Complacency
Complacency (hereinafter, the Factor) is the human factor that is characterized by self-satisfaction that is accompanied by a loss of awareness of the dangers. The Factor is one of the Dirty Dozen of Human Factors.
Definitions
According to the FAA AC 120-72,
- Complacency. Satisfaction with a situation to the extent that a degradation of vigilance occurs.
In aviation maintenance
According to the FAA AMT Handbook,
Complacency is a human factor in aviation maintenance that typically develops over time. As a technician gains knowledge and experience, a sense of self satisfaction and false confidence may occur. A repetitive task, especially an inspection item, may be overlooked or skipped because the technician has performed the task a number of times without ever finding a fault. The false assumption that inspection of the item is not important may be made. However, even if rare, a fault may exist. The consequences of the fault not being detected and corrected could cause an incident or accident. Routine tasks performed over and over allow time for the technician's mind to wander, which may also result in a required task not being performed.
When a technician finds him or herself performing work without documentation, or documenting work that was not performed, it is a sign that complacency may exist. Approved, written maintenance procedures should be followed during all maintenance inspections and repairs. Executing the proper paperwork draws attention to a work item and reinforces its significance.
To combat complacency, a technician must train oneself to expect to find the fault that created the inspection item in the first place. He or she must stay mentally engaged in the task being performed. All inspection items must be treated with equal importance, and it must never be assumed that an item is acceptable when it has not been inspected. A technician should never sign for any work that has not been performed.
Prior to the pen touching the paper for a signature, the technician should read the item before signing and confirm it has been performed.
Mitigating the risk: (a) Always expect to find something wrong, (b) Always double check your work, (c) Never sign off on something that you did not fully check. People tend to become overconfident after becoming proficient in a certain task, which can mask the awareness of dangers.
