“The Maintenance Reliability Certification program takes the proven principles of error control and tailors them specifically for maintenance technicians and logistical support personnel, focusing on the unique environment and demands of the aviation support professions. The MRC is a comprehensive human factors curriculum designed to provide individual maintenance and logistics professionals with a world class understanding of human error causes and countermeasures, all leading to reliable mission accomplishment.”
The MRC program has four modules:
· MRC 101: Professional Discipline: The Cornerstone of Aviation Maintenance
· MRC 102: Mind-Body Link: Physiology and Psychology of Human Error
· MRC 103: The Many Faces of Error in Aviation Maintenance (Personal Error Awareness and Reduction)
· MRC 104: Essential Foundations of Maintenance Resource Management (MRM)
Other highly recommended courses include:
“Pilot Reliability Certification is a comprehensive human-factors curriculum and mentorship program designed to provide individual aviators with a world-class understanding of the causes of human error and effective countermeasures in support of reliable mission accomplishment. The PRC program is open for enrolment, and all six modules in the 100-level program are immediately available for all registered users.”
The PRC program has six modules:
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PRC101: Flight Discipline, The anchor point of Professional Airmanship
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PRC102: The Mind-Body Link – Physiology and Psychology of Human Error
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PRC103: Essential Foundations of Crew Resource Management
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PRC104: The many faces of Error in aviation (Personal error awareness and reduction)
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PRC105: Essential foundations of operational risk management
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PRC106: An introduction to Automation Airmanship
As well as many more products and services. Go to web site for details and prices.
In short I can from personal experience highly recommend the on line training offered by Convergent Performance but in particular the MRC program for all engineering staff.
For those who did not attend the CASA roadshow and who therefore may not be able to avail themselves of the generous 50% discount I still strongly recommend you take the appropriate course. Perhaps you could even suggest to your boss that if you take it and pass then they might consider a full or partial refund under their training budget.
Convergent Performance also offer a significant discount for group bookings of ten or more. This approach would not only save money but would ensure your staff are all given the very latest training and greatly enhance your client profile and your SMS overall. It would also be of particular interest to larger organisations such as but not limited to the bigger operators flight departments, maintenance facilities, Flight Schools and Universities, indeed any endeavour where understanding and managing RISK is an issue. And it is certainly not restricted to things that fly either and as with any continous improvement and risk management system can be applied to many business endeavours.
So if you decide to proceed with a booking or enquiry please be sure to also drop me a email noting the following code in the subject:
“PTA-CP-09”
Once your booking is confirmed I will send you a selection of FREE useful software tools with an estimated combined normal retail value of over A$350.
Take a look at Convergent Performance’s web site, better still sign up for the training, you will not regret it.
Editors note:
Global War On Error® page approved by Convergent Performance.
Global War on Error® is a registered trademark of Anthony T. Kern
