December 29, 2011
HOPKINTON, MA – An Ireland-based research team that conducted a study on improving aircraft maintenance won the 2011 the IEA/Liberty Mutual Medal in Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. Selected by the International Ergonomics Association, the winning research paper presented a case study for identifying aircraft maintenance hazards and its implications for improving safety and preventing accidents. The researchers will receive the award at the 18th World Congress on Ergonomics held in Recife, Brazil, February 12-16, 2012.
The winning researchers include Marie Ward, Ph.D., Nick McDonald, Ph.D., and Rabea Morrison, Dipl. Psych, of the Aerospace Psychology Research Group (APRG), School of Psychology, Trinity College (Dublin) and Des Gaynor, M.A., and Tony Nugent of Trinity aeroTec (Dublin). The winning paper, “A performance improvement case study in aircraft maintenance and its implications for hazard identification,” was published in the journal Ergonomics (Vol. 53, No. 2, pp. 247–267, 2010).
The study’s objective was to develop an improvement system within one hangar of a large aircraft base maintenance company. The challenge was to improve efficiency (process and cost) and customer satisfaction, while at the same time ensuring quality and safety and the ability to replicate this in other hangars of the organization. The study was part of an international research initiative, Human Integration into the Lifecycle of Aviation Systems (HILAS 2005–2009). HILAS was funded by the European Commission and had 40 partners from across the aviation industry and academia in Europe and beyond. The overall HILAS project goal was to expand the capability to manage ergonomics and human factors across the lifecycle of aviation, including continuous improvement of airline safety and operations, maintenance repair, and original equipment manufacturing.
“Organizations find it extremely difficult to change their operations to better support people performing their work,” says Dr. Ward. “To know what to change, we need to understand not only what is meant to happen, but what normally happens, and then we need to be able to implement the change. For us to better understand base maintenance and show how to improve the system, we used a model developed by APRG called the Operational Process Model (OPM).”
One of the first investigational tasks was to apply the OPM to map the normal operational system of an aircraft maintenance check. Secondly, the researchers developed a new simplified performance reporting form that focused on unique aspects of performance and safety. Maintenance workers use this form, the Blocker Report, to informally report a problem or anything that blocked a task or performance check. Lastly, the researchers developed a Blocker Resolution Process, which empowered maintenance staff to resolve blockers at a local level.
As a result of identifying, understanding, and resolving 141 blockers across 20 checks, the 20 aircraft were delivered back to the customer airline early or on time - there were no late returns. This resulted in improved aircraft availability of 8.5 days for the airline’s use. “This was quite unprecedented for the company and merited a performance bonus from the customer,” says Dr. Ward.
“The model was important for three reasons.” Dr. Ward explains, “First, it led to a shared understanding of the maintenance check and led to suggestions to coordinate better check management. It was also helpful in resolving individual blockers to understand their context in the larger check system. Lastly, it ensured that suggestions for resolving blockers did not have any negative impact on another area.”
“Our findings show that a comprehensive and realistic model of organizational systems may provide an active organizational memory of the normal operating system which can help identify and prevent hazards not only for organizations, but for the entire aviation industry. This was a key step in proving the effectiveness of the methods and tools we have developed for aviation and other industries to use,” says Dr. Ward. “It’s brilliant to receive this award and the recognition for our work. We are grateful to Liberty Mutual, the editors of Ergonomics for nominating our paper, and to the international panel of ergonomists who deemed the work worthy of this prestigious award.”
The Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) present the annual Medal in Occupational Safety and Ergonomics to recognize outstanding original research leading to the reduction of work-related injuries and/or to the advancement of theory, understanding, and development of occupational safety research. The Medal is awarded to the authors of an original scientific paper that meets criteria for innovation and impact. The most prestigious award of its kind in the field of occupational ergonomics and safety, it carries a stipend of $10,000. An international review committee, established by the IEA, selects the winning contribution from among the applicants worldwide.
Owned and operated by the Liberty Mutual Group, the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety has helped to improve the occupational safety and health of millions of workers for more than 50 years. Through laboratory and field-based investigations, the Research Institute seeks to advance scientific, business-relevant knowledge in workplace and highway safety and work disability. Research findings are shared with the worldwide health and safety community, and are ultimately used to develop recommendations, guidelines, and interventions that help reduce risk and control costs.
“Helping people live safer, more secure lives” since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified global insurer and third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on A.M. Best Company’s report of 2010 net written premium. The Group also ranks 82nd on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2010 revenue.
The International Ergonomics Association (IEA) is the federation of ergonomics and human factors societies from around the world. The mission of the IEA is to elaborate and advance ergonomics science and practice, and to improve the quality of life by expanding its scope of application and contribution to society. For more information on the IEA, please visit www.iea.cc.
Jo-Ellen B. McCarrick
Sr. Specialist, Marketing Communications
jo-ellen.mccarrick@libertymutual.com
