Abstract
Communication and trust are fundamental factors in the operation of complex and highly regulated industries like aviation maintenance. This article reviews two preconditions of human error: communication and trust, as well as the way these are linked as aviation researchers have only recently started to study factors not individually, but rather by combining their effects. Communication is essential in the exchange of information and knowledge in aviation maintenance. The conditions that make communication effective and miscommunication avoidable are explored. Next, ways of communication, like aircraft maintenance documentation, are discussed along with appreciation of how communication is valued in aviation maintenance. Trust within different aspects of maintenance practice (interpersonal trust, trust towards technology, initial levels of trust) is presented and analysed, as well as examined as a prerequisite of effective communication. The characteristics of trust, its forms and results are identified in the literature with limited sources from the aviation bibliography, as it is a domain barely explored. Therefore, a gap has been identified in the study of trust and the exploration of the combined traits of communication and trust in aviation maintenance. Recommendations for additional research in this field are provided.
Highlights
The literature highlights that communication in the aircraft maintenance environment provides several considerations: first, it is an element that underlies every phase of the aircraft maintenance process; it is a primary element of the maintenance process, as it is the framework upon which information transmission takes place; the research community and the industry need to proceed with further investigation on documentation structure and shift turnover procedures
This review aimed to include mainly aviation maintenance literature relevant to communication and trust and this literature was found to be scarce. This suggests that, the factors of communication and trust, either individually or in combination, are understudied in aviation maintenance. To unfold this critical issue, communication and trust were explored in multidisciplinary literature and they were considered within the aviation maintenance framework
Most researchers have concluded that aviation has recognised miscommunication as a paramount human factor contributing to errors [36,114], but there is still much work to be done to eliminate this risk and provide the industry with error free communication
Summary
There are twelve principal preconditions or conditions that contribute to human errors, widely known as the Dupont’s Dirty Dozen [4,5,6,7,8,9]. These elements (shown in Figure 1) are dissimilar in nature and appear either on personal, group or organizational performance levels [10]. The Dirty Dozen is still used in training, accident, and human error analysis in aviation maintenance worldwide [4,5,7,8,11] These 12 factors are of a different nature and quantifiability, . Trust is under-investigated in aviation [19] and its association with communication is an unexplored area, especially in aviation maintenance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
