HUMAN FACTORS HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND LIMITATIONS. Sub-Module 02 JUMAN PERFORMANCE AND Knowledge Requirements IMITATIO! 9.2 - Human Pes formance and Limitations Vision; Hearings Information processing; Attention and pers Memory CClaustrophobia and physical access Level A familiarization with the principal eke ofthe subject. (a) Theappicnt should be familia with the basic elements ofthe subject. ‘The applican shoud be able ove imple description of the whole sl (© Theappicane should be able to use typical terms oman wonds and example. Meciule 09 - Human Factors SUB-MODULE o2 PART-66 SYLLABUS LEVELS A Bi B2 Level A general knowledge ofthe theoretical and practi pects of th ‘abject and an aby to apply that knowledge Objectives (a) The applicant shoul be able to understand the theoetel fundamentals ofthe abject (0) “Theapplicant should beable to give a general desertion of the eject uring, a appropiate, typeal examples, (©) Theapplicnt shold beable use materia frm in conjuneton wth physical lows describing the uct. (&) Theapplican shou be able to read and waderstand heh, Aewwings and schematics describing the sje fe) "The applica shoud be abet apy his knowledge n.a practical manner using detiled procedure. Ssonarr 24 HUMAN PERFORMANCE "AND LIMITATIONSINTRODUCTION This chapter provides an overview of physical and mental human performance factors which affect an Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMT) working environment, such as vision, hearing, information processing, attention and)perceptionkmemory, judgment Just as certain mechanical components used in aireraft ‘maintenance have limitations, technicians themselves have certain capabi considered when looking at the maintenance ‘system. For instance, rivets used to attach aluminum skin to a fuselage can withstand forces that act to pull them. apart. Icis clear that these rivets will eventually fail if enough force is applied to them. While the precise range of human capabilities and limitations might not be as sand limitations that must be ‘well defined as the performance range of mechanical or clectrical components, the same prineiples apply in that hhuman performance is likely to degrade and eventually “fail under certain conditions (c.g. stress). ‘Mechanical components in aircraft ean, on occasion, suffer catastrophic failures. People can also fail to function properly in certain situations. Physically, humans become fatigued, are affected by cold, can break bones in workplace accidents, ete. Mentally, humans can make errors, have limited perceptual powers, can exhibit poor judgment due to lack of skills and knowledge, etc. In addition, unlike mechanical components, human performance is also affected by social and emotional factors. Therefore, failure of AMTs can also be to the Aletriment of aviation safety. VISION Vision is vital for AMTs. Think of how much is subject to visual inspection. Vision is best when ensuring appropriate lighting to illuminate the work area, and best protected by ensuring that protective eyewear is, clear and suitable for use. An individual’ lack of color discrimination, or defective color vision, may make it difficult to distinguish between red and green, even with appropriate illumination. This can lead to errors in tasks, such as dealing with electrical wiring. THE BASIC FUNCTION OF THE EYE Tn order to understand vision, itis useful first to know a little about the anatomy of the eye (see Figure 2.1). The basic structure of the eye is similar to a simple camera with an aperture (the iis), a Tens, and surface (the retina). Light enters the eye through the cornea, then passes through the iris and the lens, and finally falls on the retina. Here the light stimulates the sensitive cells on the retina (rods and cones) which then pass small electrical impulses by way of the optic nerve to the visual cortex in the brain. Here, the electrical impulses are interpreted and an image is perceived COMPONENTS OF THE EYE TH ‘The cornea is a clear ‘window’ at the very front of the eye. The cornea acts as a Fixed focusing device. 22 Retina Eye Anatomy Figure 21 ~The human eye ‘cornea is responsible for betwee of the total focusing ability the eye. Module 09 - Human FactorsTHE It does this by varying the size of the pupil (the dark area in the center oe, ae a ace ae, rapidly to cater to changing light levels. The amount of light ean be adjusted by a fuctor ofS: ) After passing through the pupil, the light passes through the lens. Its shape is changed by the muscles (ciliary muscles) aaa iewhich results in ae: change of shape of the lens is called; \ to focus clearly on a To focus on The degree of accommodation can be affected by factors such as fatigue othe aging process. When a person is tired, accommodation is reduced, resulting in less sharp vision (sharpness of vision is known as visual acuity). es Tre in LACED 1: is ‘connected found in the retina;4 The of the retin: and the i Tris here that the visual image is focused. Moving outwards, the cones become less dense and are progressively replaced by rods, ‘eye can distinguish about 1 000 different shades of color. eral vision). They are much As light decreases, the sensing task is passed from the FACTORS AFFECTING CLARITY OF SIGHT ‘The eye is very sensitive in the right conditions (eg, clear tin godlihe cc) ie, rr Module 09 - Human Factore (GERRSAREIED teading from the retinas to the area of the brain re there are on aed the eye about 24 times more sensitive than the eat. Before considering factors that can influence and limit the performance of the eye, it is necessary to describe visual acuity. is ‘An individual with an acuity of 20/20 vision should be able to see at 20 feet that which the so called “normal” person is capable of seeing at this range. It may be expressed in meters as 6/6 vision. The figures 20/40 mean that the observer can read at 20 feet what a “normal” person can read at 40 feet. ‘Yovins factors ean affect and Timit the visual acuity of the eye such as: + Physical imperfections in one or both cyes GB) mE. + The influence off . the amount of light available, clarity ofthe air (.¢, SSIES, cc.) + MRI sociccvits jee beng viewed such as: of the object; the object with its surroundings, of the object; of the object from the viewer; the @UBIBPF the okject from the viewer. Blind spots (between the rods & cones). At the point at which the optic nerve joins the back of the eye, a "blind spot’ occurs. This is not evident when viewing things with both eyes (binocular vision), since itis not possible for the image of an object to fall on the blind spots of both eyes at the same time. Even when viewing with one eye (monocular vision), the constant rapid ‘movement of the eye (saccades) means that the image ‘will not fall on the blind spot all the time. Tt is only when viewing a stimulus that appears very fleetingly (e.g. a light flashing), that the blind spot may result in 23 HUMAN PERFORMANCE ’AND LIMITATIONS