Avionics News April 2023 - 17

operating) in the national airspace system. Personal
minimums should be set so as to provide a solid safety
buffer between the pilot skills and aircraft capability
required for the specific flight you want to make, and
the pilot skills and aircraft capability available to you
through training, experience, currency, proficiency and,
in the case of the airplane, performance characteristics. "
While an equivalent description is lacking on the
maintenance front, what is published regarding a maintenance
personal minimum focuses on the human factors affecting
the technician's ability to perform the task. I think we can
revise the pilot's language to address maintenance as well. I
suggest personal minimums for maintainers should be set to
provide a solid safety buffer between the requested task and
the technician's ability to perform that task.
As a pilot, when establishing your personal minimums,
you evaluate your skills and predefine your personal go or
no-go criteria. Usually, the personal minimums are related to
weather, heath, fatigue, stress, etc. For maintenance, we can
do the same thing.
The Federal Aviation Administration's maintenance
personal minimum checklist is based on human factors as
defined by the Dirty Dozen. This is a good checklist for
assuring compliance with the maintenance regulations
- that is, making sure you have the correct training
and qualifications, the required tooling and equipment,
aviation grade parts and materials, and of course,
properly trained and qualified to perform the task.
As we know, or should know, the 12 human
factors referenced as the Dirty Dozen include lack of
communication, lack of teamwork, lack of assertiveness,
complacency, fatigue, stress, lack of knowledge, lack of
resources, lack of awareness, distraction, pressure, and norms.
In the pilot community, The FAA's Aeronautical
Information Manual has an excellent chapter on medical
facts for pilots (chapter 8) that focuses on a pilot's fitness
for exercising their privileges as a pilot. If a pilot's
health should keep them from flying, should this list not
also be considered for critical maintenance tasks?
The AIM offers the pilot community a " personal
checklist " that helps them answer the question: Am I
physically and mentally safe to fly?
*
*
*
*
*
Illness
Medication
Stress
Alcohol
Fatigue
* Emotion
While we generally reference personal
minimums with independent pilots
or mechanics, I suggest personal
minimums establish the foundation of an
organization's safety culture as well.
The checklist, often called the " I'm SAFE " checklist,
helps the pilot to assure their knowledge, abilities and
piloting skills are not impaired. If we overlay this checklist
to the maintainers, I believe the logic can be used as well for
personal minimums for maintainers. As a maintainer, are my
knowledge, abilities and maintenance skills at their peak, or
are they being impaired by internal or external factors?
There are a few items of overlap between the I'm SAFE
checklist and the Dirty Dozen, specifically, stress and fatigue.
I believe the inclusion of illnesses, medications and emotions
are certainly issues that should be considered when deciding
if I am fit for duty. Of course, alcohol and drugs are always
an underlying consideration, whether the maintenance
organizations are included with a defined drug and alcohol
prevention program. If we merge the two lists, I have a solid
basis to build my personal minimums. I've realigned the list
to focus on the topics that are typically organizational and
those that tend to be personal.
Organizational
* Lack of communication
* Lack of teamwork
* Lack of resources
* Lack of awareness
* Norms
Personal
* Lack of knowledge
* Lack of assertiveness
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Distraction
Pressure
Illness
Medication
Stress
Alcohol
Fatigue
* Emotion
* Complacency
Continued on page 54
avionics news * april 2023 17
Avionics News April 2023

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