Analysis of current colour assessment protocols for the cabin crew

Abstract

AbstractColour vision (CV) requirements for cabin crewmembers are set in accordance with the regulations of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).They are required to identify correctly 9 of the first 15 plates of the Ishihara (IH)24‐plates.The aim of this study was to assess the severity of CV loss of applicants in relation to certification outcome based on the EASA cabin crew protocol. 126 applicants (78 deutans, 46 protans and 2 normal trichromats) were tested.The IH, CAD(Colour Assessment and Diagnosis) and anomaloscope were carried out to the specification required for Class I certification. 72% (56/78) of deutans passed the IH, but only 37% (17 /46) of protans passed.For all subjects 40% (51/126) passed both the IH and CAD.8% (7 protans and 3 deutans) of subjects failed IH and passed the CAD.19% (23 deutans and 1 protan) passed the IH and failed the CAD and 7 of these subjects had severe CV loss on the CAD and unusual anomaloscope results. The IH is used widely in aviation, and the number of errors is often used as a measure of the severity of CV loss. This study shows that the number of errors is not a good indicator of the applicant’s severity of CV loss. When the current EASA protocol for cabin crewmembers based on IH is applied, severe colour deficient subjects can pass and less severe subjects fail. A revision of the current colour assessment protocol for the cabin crew is needed to produce justifiable minimum CV requirements using colour assessment tests that are less variable.