The Dirty Dozen - Lack of assertiveness #12

Lacking of assertiveness is defined as how one is aware that certain method of doing is wrong but is not confident enough to question or clarify. Thus leading to abnormal operating method which will nto be corrected leading to other faults that could've been solved at a much earlier stage.

Being "assertive" is the ability to express your feelings, opinions, beliefs and needs in a positive, productive manner. It is not the same as being aggressive

Cause and effects of the Lack of assertiveness

Causes

Individuals being hesitant in expressing their opinions - often found in people who are new

Individuals who are new and dares not ask any question even when they're uncertain;

Individuals who sees something wrong but fails to communicate with their superiors to clarify.

Effects of the lack of assertiveness

The lack of assertiveness may cause;

Improper work planning

Improper or unsafe working environments/operating methods
Safety issues, concerns &;
Accidents

Safety net for the lack of assertiveness

the lack of assertiveness can be prevented by

Being confident in sounding out your concerns;

dont be afraid to express your opinions and ideas

ask for what you need to know, approach supervisors whenever necessary

never compromise your job's integrity simply because you're afraid to sound out or to ask someone when you see something done wrongly

learn how to be assertive in doing your job, be confident in your knowledge if you know something is done wrongly

The Dirty Dozen - Lack of awareness #11

The lack of awareness can be defined as the failure to be alert, vigilant or observative in the surrounding or in the job itself. Such incidents can lead to the failure to recognize the consequences of an action.

Cause and effects

Factors that can lead to the lack of awareness;

The absence of situational awareness leading to the;
Failure to know what's going on around oneself &
The lack of alertness and vigilance in observing the job and the surroundings

Effects of the lack of awareness;

The lack of awareness can cause;

Damage to the equipment being handled or the tools being used.
Injuries to oneself or endangering the lives of others.

Safety nets of the lack of awareness

There are many measures to take to combat the lack of awareness such ask

Being vigilant of the surrounding of your workplace - be situational aware of the surroundings

Understand the situation awareness would deteriorate as time goes by - Do not let fatigue kick in, rest if necessary

Ensure that all equipment used is the correct type and to get supervisors to conduct periodic checks to ensure correct work procedures

Recognize the job requirements and complexity - Seek advice with superiors and clarify any critical factors for your job, do not be complacent.

The Dirty Dozen - Stress #10

There are 2 types of stress:

ACUTE
Acute stress relates to the demand placed on the body because of current issue. for examples, time constraints for converting the aircraft from passenger to cargo configuration. To handle acute stress, try to take a five minutes break and relax by deep breathing.


Chronic
Chronic stress results from long term demands placed on the body by both negative and positive major life events, such as divorce, or winning the lottery. Chronic stress can exaggerate the effects of acute stress. Dealing with chronic stress is more difficult and usually involves a lifestyle change.


Causes of stress
The common causes of stress:
- Personal issue
- Weather concerns
- boss rushing for job to be done


Effects of stress
The Effects of stress:
- Anxiety
- Difficult to concentrate
- Fatigue

Safety net 
The following methods can be use to prevent Stress:
- Eat proper meal, rest adequately, exercise.
- Take time off; take breaks regularly.
- Talk to someone who is not emotionally involved with the situation.

The Dirty Dozen - Fatigue #9

Studies have shown that, similar to being under the influence of alcohol, we tend to underestimate the problem and over estimate our ability to cope with it.

 These studies have proven that after 17hours of wakefulness, you are functioning as if you had an equivalent blood alcohol level of 0.05%

After 24 hours the lever increases to 0.1%; a very sobering though. the more fatigued you are, the lower your IQ.

It is also noteworthy that the more fatigued you are, the more easily you are distracted.


Causes of fatigue
The common causes of fatigue;
- Don't have enough sleep before work.
- Working hours too long.
- Rushing for completion of task lead to skip of break.


Effects of fatigue
The common effects of fatigue lead to;
- Making more mistake and delayed reactions during task performances.
- Difficulty to maintain attention and awareness.
- Information given may be forgotten.
- Difficulty to perform in every task.
- Involuntary lapses into sleep.
- Doesn't communicate or interact with people.


Safety net
The following methods can be taken to prevent fatigue;
- Get adequate amounts of sleep, at least 8 hours per day.
- Eating proper meals and drink plenty of water.
- Exercise regularly
- Physical check-up annually.
- Search for resources on fatigue management.

The Dirty Dozen - Pressure #8

Interestingly, people put the most pressure on themselves. Self-induced pressure are those occasions where one takes ownership of a situation, which was not of their doing. The 'monkey on you back' is yours because you accepted it. Being assertive and not accepting the 'monkey' will help.

Urgent demands, which influence our performance, include:
- Company
- Client
- Peer
- Self-induced

Causes of pressure
common cause of the pressure;
- Having too many tasks in a workday,working over time causing performance problems.
- Not enough time to complete tasks safely without any errors.
- Aiming for promotion, to be better than your colleague.
- Multitasking on the task given.


Effects of pressure
The pressure can lead to;
- Poor performance problems with task given.
- Accidents and injuries to yourself and colleague.
- Damages to the property.
- Make mistakes on the job given.
- afraid to approach for help form colleague and supervisor.


Safety net
The following method can be taken to prevent the pressure from happening;
- Plan well before starting task.
- Always ask around your colleague and supervisor for help.
- Never take shortcuts, always follow  the appropriate procedures.
- Getting enough sleep before work.

The Dirty Dozen - Norms #7

Norms are unwritten rules or behaviors, dictated and followed by the majority of a group. Norms can be postive and negative. A positive norm would be scanning the area inside the aircraft you have been working on prior to closing up A negative norm would be pushing an aircraft into the hangar by yourself.


Causes of norms
The common causes of norms:
- Doing the same daily routine
- Are set by employees
- The way of doing business that's not approved, but it's been done locally for long time.


Effects of norms 
The effects of norms are;
- causing employees to follow whether is correct or wrong.
- causing the technician on getting use to shortcut.
- giving bad impression to new employees.

Safety net 
The following methods can be taken to prevent norms;
- Never us shortcuts, always abide the policies ad procedures.
- Have a habit to remove bad habits and behaviours.
- Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.
- Set a good example for others.

The Dirty Dozen - Distraction #6

Distraction can be defined as anything that draws your attention away from the task at hand. Psychologists say distraction is the number one cause of forgetting things. We are always thinking ahead. Thus, we have a natural tendency, when we are distracted before returning to a job, to think we are further ahead then we actually are.



Causes of distraction
The various factor that causes Distraction:
- Technicians being interrupted during a task and forget what they left out.
- Personnel's doing too many jobs at once - multitasking too much is counterproductive
- Phone calls being made halfway through the job.

Effects of distraction
The various effect of distraction;
- Performance will be affected;
- Jobs would not be done properly due to things being left out or undone or;
- Endangering the lives of another person who's using the equipment you've serviced.

Safety net
There are many steps that we can take to counter the effects of distractions, such as;
- Creating a checklist -breakdown into detailed steps, complete step by step.
-Minimizing all distractions, if possible eliminate it.
- Completing the task before taking any calls if possible
- If someone is talking to you while you're working, try to get them to either leave you a note or talk to you later.
- If a job has to be left unattended, leave a tag or flag it as uncompleted work.