9.4 Factors Affecting Performance - Fitness/Health To Workload Flashcards
what are the requirements for physical or mental fitness?
there are no requirements
what may some companies require prior to employment?
medical assessment to determine fitness and health
what is a legal requirement of an aircraft maintenance engineer, in regard to health?
to ensure that they are fit for work
why shouldn’t an individual who believes they are letting the team down by taking a leave of absence, worry?
as it is a requirement under P-145 to ensure they have sufficient man-power to fulfil maintenance requirements, and maintenance should be adjusted if staffing level is not sufficient
what measures are recommended to maintain fitness and health?
-eating a balanced diet and regularly
-taking 20 minutes worth of exercise 3 days a week
-stop smoking
-don’t over-consume alcohol
-use of medication, alcohol and illicit drugs
what is stress?
from the imposition of any demand or set of demands which require us to react, adapt or behave in a particular manner in order to cope with or satisfy them
what are the types of stress?
acute (short)
chronic (long)
what type of stressor might there be?
physical (heat, cold, noise, vibration)
psychological (emotions, bereavements, domestic problems)
reactive (events occurring in everyday life, time pressure)
what are the signs of stress?
-physiological symptoms (sweating, dryness of the mouth)
-health effects (nausea, headaches, sleep issues)
-behavioural symptoms (restlessness, shaking, nervous laughter, appetite, drinking)
-cognitive effects (poor concentration, indecision, forgetfulness)
-subjective effects (anxiety, irritability, depression, moodiness, aggression)
what type of domestic stress might there be?
major life changes at home, marriage, the birth of a child, bereavement etc.
what are the 2 reasons engineers experience stress at work?
the task or job they are undertaking
the general organisational environement
how can work related stress be reduced?
by careful management and good training
what are the 2 strategies for responding to stress?
defense
coping
what is defence strategy for responding to stress?
alleviation of symptoms using medication/alcohol,
or,
reducing anxiety by being in denial
what is the coping strategy for responding to stress?
involves dealing with the source of the stress rather than the symptoms
what stress management techniques could one use?
-relaxation techniques
-careful regulation of sleep and diet
-a regime of regular physical exercise
-counselling
what are the 2 driving forces behind time pressures/deadlines?
- deadlines handed down to them
- their responsibilities to carry out a safe job
what effects may time pressures and deadlines have?
positive as it may be stimulating and improve task performance
negative likely to reduce care and attention, increasing errors
what should those setting deadlines consider?
-prioritising various pieces of work that need to be done
-actual time to carry out work
-personnel available
-appropriate utilisation of staff
-availability of spares
what is important for engineers to do regarding deadlines and time pressure?
for them to voice concerns over inappropriate deadlines
what is arousal?
refers to the readiness of a person to perform work
what is the optimum level of arousal for optimum performance?
somewhere in between high and low
how is the workload for an individual affected?
workload is subjective and each person is different, but can be affected by lots of different factors
physical, mental demands
the circumstances under which the task is being performed
the person and their state
how is the workload for an individual affected?
workload is subjective and each person is different, but can be affected by lots of different factors
physical, mental demands
the circumstances under which the task is being performed
the person and their state
how is the workload for an individual affected?
workload is subjective and each person is different, but can be affected by lots of different factors
physical, mental demands
the circumstances under which the task is being performed
the person and their state
what is overload?
when the workload is very high (over-aroused)
what is underload?
when workload is very low (under-aroused)
what can underload lead to?
deterioration in performance and an increase in errors
how can workload be managed? (4)
-tools and spares available
-allocating tasks to be accomplished in the time available
-human factors training in planning
-encouraging engineers, supervisors and managers to recognise overload
what method can be used to relieve an overload situation?
-seek a simpler, legitimate method
-delegating tasks to others
-securing further time to carry out the work
-postponing tasks and refusing additional work
