International Journal
on Marine Navigation
and Safety of Sea Transportation
Volume 1
Number1
March 2007
109
What is Human Factors Compared to Crew
Resource Management?
G.K. Fahlgren
Human Communication HB, Sigtuna, Sweden
ABSTRACT: The expression Human Factors can be interpreted in two different ways.
Firstly: Human Factors is theoretical knowledge based on psychology and CRM is the practical use of that
knowledge.
Secondly: Human Factors is a concept, which we all too often hear is to blame for an incident or accident.
What we actually should say is Human Failure this is where a person is to blame, instead of using the
impersonal expression Human Factors.
Maybe I am a bit provocative when I state that Human Factors do not cause accidents. It is Human Failure that
causes accidents not Human Factors. I regard our Human Factors as a fantastic construction and design
contributing to a greater quality of life that makes our lives on Earth both safer and more positive. Thanks to
the appreciation and understanding of Human Factors, the fatal accident rate within Commercial Airlines has
been reduced by 97% during the last 30 years.
As I see it, when our Human Factors stop functioning, accidents can occur. In other words, a Human Factors
breakdown will result in Human Failure. This indicates that the most important thing to learn and be aware of
is all the external factors that will have a profound and negative influence on our Human Factors.
So let me suggest that the following factors are directly detrimental to our Human Factors. Stress; Fatigue;
Illness; Insufficient Training; Drugs; Hunger & Thirst; Lack of oxygen (at high altitude) and an Unsuitable or
Bad Attitudes.
This is to be a symposium on maritime navigation.
However our navigation today will not take place at
sea but instead we will learn to quickly navigate the
complexities of our brain.
When we talk about Human Factors it can be
interpreted in two different ways.
Firstly: Human Factors is the theoretical
knowledge of psychology and CRM is the practical
use of that knowledge. That is the most important
difference.
Secondly: Human Factors is a concept, which we
all too often hear is to blame for an incident or
accident. What we actually should say is Human
Failure this is where a person is to blame, instead of
using the impersonal expression Human Factors.
Maybe I am a bit provocative when I state that
Human Factors do not cause accidents. It is Human
Failure that causes accidents not Human Factors.
I regard our Human Factors as a fantastic
construction and design contributing to a greater
quality of life that makes our lives on Earth both
safer and more positive.
Due primarily to the introduction and
comprehension of Human Factors in the Airline
Industry, Flight Safety has improved tremendously
since 1956, when I started my career as an Airline
Pilot, until 1990 when I retired.
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Under that period the accident rate per 1 million
take offs has been reduced from around 30 to 0,9.
It means that the accident rate within IATA
member Airlines has been reduced by 97% during a
period of 30 years and now we have an accident rate
of 0,00009 %!
I do not believe that such a radical improvement
in safety has ever been observed in any other
transport or industrial branch.
This is not bragging! I am just giving hope and
proof to others that it is always possible to improve
safety.
As I see it, this rema rkable improvement is a
direct result of the excellent work done to increase
knowledge and awareness of Human Factors which
teaches us all to focus on flight safety and thereby
reduce human errors and resulting in excellent CRM
amongst airline personnel.
In my opinion, it is when our Human Factors stop
functioning, that accidents can occur. In other words,
a breakdown in Human Factors will result in Human
Failure. This indicates that it is very important to
learn and understand which external factors will
have a negative influence on our Human Factors and
deterioration on CRM.
So let me suggest that the following factors are
directly detrimental to our Human Factors.
Stress
Fatigue
Illness
Insufficient Training
Drugs
Hunger & Thirst
Lack of oxygen (at high altitudes)
Unsuitable Attitudes (complacency)
1 HUMAN ERRORS
A very common introduction to Human Factors
Seminars all over the world is the following:
”Human errors continue to be the largest
casualty factor in aviation accidents.
Current statistics indicate that between 70% to
75% of all aviation accidents are attributable to
human errors.”
A very common introduction to Human Factors
Seminars all over the world is the following:
”Human errors continue to be the largest
casualty factor in aviation accidents. Current
statistics indicate that between 70% and 75% of all
aviation accidents are directly attributable to human
error.”
But wait, what is this?
According to my first statement Airline accidents
have been reduced by 97% from 30 to 0,9 per one
million take offs.
At the same time the percentage of human error
has increased from 30% to 75%!
Well, my dear audience, this is perfect! The
closer we come to 0% for other reasons, the closer
human errors come to 100%. That is simple
mathematics.
It is good and, of course, accepted if the other
reasons for an accident, e.g. technical problems, are
0%. So 100% for Human Failure is in fact also good.
I would even like to say that it is thanks to our
Human Factors, that we have this incredible and
wonderful development of increased safety in
aviation. The Human Factors of all people engaged
in the Airline Industry have been focused on safety
and CRM.
And the more we concentrate on improving
Technology in order to improve safety, the higher
will the percentage for human failure be even if the
total number of accidents is reduced.
Let us remember that CRM, Crew Resource
Management, is the practical use of the theoretical
knowledge of our Human Factors. How we use our
resources is so universal, that I have started to call it
Life Resource Management instead of Crew
Resource Management.
To learn more about Human Factors is not only
important for Shipping and Airline Crews, it is of a
great value for the whole human race.
