The REPAIRER Reporting System for Integrating Human Factors into SMS in Aviation Maintenance

Abstract

Acknowledging the FAA’s well-known PEAR model, and the influence of the dirty dozen in aviation maintenance, the authors examine a tracking and reporting system that fulfills FAA requirements for safety management systems in aviation maintenance organizations. Implications and suggestions for a robust safety management system which encompasses human factors and ORM, applicable to an aviation maintenance environment are presented, with the inclusion of specific risk hazards. The resulting safety reporting system proposed addresses both consistency and reliability challenges, unique to the aviation maintenance environment. Using the four pillars of safety as a foundation, the REPAIRER strategy procedures serves as the safety policy pillar, through the examination and rating of potential risk hazards, based on the dirty dozen. The resulting reporting system leverages aviation maintenance-specific factors to identify and correct for human errors, improving the reliability of maintenance procedures, enhancing safety practices, and ultimately creating a greater state of operational readiness.