9.4

Question 1

What factors can affect an aircraft maintenance engineers ability to perform their job?

Answer 1

Fitness/ health/ stress/ time pressures/ workload/ fatigue plus affects of ( drugs, alcohol and medication).

Question 2

What does ICAO require in terms of fitness for maintenance engineers?

Answer 2

Requires engineers to be a certain age , knowledge, experience, and medial fitness.

Question 3

What are the 2 main types of stress?

Answer 3

Acute stress and chronic stress.

Question 4

What type of stressors can lead to stress?

Answer 4

Physical/ psychological/ reactive

Question 5

What are common signs of stress?

Answer 5

Psychological factors/ health effects/ behavioural symptoms/ cognitive/ subject effects.

Question 6

How can stress manifest in an individuals behaviour?

Answer 6

Signs can include irritability/ forgetfulness/ increased absenteeism/ mistakes.

Question 7

How can domestic stress affect aircraft maintenance engineers?

Answer 7

Domestic stress can impair concentration and task performance during work, stemming from major life changes like marriage, bereavement, or divorce.

Question 8

What are the main two strategies for responding to stress?

Answer 8

Defence strategies and coping strategies.

Question 9

What are examples of defence strategies?

Answer 9

Taking medication, using alcohol, denying the problem, or blaming others.

Question 10

Examples of defence strategies?

Answer 10

Taking medication, using alcohol, denying the problem, or blaming others.

Question 11

What are examples of coping strategies?

Answer 11

Delegating workload, prioritising tasks, actively addressing the problem.

Question 12

Why is it sometimes difficult to cope with stress?

Answer 12

Some stressors may be outside an individuals control, making resolution challenging.

Question 13

Types of time pressure?

Answer 13

Actual, perceived, self-imposed, contractual, Operational.

Question 14

What is Actual pressure?

Answer 14

Deadlines set by external sources like management.

Question 15

What is perceived pressure?

Answer 15

Feeling urgency without defined deadlines.

Question 16

What is Self-imposed pressure?

Answer 16

Personal deadlines set by the individual.

Question 17

Example of excessive time pressure?

Answer 17

Increased mistakes leading to aircraft incidents.

Question 18

What happened in the BAC 1-11 accident?

Answer 18

Incorrect windscreen bolt installation due to perceived time pressure.

Question 19

What is a key management strategy for time pressure?

Answer 19

Shield engineers from commercial pressures.

Question 20

How to prioritise tasks effectively?

Answer 20

Focus on critical tasks and realistic time assessment.

Question 21

Why is personnel availability important?

Answer 21

To account for potential absences and ensure task completion.

Question 22

What is ‘overload’?

Answer 22

Overload occurs at very high levels of workload, leading to performance deterioration and increased errors.

Question 23

What causes overload?

Answer 23

Sudden/gradual workload, insufficient personnel, or excessive demands on mental and physical resources.

Question 24

What is under-load?

Answer 24

Occurs when at low levels of workload, leading to boredom, reduced performance and increased errors.

Question 25

Why is optimal arousal important for performance?

Answer 25

Is ensures that engineers are neither overwhelmed nor bored, maximising their efficiency and accuracy.

Question 26

I does effective workload management involve?

Answer 26

Careful planning of tasks, resources, and training to match employees capabilities with job demands.

Question 27

What is the purpose of sleep?

Answer 27

Sleep is a vital physiological function necessary for restoring the mind and body.

Question 28

How much sleep do human generally need?

Answer 28

8 hours.

Question 29

What is a cumulative sleep deficit?

Answer 29

A loss of sleep that builds up over time, requiring additional hours to recover.

Question 30

What is circadian rhythms?

Answer 30

Biological processes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, regulating sleep wakefulness and other physiological functions.

Question 31

What influences circadian rhythms?

Answer 31

External environment factors, particularly light.

Question 32

What is the role of the hypothalamus in circadian rhythms?

Answer 32

It acts as the central clock regulating psychological and behavioural functions.

Question 33

What can disrupt circadian rhythms?

Answer 33

Factors like shift work or crossing multiple time zones

Question 34

What are the symptoms of fatigue?

Answer 34

Decreased alertness, poor performance, mood changes and physical exhaustion.

Question 35

When did the Chernobyl disaster occur?

Answer 35

April 26, 1986

Question 36

What contributed to the disaster?

Answer 36

Reactor design flaws and failure to comply with safety checklists. Lack of sleep between workers.

Question 37

When did American Airlines flight 1420 crash?

Answer 37

July 1, 1999

Question 38

What caused the crash?

Answer 38

Fatigue and bad weather.

Question 39

What are two types of fatigue?

Answer 39

Physiological fatigue and subjective fatigue.

Question 40

What is time since awaking?

Answer 40

The number of hours a person has been awake, critical in fatigue-related accidents.

Question 41

What is the difference between substance use and substance abuse?

Answer 41

Substance use is the consumption of psychoactive substances in moderation, while substance abuse involves regular use that leads to problems in life.

Question 42

What is the legal blood alcohol limit for aircraft engineers in the uk?

Answer 42

80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood; aircrew have a stricter limit of 20mg/100ml.

Question 43

How does alcohol affect the central nervous system?

Answer 43

It were as a depressant dulling the senses and increasing the reaction times leading to impaired judgment.