Human Factors in Airport Airside Operations

The objective of this project is to develop a report that: (1) Identifies and describes the cognitive tasks and required abilities used in airside operations (e.g., vehicle and pedestrian activity inside the fence); (2) Describes the demands that can limit or complicate situational awareness, thus increasing risk of runway incursions and V/PDs; (3) Identifies risks associated with reduced cognitive ability and situational awareness caused by fatigue or overload; (4) Discusses how technologies and processes potentially could be used to reduce or mitigate risks from reduced human performance; (5) Identifies and describes the most effective technologies and processes that affect and could potentially improve situational awareness for airport employees and others working on the airside; (6) Estimates resource requirements, including cost, of these technologies and processes; (7) Discusses the limitations and complications that these technologies and processes may add to the demands of people working in the airside environment; and (8) Includes unformatted content for a stand-alone executive summary for decision makers to help develop strategies for identifying and implementing strategies for their unique situation.  (Note: The formatting and publication of the executive summary will be undertaken by ACRP and should not be included in the proposed budget.)  The report shall contain but should not be limited to the elements listed below: (1) An analysis of domestic (and, if practical, international) safety statistics related to runway incursions and V/PDs, sorted by size of airport, type of vehicle operator, and other criteria relevant to the objectives of this research. (2) A synthesis of all types of literature (e.g., books, peer reviewed articles, industry journals) including related ACRP research on human factors relevant to airport airside operations (including those from non-airport settings if relevant). (3) Citations and links to the documents included in the synthesis. (4) A list and evaluation of the most effective technologies and processes available to mitigate human factor risks, improve situational awareness, and reduce runway incursions and V/PDs. The evaluation should focus on common or affordable tools, applications, and equipment (e.g., iPads, smartphones, transponders) and include: (a) New and emerging methods of monitoring and reporting vehicle location by use of plug-in telematics or similar equipment; and (b) New and emerging applications that integrate the airport environment into existing or anticipated automated vehicle features. (5) A list of issues related to fatigue and a discussion of effective techniques to mitigate risks from fatigue. (6) A list of effective practices related to team and organizational dynamics that improve communications and augment safe airside operations. (7) A review of required airside driver's training curricula, with suggested additional content focused on effective methods for initial and recurrent training to maximize situational awareness and highlight human factors. (8) Identification of desirable human skills and abilities that contribute to safe airside operations and proven methods to recognize and develop these necessary skills and improve situational awareness in personnel working in the airport environment.    

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4628

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $385000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 06-08

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Airport Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Project Managers:

  Neubauer, Ken

• Performing Organizations:

  Futron Aviation

  Norfolk, VA  United States 
• Start Date: 20210321
• Expected Completion Date: 20220823
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport operations; Airside operations; Aviation safety; Awareness; Best practices; Cognition; Human factors; Pedestrian safety; Risk assessment; Runway incursions
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01677264
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 06-08
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 31 2018 7:41PM