6.3 Human factors assessment

The introduction into service of the remote aerodrome ATS has direct human factors implications. Furthermore, the implementation of mitigation measures to counter such human factors implications may also impact the humans operating the systems. Some sections in this document already indicate the need for a human factors assessment. This section addresses in more detail human factors aspects that should be considered for the implementation of remote aerodrome ATS. The human factors assessment should be based on a state-of-the-art process and is required to fulfil the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2017/373 [4], ATS.OR.205. It is recommended that such assessment should be performed independently. Human factors assessment is not about assessing the technical performance itself, but the suitability of technical components in an ATCO/AFISO’s task context, allowing the ATCO/AFISO to successfully accomplish the ATS task. In addition, and related to the human factors assessment, social aspects concerning the introduction of remote aerodrome ATS should be considered. The human factors assessment should cover the relevant human factors areas affected by the change. It concerns: HMI and system; working environment (see also Section 5.12); procedures and working methods; organisation and human-human interaction; transition factors (competencies, training, acceptance of the new working environment). It also should cover and involve, in a proportionate manner, those actors (ATCO, AFISO, ATSEP, etc.) affected by the change. The human factors assessment should also support decisions on safety nets and functionalities to safely achieve the level of service intended and in an acceptable manner for the actors involved. The assessment of human factors aspects should be carried out through various means, such as workshops, simulations, passive and active shadow mode validations, as appropriate for the proposed implementation, using the final functional system to ensure that human performance is not negatively impacted. Simulations as well as shadow mode validations are considered to be useful to find inconsistencies in the equipment and procedures, while workshops can have multiple purposes, depending on the timing of their use. Workshops should include the operational experts that are impacted by the change, which ensures not only that the human factors issues are captured accurately but also that the purpose and scope of the change is fully transparent to the operational experts. Workshops can therefore not only be used to identify human factors issues that have not been identified before and mitigations to those issues, but also to define the content of trainings, and to disseminate information. The human factors assessment should be led by a human factors specialist. The human factors specialist will be aware of human factors/human performance assessment processes and be able to adapt those processes to their needs. Commonly used human factors/human performance assessment processes are for example the ECTRL HF case or the SESAR HP assessment process. These processes provide examples of methods that can be used to collect data. The human factors assessment has to be clearly indicated as such and not to be merged with a safety assessment; however, it can be included in the same document.