To prevent accidents associated with human errors, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, has called for a critical review of the relationship between the live ware components and the other components of the aviation ecosystems.
Nuhu made this call while delivering his keynote address at the just concluded joint Conference organised by League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) and Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), themed ‘Preventing Human Factors in Air Accident Investigations’ with emphasis on safe operations devoid of human errors.
He also pointed out the need to devise means towards achieving safe aircraft operation as a part of reducing human errors in air accident.
The Conference held at the weekend in Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Lagos also had the National coordinator State Safety programme, NCAA, Dr. Etete Ifeanyi, emphasising on the role of the Quality assurance Manager within an organisation, stressing that their jobs need to be protected as part of the gamut for creating a system with fewer accidents.
According to Nuhu, all accidents regardless were global tragedies and unraveling the causes ensures effective safety recommendations.
He said: ”I must unequivocally state that every aviation accident is a global tragedy and the industry, through the accident investigation authorities must be determined to unravel the probable causes, contributory factors and develop appropriate Safety Recommendations that are based on safety risk assessments and considerable cost-effectiveness and the regulatory authorities must enforce their implementation by certified entities and licensed personnel to prevent reoccurrence and improve safety records.”
The Director General also stressed that human factors in aviation occurrences are most times seen as the negative consequence of the live ware dimension in an interactive ecosystem.
“The Liveware is the non-standardised, most critical, least predictable, most susceptible to the effects of internal and external changes, as well as the most flexible component in the system and therefore must be carefully adapted and matched to other system components in order to avoid stress within the system and prevent its eventual breakdown,” he stated.
He therefore urged the gathering to critically review the relationship between the liveware components and the other components of the aviation ecosystems and devise means towards achieving an effective and seamless safe aircraft operation and thereto preventing accidents due to human errors.
On his part, Ifeanyi who spoke during the panel session accentuated the role of the Quality assurance Manager within an organisation stressing that their jobs need to be protected as part of the gamut to creating a system with fewer accidents.
He said this in response to questions at a panel discussion put to him by President Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ART), Dr. Gabriel Olowo who asked if the Quality Assurance Manager (QM) of the airline should be paid by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) so he can adequately monitor the airline for the regulator.
Ifeanyi said If the CAA pays the QM, he (QM) may decide not to work in that place stating that it is the responsibility of the CAA to protect the job of the QM as he is not suppose to be a glorified messenger doing whatever he is asked by his CEO because his functions go deeper.
”Quality Management must be an independent system that can report directly to the CEO and the CEO should also be part of that quality assurance system.
“Why will he report to the CEO, because maybe director of operations, maintenance they don’t want any kind of interference and then it expends on the culture in that organisation.
“What the CAA does is to audit what the quality assurance system has already audited that is what our job is supposed to be because he or she is the eye of the CAA within that organisation.
“Any CEO that would not allow his or her own personnel within the quality assurance system to do his work, believe me that person is heading towards catastrophe, he may be picking on little gains that he believes are there when he forces the person to do what is not right, that has an effect.
“The quality assurance system in any organization should cover each and every department in every unit of that organization and the basic function of the quality assurance system is the adequacy of the procedures and policies and compliance with the regulatory requirement to conformance with the procedures.
“These management systems are supposed to be independent. This is my personal opinion, if I continually see CEO running around the NCAA looking for approval then something is wrong in his organisation, that is a fact because of you are allowing your personnel to do what they need to do then you shouldn’t be doing it,” he explained.
Chipping in on the conversation earlier, the representative of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Akin George, posited that the efficacy of the quality assurance manager depends on the system run by the organisation which may make or mar it so to speak.
He said: “One of the key items that will be looked for in human factor is the culture of the organisation and the regulator but within the organisation itself, if you have a culture where communication is open where there is respect between the employee and employer then it is easier for both the organization and personnel to communicate back and forth.
“ You are right to say the quality assurance manager knows where his bread is buttered but if he knows that come rain, come shine he knows will get what is due to him, that he is respected in the role he plays within the organization, then that works.
“However like you said we need to go the next step of the regulator who has oversight of the organisation, the question we now ask is, is that job being done? How often does the regulator come to see what is being done with the operator? I know things have improved.”
