Introduction
Aviation insecurity is usually the result of carelessness and ignorance or incorrect assessment of risks that often lead to loss of lives and property. Drawing from a study by NTSB (2003), it is absolutely necessary to carefully follow policies and procedures that are designed to guarantee aviation security.
Apparently, lack of security in the aviation industry may also lead to aircraft related accidents. As a result, aviation security is meant to avert aircraft accidents, safeguard airports and save people from attacks by malicious individuals. Arguably, aviation insecurity is due to human mistakes and errors that occur at different times and either interfere with airline operations or put the lives of passengers at risk.
Looking at the number of insecurity incidences associated with airlines and airports, it is obvious that individuals who work for airports and airlines must receive elaborate training designed to expose enlighten them about security risks that can affect airports and airline companies.
Poor Maintenance as a Cause of Insecurity
Based on research findings, human related errors are to blame for the high incidences of insecurity in the aviation sector. Airports and airline operators may be exposed to instances of insecurity as a result of negligence and failure by security officers to comply with stipulated security standards and procedures. Statistically, air carriers have greatly suffered as a result of poor maintenance which often leads to engine failures.
Unfortunately, the repercussions are serious and often cause deaths and great losses. In the same way, the reputation of air carriers gets affected due to such horrible incidences. Because of the complexity involved when dealing with security issues, coming up with concrete solutions is a major challenge.
For this reason, the security problem continues unabated. In accordance with the Aviation Security Improvement Act 1990, the transportation security assessment team in the United States is responsible for giving guidelines concerning the layout, design, construction, and maintenance of commercial as well as general aviation aircrafts. It is also a requirement by the Aviation Transport Security Act 2001 and the Homeland Security Act 2002. The Acts provide specific details about securing aircrafts.
Regardless of whether maintenance related security incidents are new to the aviation industry, the awareness of the need for aviation security implies that they should be thoroughly investigated. Presently, the increase in the number of attacks on airports and airlines due to poor maintenance and negligence is a serious concern to a number of stakeholders.
It is thus important to shift focus from investigating the performance of flight crews and to concentrate more on establishing where the problem lies within the maintenance and inspection units. Evidently, this has been largely ignored in a number of security related investigations.
In areas where the possibility of security risks is quite high, the task of aircraft maintenance and inspection can be extremely complex and quite varied at the same time. One of the greatest concerns is that aviation maintenance technicians often have to work under very strict deadlines and this creates fatigue which makes them overlook important security aspects. Although these technicians understand the importance of meeting scheduled departure times, it is unhealthy for them to be made to work under pressure.
To ease the pressure on aviation maintenance technicians, it is necessary for air carriers to employ additional staff and to design flexible working plans for the maintenance crew. Among other benefits, this will reduce fatigue and grant them an opportunity to rest and embark on their duties when they are fresh and feeling energetic. Another concern that has been raised is that aircraft maintenance technicians are required to take care of very old aircrafts (Benny, 2012).
This is can be very exhaustive and creates a stressful work environment. It is also quite involving and leads to wastage of time. The demands on aviation maintenance technician increase further as new aircrafts are added to the fleet. The need to take care of old as well new aircraft poses challenges to the maintenance crew and requires familiarity with both technologies.
A very highly skilled workforce is thus critical if air carriers are to effectively deal with emerging security issues. Besides having a strong educational background, wide experience is a distinct added advantage for any aviation maintenance expert.
Human Error and Aviation Security
According to Conquest and Beckett (2003), the effect from technical failures is quite negligible in comparison to that from human error. As such, it is imperative to ensure that the needs of aviation security personnel are fully met. Generally, vulnerabilities are encountered when individuals fail to follow recommended guidelines and procedures.
To a large extent, human error in the aviation industry becomes obvious when aircraft failures that are linked to the actions or non actions of aircraft security officers happen. However, the failure experienced may be due to other factors and not necessarily because of the inability of security officers to deliver effectively. It is also possible that during a maintenance exercise an anomaly may be undetected, leading to aircrafts being exposed to numerous risks.
Many incidences of insecurity have been linked to human errors as major contributors (Conquest & Beckett, 2003). While in some cases, insecurity can directly be attributed to human error, the same may not be said of certain cases of insecurity where poor maintenance is seen to have partially contributed to a security lapse.
In a list published by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, major problems resulting from unprofessional practice during maintenance include poor installations of aircraft components, use of unauthorized aircraft parts, poor electrical wiring, unsatisfactory lubrication of movable parts, and fastenings that are left incomplete.
Evidently, there are numerous issues that can lead to human errors and insecurity. While some are easily noticeable, others may be completely hidden. To address these issues, it is imperative for air carriers to require all aviation security personnel to strictly follow outlined security procedures while investigating security issues. Aviation security technicians must be made to understand the importance of being extremely vigilant at all times.
Any form of negligence must be avoided at all costs and stakeholders must steer away from actions or non actions that can be detrimental to the security of airports and aircrafts. Where an aviation security officer deliberately acts in a manner likely to create problems for the aircraft and the air carrier company, he or she must be subjected to a disciplinary action.
In order to effectively deal with problems created by human error, concerned persons must diligently carry out thorough investigations and interpret findings in a way that benefits both the carrier company and the general public. Concerned individuals must be identified and appropriate measures taken to avoid a repeat of the same at a later time.
In various past studies, it is evident that while organizations can be a source of insecurity due to negligent acts, they can also help to reinforce security and save human life. However, the ability of organizations to address security issues in their operations depends so much on the technology available to them.
While organizations with improved technologies are better placed to effectively deal with identified security concerns, those without such technologies suffer serious challenges and are unable to effectively deal with security problems even after they have been detected.
