Maintenance Human Federal Aviation

Administration
Factors Presentation
System

The PEAR Model

Prepared by
Aviation Safety Organization
Flight Standards Service

Video Instructions for

Animations provided by Presenter – Click here
4a The PEAR Model

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Why Use Models?

• Models make it easier

to understand complex
things

• Easy to remember

• Models can be 2-D, 3-

D, or mental

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The SHELL Model

• Originally used for

pilot’s crew resource
management (CRM)

• Has served human

factors training well –
worldwide

• A bit abstract

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The SHELL Model Explained

• S includes all
documentation

• H is physical stuff, like

tools and equipment

• E is for the physical

and social environment

• L-1 is for individuals

• L-2 is for groups

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The PEAR Model

• PEAR is easy to remember

• It works for maintenance

• It is matched with the SHELL

model

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PEAR

• People who perform the job

• Organizational and physical environment

• Actions (tasks) performed as part of the job

• Tools, procedures, and other resources

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People
Physical Psychological
• Size • Experience
• Gender • Knowledge
• Age • Training
• Strength • Attitude
• The five senses • Emotional state

Physiological Psychosocial
• Health • Interpersonal relations
• Nutrition • Ability to communicate
• Lifestyle • Empathy
• Alertness/fatigue • Leadership
• Chemical dependency

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People — Size — Anthropometrics
Physical Psychological
Let’s review one • Size • Experience
• Gender • Knowledge
• Age • Training
• Strength • Attitude
• The five senses • Emotional state

Physiological Psychosocial
• Health • Interpersonal relations
• Nutrition • Ability to communicate
• Lifestyle • Empathy
• Alertness/fatigue • Leadership
• Chemical dependency

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Anthropometry
The Study of Body Measurement

• User populations

• Why it’s important

• Male/female split

• Individual variation

• Use of “percentiles”

• The myth of the 50th percentile

person

• 5th through 95th percentile

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Anthropometry Percentiles

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People — Vision and Hearing
Physical Psychological
• Size • Experience
• Gender • Knowledge
• Age • Training
• Strength • Attitude
The Five Senses • The five senses • Emotional state

Physiological Psychosocial
• Health • Interpersonal relations
• Nutrition • Ability to communicate
• Lifestyle • Empathy
• Alertness/fatigue • Leadership

• Chemical dependency

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People — Vision and Hearing
• European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requires an
understanding of the eye, the ear, and the nose

• FAA places more emphasis on protection

• The following slides show EASA-level details

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People — Vision

• This animation reviews the

parts of the eye and how
they function

• Wear your safety glasses

• Have a regular eye exam

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People — Hearing

• This animation reviews the

parts of the ear and how
they function

• Wear hearing protection

• Have an audio check-up

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People — Taste / Touch / Smell

Sensors in the skin

perceive temperature,
pressure, and other tactile
information

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How to Remember the Five Senses

When you toast you:

See
Smell
Taste
Feel
Hear

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Sensing Versus Perception

Human Senses
Human Factors
Human Factors
Human Factors

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A Test / Example of…
Volunteer Needed

As quickly as possible,
say the color of each word on the screen.

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Sensing and Perception

desk
rock
cat
spoon
book

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Sensing and Perception

dog
house
table
car
tree
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Sensing and Perception

red
blue
gray
purple
green
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What is This?

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What is This Now?

Both the letter “B” and the number “13” are the same figure. However,
the context determines how you perceive it.
(Coren, et al, (1994), Sensation and Perception, Harcourt Brace College Publishers)

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PEAR — People — Summary: It Takes a
Human to Adapt to this Kind of Work

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Environment
Physical Organizational
• Weather extremes • Personnel
• Location (in/out) • Supervision

• Workspace • Labor - management

• Lighting • Size of company

• Sound levels • Profitability

• Housekeeping • Job security

• Safety issues • Morale

• Corporate culture

• Safety culture

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Noise
• Exposure to noise is cumulative
• People cannot adapt to high
noise levels
• Noise interferes with
communication
• OSHA requires hearing
protection above 85 dbA (TWA)
• Ear protection devices can also
interfere with communication
• Noise increases the rate of errors

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Organizational Factors — Safety
Culture
• Safety is everyone’s responsibility
• Management rewards safe actions
• Everyone is empowered to stop
work for safety concerns
• Employees will enforce safety
practices
• Reporting unsafe acts or conditions
will be rewarded
• Employees work as a team
• Formal safety management systems
are due in 2009 (ICAO)

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Actions

• What do you need to know?

• What skills are necessary?
• Steps to perform a task
• Sequence of actions
• Communication requirements
• Information requirements
• Inspection requirements
• Certification requirements

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Actions — What Can You Do Today?

• How do you communicate error

events?

• Are there enough people to do the

job?

• Do personnel understand the cost of

aircraft damage?

• How can you motivate one another to

care more?

• Are you responsible for the things

that others do?

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Task Analysis — It’s How We Do It

• Identify the steps required to

complete a task

• For each step, identify the

information, tools,
communication links,
procedures, and so forth,
necessary to complete the
step

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Communication
• Lack of communication is a
major cause of errors
• Verbal and non-verbal
• Positive listening
• Communication protocols
• Affirm reception of information
(readback)
• Never assume the information
you transmitted is the same
information received

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Resources

• Technical documentation systems

• Test equipment
• Enough time
• Enough people
• Lifts, ladders, stands, seats
• Materials
• Portable lighting, heating, cooling
• Training

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Resources — Please Offer Your
Examples

• Are resources ever a problem?

• What are the solutions?

• Can you give an example?

• What advice can you offer?

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Test Equipment

• It’s how we get objective

information
• A “must have” for proper
diagnosis
• Can have a good or bad user
interface
• Can be misused
• Might require significant
training to use properly

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Procedures
• Everything in aviation
maintenance is proceduralized
• FAA regulations (part 43)
require aviation maintenance
technicians to follow approved
procedures
• Some procedures don’t work as
written

• Most common violation is

“failure to follow procedures”

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The PEAR Model -- Summary

This presentation has:

• Described PEAR and it’s components

• Described and discussed the five senses

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 Thank you for your attention
to this presentation

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