Notes

Question: What are the specific features or factors of the physical environment that can impinge on human performance in aircraft maintenance engineering?

This is my essay answer on specific features that impinge on the engineer specific to the physical environment that can have a negative effect.

Humans can work within a large range of weather conditions however, a feature of physical environment that can impinge on a engineer is the temperature, depending on weather condition performance is adversely affected at the extremes of weather and temperature.

An engineer is likely to be exposed to outdoor weather, such as freezing cold temperatures, cold temperatures can have a serious effect on the body such as cold hands where it gets to the point the engineer may have to put gloves on, the result of this is that the gloves may interfere with the fine motor skills of the engineer, which can slow down work leading to more time pressure or make the task at hand even harder to complete. Different weather extremes can be extremely distracting to work in, such as strong winds and working at high. The swaying motion of the aircraft from the wind and the staging the engineer is on can be difficult to work around and can cause a delay in the work and possibly rushing the task so that the engineer can get out of the conditions which may lead to error.

Working in hot weather as well can have a fatigue effect on the engineer. When the weather is hot and possibly working in tight confined spaces the heat can be extreme, leading to diminish in performance and dehydration as well which can result in poor vision and also sweat can become very distracting, although there are some solutions to this extreme such as ventilation and keeping hydrated which can reduce weather effects on the engineer also clothing provided by the organization is something that can help keep engineer cooler in hotter temperatures, loose and light clothing to allow the heat to escape and not build up can have a positive effect on the temperature the engineer is exposed to.

To conclude engineers can be exposed to hot and cold temperatures that can effect the work of the engineer, however there are ways to combat the effects of the environment, such as clothing and ventilation in some cases. Overall, it is important for aircraft maintenance engineers to be aware of the specific features of the physical environment that can impinge on their performance, and take measures to mitigate their effects