Apparently, the promotion of security in the aviation sector is rarely looked at as a human problem that must be dealt with by ensuring that aviation security technicians are well prepared. Better results can, however, be realized when the training offered is accompanied with strict follow ups to ensure that trainees effectively utilize the skills learnt.
Obviously, increased vulnerability points to the fact that aviation security technicians are not putting skills learnt to good use as it is widely expected. Because of carelessness, security officers have ended up causing serious irreversible damage to humanity and air carrier companies.
It is also very important for top management in organizations to ensure that staff members are serious about their work. Without some form of reinforcement from senior management, the problem will continue uncontrollably. Strong support from the top is thus very important.
Ordinarily, errors do not happen in isolation. They occur within the context of organizations which can either resist or promote them. Ideally, this implies that air carriers have the liberty to decide how to deal with security concerns that affect their day to day business operations.
On the one hand, they can choose to let things get worse, and hence cause more problems for themselves and the general public while on the other hand, they can decide to implement strict measures that will see an end to laxity and alleviate any security related problems in the future.
It is, therefore imperative for airlines to have very strong and reliable leadership at the top in order to avoid the promotion of mediocre security standards. Departures from approved procedures must be avoided at all costs and senior managers must see to it that all aviation security technicians perform their functions as expected. Refusal to follow outlined guidelines is unacceptable and must not be entertained by anyone in the aviation industry.
Typically, unique characteristics are bound to shape human error in maintaining a secure environment. To a great extent, this is thought to be completely different when compared to other operational departments in the aviation industry. One of the biggest challenges faced by aviation security officers is that unlike problems seen in other areas of the aviation sector, security related errors cannot be easily identified at the time of occurrence.
In some cases, the aviation security technician who makes an error may fail to realize it as it may manifest much later. Ordinarily, detected human errors associated with security only become obvious when an aircraft is attacked or fails to perform as expected. Errors are thus discussed with regard to failures or challenges encountered with aircrafts.
According to Benny (2012), communication is a very important factor to consider in aircraft security. In most cases, communication breakdown among stakeholders leads to unexpected repercussions. The huge amount of information created must be properly disseminated to the right recipients and where possible properly stored for future reference. Besides, it is important to ensure that any information sent out is in a form that can be effectively understood by whoever receives it.
Communication must be put in the simplest possible form and the use of technical jargon must be avoided so as to ensure that the recipient understands the communication relayed. When security problems are encountered, communication must be sent to relevant people before it is too late so as to get the correct remedy. If ignored, this could be the source of serious problems. Although communication between airlines is never easy to do, it is necessary and the security crew must be encouraged to be actively involved.
Lack of or poor security communication within the aviation industry can also be very dangerous. For there to be unity, and for everyone to move towards the same direction, there must be smooth security communication. It is the responsibility of those responsible for security to keep the communication fire burning within the aviation industry.
Whenever issues are encountered, these must be dealt with immediately so that people can move on. Any complicated issues can, however, be escalated to senior managers for further attention and advice. In a worse case scenario, a breakdown in security communication can easily lead to delays in delivery of critical services and this can in turn affect the general operation of the airline. In the event that such misunderstandings affect the customer, the biggest loser is always the air carrier.
Legal Aspects of Aviation Security
As a result of 9/11 terrorist attacks, there has been increased recognition of the significance of human factors in aviation security. Subsequently, security and effectiveness of aircrafts is now a major concern for aircraft security personnel. Various legislations have been put in place to ensure the safety of airports, aircrafts, and passengers.
In Europe, for example, an Act was enacted to allow member states to use alternative options to provide security around airports (Poole, 2009). I the same way, all member states are required to ensure that all airports and air carriers implement elaborate security programs under the EU Regulation 2320/2002 (Hong, 2014). The Homeland Security Act of 2002 also expects aviation service providers in the United States to obtain authority from the government to operate as qualified anti-terrorism experts.
Personal Opinion of Issues Discussed
Without a doubt, aviation security is a major concern throughout the world. Personally, I am of the opinion that every effort must be made to secure airports, aircrafts, and most importantly the lives of all passenger aboard any flight. As explained in this paper, the human factor is a very important consideration as far as aviation security is concerned. Efforts must be made by all stakeholders to see to it that individuals concerned with the security matters do a thorough job and leave nothing to chance.
Conclusion
Although well structured security programs and strong leadership can be of great help, good will from the aviation security officers is vital. As has been explained in this paper, detecting human errors in the aviation industry is not easy. Errors tend to be detected long after they have happened and usually, they tend to occur in the absence of the aviation security officers.
Analysis is thus based mostly on assumptions rather than on concrete evidence. This notwithstanding, those in the aviation industry must take all the necessary precautions to guarantee the security of airports, aircrafts, and customers.
Proper security guidelines and procedures must be put in place and the security crew should be equipped with critical skills to help them carry out their tasks. Dissatisfaction among staff and lack of concern will lead to serious damage and must be addressed fully. Aviation security personnel and by extension, all other employees, must be treated with respect.
References
Benny, D. J. (2012). General Aviation Security: Aircraft, Hangars, Fixed-Base Operations, Flight Schools, and Airports. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Conquest, T. & Beckett, B. A. (2003). Aviation Safety: Better Guidance and Training Needed on Providing Files on Pilots Background Information. Collingdale, PA: DIANE Publishing.
Hong, J. J. (2014). Liability of Aviation Security Service Providers and Responsibility of States.
National Transport Safety Board (NTSB). (2013). Mechanics: Managing Risks to Ensure Safety.
Poole, R. W. (2009). The Case for Risk-Based Aviation Security Policy. World Customs Journal, 3(2): 3 – 16.