Just for your information, during the year of 2004
there were zero fatalities in airline accidents among
the airlines of the Western World. In the rest of the
World there were 485 persons killed.
During the same period worldwide traffic
accident victims were so many, that it compares the
total loss of 5-6 Jumbo Jets for each and every day
of the year.
During a meeting in Montreal, arranged by IATA
and ICAO, Human Factors Training for pilots was
discussed. Suddenly one Chief of Flight Operations
in a major airline stood up, red in his face, and
indignantly shouted: “Human Factors shall not be
trained, they have to be removed!”
He expressed his frustration and the old way of
looking at Human Factors and I started to reflect.
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“If my Human Factors are to be removed, I must
know where they are in my brain?”
So please let me present a simple explanation
about where in the brain, I consider, we store our
Human Factors. I will also explain which parts of
that system are influenced by stress and the effect it
will have on our own and others behavior.
2 THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Our brain and our spinal cord form the central
nervous system. The brain might be seen as a super
computer controlling the system. The spinal cord is
an electrical bus bar connecting the central system to
the peripheral system sending and receiving
information to and from the rest of our body.
The spinal cord has nothing to do with decision-
making. The only actions the spinal cord can
produce are reflexes and our medical doctors check
those reflexes for function, when they tickle the
soles of our feet or tap the tendon in front of the
kneecap.
3 THE BRAIN
Let me now give you a brief schematic explanation
of the brain.
Very early in our evolution a rather primitive
brain was formed on top of the spinal cord. Dr. Paul
Mc Lean, National Institute of Mental Health,
Washington DC, has named it the Reptile Brain Our
feelings are formed and stored in this Reptile Brain.
Some memory functions and the balance, which
makes it possible for us to stand-up and walk on two
legs, can also be found in this Reptile Brain. We can
find basic needs such as hunger, thirst and sexuality
here.
If our Cerebrum and its cerebral cortex,
constructed much later in evolution, do not control
the Reptile Brain the consequences of our decisions
can be catastrophic because our Reptile brain has
only 3 decisions to choose between and those are:
1 Shall I run away and flee from the situation.
2 Shall I stay and fight.
3 Shall I stay, make love and copulate.
If the moderating device in the Controlling Brain
is out of order hampered by drugs or under a high
degree of stress the strong feelings created in the
Reptile Brain might turn into such aggressiveness
that it is highly dangerous for both the bearer of the
brain and those closest to him.
Those controlling signals are transported in
”threads”, which are quite fragile, nerves, which are
easily blocked if feelings grow too strong, and the
bearer of the uncontrolled Reptile Brain might easily
end up in jail due to his actions.
Another effect of an uncontrolled Reptile Brain is
panic.
One of my students once asked me: “Why is it so
easy to immediately answer NO and then, after some
time, I realise that I should have in fact answered
YES!”
We discussed it and after some time realized that
it is our Reptile Brain, which answers ”NO”, but
when the question, some micro seconds later, has
been received and treated in the Controlling Brain,
we realize that it was possible and even very good if
we had answered YES instead.
As an instructor in a flight simulator I have many
times noted that Captain often answer NO even after
a very good suggestion from the First Officer.
I am quite sure that the same response can also be
heard on the bridge from time to time.
How can that be?
Well, our Reptile Brain is the first receiver of the
sensory input. It supervises our lives, so we can
survive .It is very conservative and it has formed all
our attitudes and expectations.
If my wife, my children, my employees or my
First Officer should ask or suggest something, my
Reptile Brain immediately regards it as a change in a
stable and safe situation, and, as every change could
be dangerous, the natural and immediate answer is of
course NO!
However, when you feel safe, do not let your
Reptile Brain give an immediate answer as was
necessary millions of years ago instead you let your
Controlling Brain decide if the proposal is good or
bad before you answer. This is the difference
between using the brain in a civilized way and using
it in a primitive way. It is also the difference
between a good and a bad leader.
So, check that your Controlling brain is
connected, before you open your mouth.
I just said, that our spinal cord couldn’t make any
decisions. And the Reptile Brain only has a capacity
for three decisions.
But our Controlling brain can make billions of
decisions
A coarse classification of the Controlling Brain,
as you know, is to talk about the left and the right
hemispheres. Simply speaking, the left side, when
seen from behind, is the analytic, calculating,
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critical, unforgiving, digital side. The right side is
more creative, spatial, artistic, analogous and
forgiving.
It has empathy and situational awareness.
A person who is highly stressed will loose his/her
empathy, because the right hemisphere is easily
blocked by stress and the more robust left
hemisphere and the Reptile brain will then take over
and make him/her a very egocentric person. Other
people will become objects instead of humans in
their eyes.
Psychologists test the balance between the left
and right hemispheres and the balance between the
Controlling Brain and the Reptile Brain when we
apply for employment as Pilots and they are also
”tested” in interviews before being accepted. This
balance forms our personality.
Personally I regard this to be the center of our
Human Factors, and I have a strong feeling that we
can also find our soul and our spirit here.
4 CONCLUSIONS
To have good knowledge of Human Factors, which
means a basic knowledge of Human Psychology, is
extremely important for practicing of Crew Resource
Management on a chip.
But it is also an important base for Management
of our life as a whole. A successful life will need the
knowledge of how we handle our personal and social
life. We must have the skill to handle, what I call,
LIFE Resource Management.
