Research - help needed

[Bennett]

Research - help needed ...

I am the Director of Risk Studies at the University of Leicester in England.
I am writing a book about pilots and piloting.
The book will give pilots the chance to talk about their work, their ambitions and concerns. It will describe them as 'social beings' with educational and career histories, family and financial commitments, commuting and rostering issues, retirement plans, etc. In short, the book will present a sociological picture of the modern pilot.

All those canvassed by the publisher (Ashgate UK) - including pilots, staff associations and trades unions, employers and regulators - said the book was long overdue and would make an important contribution to our understanding of the industry's key resource - the pilot.

The research is done via a simple questionnaire. All data is anonymised. Pilots cannot be identified from their responses. Airlines will not be identified. The book will be published in 2005.
If you are, or have been a Captain or First Officer and wish to help, you can obtain a questionnaire by e-mailing me at [email protected]
You can then either e-mail it back to me at [email protected] or post it to The University of Leicester, 154 Upper New Walk, Leicester, England, LE1 7QA
Thank you.
Dr Simon Bennett MRAeS FICDDS
0116 252 5700


[Last edited by Bennett on 19th May 2004 at 11:05]

[Lou Scannon]

I realise that many pilots are nervous of giving information, but there are still researchers who can benefit the profession with a bit of objective comment. How unfortunate that my old mate Roger Green is not still around to do this.

Here are two of the reviews concerning Bennett's first book. Having read them, you may wish to email him to have your say.

GETTING AT THE TRUTH

We all make mistakes. Pilots are no exception.

A book about to be published by a University of Leicester expert shows how pilots are unfortunately often blamed for mistakes that originate in bad design, inadequate training, out-of-date manuals, poor-quality maintenance, physically and psychologically exhausting rosters, air traffic control errors and a host of other factors.

Scapegoating is wrong, argues Dr Simon Bennett in his book Human Error – by Design? because it obscures the underlying causes of accidents, thereby denying the industry the opportunity to rectify its mistakes at source. The ultimate outcome is that the industry is not as safe as it could be. Scapegoating is also morally dubious.

The solution, argues Dr Bennett, lecturer at the University’s Scarman Centre, is to adopt a ‘deep systems’ approach to accident investigation. This approach, grounded in holism, requires that all contributory factors be evaluated. It may require the interrogation of the aircraft’s designers or consideration of target turn-around times.

Says Dr Bennett; ‘The book makes the case for a more subtle, multi-dimensional approach to accident investigation ... one that includes any factor — social, economic, political, physiological, psychological or technical — that might have influenced the flight crew. To prevent scapegoating and learn from our mistakes we must think holistically about accidents. Not to use the deep systems approach would be an act of unconscionable negligence’.
...and for the Balpa members, one from the Log:

The Log : February/March 2002 35
HUMAN ERROR - BY
DESIGN?
By Simon Bennett

This relatively short book
has been written by Doctor
Simon Bennett, a sociologist
who works at the University of
Leicester and who specialises in
Risk and Disaster management. The work seems to have been
adapted from an academic paper, for there is much cross-referencing
but this does not detract from the powerful arguments. Dr
Bennett’s principal theory is one that flight crew will find reassuring.
Far from being blamed for the majority of accidents, as
often happened before the 1990’s he uses careful examination of
a number of past events to show how in many cases, though the
pilots may have contributed to events, the real causes were often
more subtle. It is often the infrastructure, which is to blame.
Design faults, training inadequacies, and commercial pressures
from within companies, all have played their part and he suggests
if we are to move to a greater understanding of the real causes of
accidents, then we need to move away from blaming flight crew
simply because they are closest to events. His work is a useful
bringing together of current strands of accidents and analysis and
he puts forward his arguments in a compelling way. My only disappointment
is that the examples he uses come mainly from the
1970’s. I can’t help feeling that the work would have been more
effective if he had included some examples from the modern,
glass cockpit era but this does not really detract from his fundamental
proposition. It is still a thoroughly good read.
Paul Revell

[Compass Rose]

I have met Dr Simon Bennet and completed his questionaire for the book.

I was most impressed with his insight into the problems that we face these days as airline pilots. He has a deep understanding of key issues of rostering, lifestyle and commercial pressure. More importantly he sees it as vital to the community that these issues are articulated publically.

The bigger response he gets for the book then the more powerful it will be.

It took me 10 minutes to answer the questionaire and I felt I was able to air ( and comment on ) some important issues.

I hope other airline pilots support this key book for all our sakes.

[Lou Scannon]

Pleased that I am not the only one "Compass". As a profession we are always quick to criticize, but slow to support those who might help.

[Hamrah]

I also have facilitated Simon Bennett with is research on previous projects, and would urge pilots to help him with this project.

H