Synensys, LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) safety management company, recently showcased its groundbreaking study on situational awareness and error management at the AMC Safety Conference. Held from April 22nd to April 24th in Collinsville, IL, the conference gathered representatives from across Air Mobility Command, including experts in flight safety, ground safety, weapons safety, and occupational health safety.
Synensys, the AMC Line Operation Safety Audits (LOSA) Contractor, was represented by Dr. Stephen Powell and Mark Smithwick. Their presentation, titled “How Situation Awareness (SA) Impacts Threat and Error Management (TEM) – an AMC Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) Study,” provided a comprehensive analysis of AMC LOSA data, emphasizing the critical role of situational awareness in maintaining safety and preventing errors in air mobility operations.
The AMC Safety Conference was a three-day event designed to foster collaboration and share insights among safety professionals. Synensys took this opportunity to present their findings on situational awareness and error management, which are pivotal to enhancing the safety of air mobility operations.
Dr. Powell and Mr. Smithwick began by reviewing the fundamentals of LOSA, which aims to assess operational system complexity, observe ‘work as performed’ versus ‘work as imagined,’ measure the effectiveness of TEM, and promote a culture of safety. LOSA’s key attributes include de-identified, natural performance and proactive safety measures.
The presentation highlighted the importance of situational awareness in error recognition and recovery. Situational awareness is defined as an ongoing dynamic process of gathering and interpreting information to update the situation model, using it to search for information until decisions can be made. The model of situational awareness includes three levels: perception, comprehension, and projection.
The study revealed that the primary cause of situational errors is a failure to monitor, which significantly impacts flight operations. Differences were observed between various aircraft roles, including pilots, loadmasters, and aerial in-flight refueling boom operators. The data showed that pilots, loadmasters, and boom operators have varying levels of recognition and failure to recognize mismanaged errors and undesired states.
”"Mismanaged errors are the precursor events to undesired states where the margin of safety is greatly reduced, creating higher risks for flight crews and other air crews. With LOSA, we're able to track errors related to situational awareness and develop strategies to improve crews' ability to recognize and correct errors before they become undesired states."
Dr. Stephen PowellCEO, Synensys
Synensys compared AMC LOSA data to existing literature and pilot reports, such as ASAP, to better understand how AMC operators perform in normal flight situations. The findings showed similarities, emphasizing the importance of situational awareness in preventing errors and undesired states.
”"This use of LOSA data is an effective proactive safety management strategy. It's a way of using proactive safety management to create better strategies for AMC air crews to improve their threat and error management performance."
Mark SmithwickLOSA Program Manager, Synensys
The presentation provided a detailed analysis of the impact of situational awareness errors on TEM with AMC aircrews. Recognition of mismanaged errors and their link to undesired states was a focal point. The study highlighted the need for further research to better understand vigilance factors and improve situational awareness among AMC aircrews.
Synensys remains committed to enhancing the safety and efficiency of air mobility operations through rigorous analysis and innovative safety management strategies. The AMC Mobility Safety Conference provided an excellent platform to share these critical findings and engage with industry experts on continuous improvement opportunities.
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