Distractions During Maintenance

By Senior Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Todd Brown

Originally coined by aviation accident investigator Gordon Dupont, the “Dirty Dozen” is a term used to describe 12 human factors that can result in an accident if not properly managed. These factors are now used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for training, and one of the 12 factors the FAA trains to mitigate is distraction.

According to Merriam-Webster, distraction is defined as “an object that directs one’s attention away from something else.”

Second, we must ensure we’re using our maintenance publications while performing maintenance. Publications give step-by-step instructions on how to perform the maintenance. Enforcing the use of publications can greatly help reduce mistakes caused by distractions. If you get distracted while performing maintenance, figure out the last step you remember performing, then go back a couple more steps to ensure no steps were missed. Most importantly, collateral duty inspectors, quality assurance representatives, chiefs and maintenance control, should not expect what we don’t inspect. Get out and about to ensure maintenance is being performed correctly.

In the Naval Aviation Enterprise, it is vital to ensure we aren’t distracted while performing maintenance. The FAA states:

One of the most common areas that can sidetrack our attention from work is challenges in our personal life, which can include issues with family, finances, car trouble or even our significant other, to name a few. In our professional life, distractions might involve thinking about an upcoming deployment, workplace issues or something as simple as focusing on the weather – these can all distract our attention from the maintenance task and affect performance. In short, anything that distracts our attention from the maintenance task at hand needs to be dealt with because it greatly increases the chances of a mishap occurring. In the naval aviation enterprise, we must mitigate or eliminate any risk that could lead to a mistake.

First and foremost, leaders need to know their people, which aids in recognizing when a Sailor or Marine isn’t behaving normally or seems distracted. If you notice unusual behavior, find an appropriate place and ask if everything is okay. If they are not okay, help them to the best of your ability and ensure you provide them with the resources required to get the help they need. This help could be someone else in the command, the Fleet and Family Support Center or one of the many programs the Navy offers to assist Sailors and Marines in need. The goal should be to help them work through whatever issues distract them and negatively impact their performance.

As individuals, we must first be able to recognize when something is distracting us and then address the distraction so we are fully focused. In Warrior Toughness training, we learn about mindfulness, which happens when we are fully aware of the present moment – not only what’s going on around us or our situational awareness but also what’s going on internally. In some cases, it may be hard to admit what is distracting us, but we have to recognize when we need help. We all deal with issues that distract us at some point in our lives, but we can’t let our distractions result in injury to ourselves, to others or damage to equipment. The aviation industry is very unforgiving and requires our full attention when performing maintenance. Stay focused and limit distractions – lives depend on it.