145.A.65 Maintenance procedures

GENERAL

1.Maintenance procedures should be kept up to date such that they reflect the current best practices within the organisation, while being compliant with the Regulation. All organisation’s employees should report differences via their organisation’s internal safety reporting scheme.

2.All procedures, and changes to those procedures, should be verified and validated before use where practicable and applicable.

3.All procedures should be designed and presented in accordance with good human factors principles.

HUMAN FACTORS PRINCIPLES The following key points should be considered when designing and presenting technical procedures in accordance with good human factors principles:

(a)The design of procedures and changes should involve maintenance personnel who have a good working knowledge of the tasks;

(b)Ensuring that the procedures are accurate, appropriate and usable, and reflect best practices;

(c)Taking account of the level of expertise and experience of the user;

(d)Taking account of the environment in which the procedures are to be used;

(e)Ensuring that all the key information is included without the procedure being unnecessarily complex;

(f)Where appropriate, explaining the reasons for the procedure;

(g)The order of the tasks and the steps should reflect best practices, with the procedure clearly stating where the order of steps is critical, and where changes to the order are acceptable;

(h)Ensuring consistency in the design of procedures and the use of terminology, abbreviations, references, etc.

(i)For documents produced in the English language, using ‘simplified English’.

Appendix XI to AMC M.A.708(c) or Appendix IV to AMC1 CAMO.A.315(c) provide guidance on the elements that need to be considered for the maintenance contract between the CAMO and the maintenance organisation. The Part-145 organisation should take into account these elements to ensure that a clear contract or work order has been concluded before providing maintenance services.

Specialised services include any specialised activity, such as, but not limited to, non-destructive testing requiring particular skills and/or qualification. Point 145.A.30(f) covers the qualification of personnel but, in addition, there is a need to establish maintenance procedures that cover the control of any specialised process.