Human Factors for Cabin Crew

5/21/2018 Human Factors for Cabin Crew

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AVIA 2100 - Week 8

Human Factors and Cabin Crew


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Cabin crew

Cabin crew are an integral part of the aircraft operating crew

Their role is primarily concerned with safety even though

service may take up the majority of their time


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Cabin crew

Cabin crew are the public face of safety within the airline

environment

The actions and lead of cabin crew will have a significant

effect on customer behaviour


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Cabin crew as employees

Cabin crew are employees working

in a hostile environment

On average, there are more lost-time injuries suffered by cabin crew

than byJoggers

Injuries to cabin crew are a serious

issue for most airlines even whenOH&S legislations does not cover

their work environment


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Hazards encountered by cabin crew include

Lifting injuries (pax, luggage, catering trolleys)

Burns and scalds

Turbulence related injuries

RSI

DVT

Food poisoning

Sunburn (lifestyle)

Violent acts by passengers


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Hazards can be mitigated in a number of ways:

Procedures

No service during turbulence Lifting protocols

Reporting systems

Ergonomics

Design of lifting harnesses

Design of galleys

Design of uniforms

Design of repeatedly used equipment e.g. trays


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Cabin crew as safety professionals

Cabin crew have a safety role to play both in

flight and in the event of an accident

In flight, the safety role can cover passengerhealth as well as aircraft emergencies

A level of medical training is given to all

cabin crew and equipment is carried on board

The changing demographics of travelers has

placed new pressure upon this role


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Cabin crew as medical experts

All cabin crew are expected to be able to

provide assistance to doctors on board or to

3rd party medical services such as MedAir

Some airlines carry defibrillators for use bythe cabin crew

Cabin crew must also be trained to deal with

the deceased

Are cabin crew adequately prepared for this

role?



All cabin crew receive emergency procedures training both as

ab intiosand annually

Key areas are the management of evacuations, firefighting,

operating exits, teamwork and passenger management




A number of accidents have highlighted the critical role that

cabin crew can play in flight

Lack of technical knowledge has been shown to be an issue




Cabin crew technical knowledge

Cabin crew dont know what they dont know



Cabin crew and CRM

Many airlines now have either separate or integrated CRM

courses for cabin crew

For some carriers, this was a late development

The two cultures could be very different and communication

was often very poor or non-existent



Cabin crew and CRM

The flight deck door was generally seen

as a barrier to communication, or indeed

an excuse

The concept of a sterile cockpit couldbe confusing

Neither crew seemed to understand each

others role and needs

Increased security post S11 has had a

negative effect on crew communication



The life of cabin crew

Several human factors issues are associated with the lifestyle

including;

Party-hard mentality Exposure to disease

Isolation

Unsociable hours

Pace of work

Sleep loss / disturbance Workplace injury

Sexuality (STDs, discrimination, harassment)



Aircraft emergencies

Up to 70% of aircraft accidents are now survivable

Assertive cabin crew can expedite emergency evacuations

Commercial pressures threaten crew complements (1: 36 to 1:50)

Passengers look to cabin crew for their lead




The ability of cabin crew to perform in an emergency is a

function of:

Training

Preparation

Crashworthiness

Leadership

Equipment

Experience




Experience of emergencies may be

very limited

Simulation facilities tend to bemuch less realistic than for flight

deck crew

Many airlines underestimate the

need for training to de-sensitisecrew


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The future?

Increased pressure from aging

population and increased cabin

crew to passenger ration

Increasing threat of inflight

violence

Larger aircraft - more difficult to

communicate

Increase in survivable accidents?

Documents

Human Factors for Cabin Crew