Free «Routine Violation» Essay Sample

Despite the fact that technology has stepped far ahead, the value of human actions has not diminished. However, the possibility of a human mistake still exists and the value of this mistake is too high. Various incidents and accidents in aviation usually occur due to human errors and violations. Routine violations are “intentional actions, which violate known rules, procedures or norms” (AIRBUS, 2007, p. 2). It is significant to understand that a routine violation is a deliberate and conscious decision of a person to act wrongly despite the fact that he/she is constantly motivated to do a good job. Routine violations are specific types of breaking rules, which have become a norm, a part of human actions. Breaking of a speed limit is the best example of daily routine violations people commit. A routine violation in the aviation industry is a serious violation of the rules, which is complicated by the fact that people have got used to breaking rules to such an extent that they do not even regard such acts as problems.

Considering the reason of routine violations in the aviation industry, it is possible to predict that engineers may violate the rules to simplify their job. Working in the industry, employees may claim that rule procedures are over prescriptive and have too many norms. As a result, in practice, everything could be done faster and without additional risks. Time pressure and work overload are two major reasons why any type of violations takes place. Thus, all the reasons of routine violations lie in conscious choices of an employee to act in a wrong way without feeling guilty. It is important to remember that in many cases routine violations are not justified. The research states that about 34% of engineers constantly violate the procedures; they are aware that it is illegal but they do not feel guilty. One more serious reason for routine violations is unworkable procedures (Civil Aviation Safety Authority Australia, 2013). The policies and descriptions are not renewed annually. In some cases, the procedures were described many years ago, when whole the technology was developing. Thus, it is impossible to adhere to the previous procedures and, as a result, routine violations are inevitable no matter how responsible an employee is. Therefore, the major reasons for routine violations are explained by a human desire to simplify the task to save the time to complete a particular action, to limit the required effort, to compensate for the lack of human resources, and to cover obvious mistakes in written procedures.

The examples of routine violations are numerous. The first problem discussed is an inspection issue. Having completed a borescope inspection, engineers never perform an engine run. The borescope inspection is a procedure that removes the need to disassemble the engine. Having completed the procedure, engineers have to run the engine to guarantee there are no leaks. However, this procedure is never done because the engine never leaks, according to engineers. They intentionally skip this stage in order to save time and efforts. Another example of a routine violation is also connected with the borescope inspection. After the procedure, engineers have to hermetically seal the connections on the motor transmission drive pads (Civil Aviation Safety Authority Australia, 2013). According to engineers, it is not done due to the low level of damage. Therefore, it is obvious that reluctance to complete some extra work is the main reason for routine violations.

Despite the fact that the problem has been deeply rooted in the minds of aviation engineers, it can be and must be prevented. Routine violations should be prevented at all levels of the aviation industry as they pose a direct risk for human lives. The development of an effective incident reporting program should become the primary initiative. The main focus of this program should be the problem itself, not a person who does it, but the reasons for violations. Employees should understand that each action leads to consequences and they should be encouraged to report the slightest deviation from the norm. More employees should be hired to implement this strategy and to make sure that people do not want to violate the rules due to the lack of human resources. Training is another aspect that should be considered (Hobbs, 2008). Additional trainings for the staff with regard to the prescribed procedures and the reports about the consequences may improve the situation. Being aware of the possible problems routine violations can lead to, the engineers may consider their actions more seriously. Learning from accidents is one more tool in a struggle with routine violations. Being aware of the possible problems engineers can perform their tasks with higher responsibility.

In conclusion, routine violations are a serious problem in the modern aviation industry. Having an intention to violate the rules, people do not think about the consequences. The violations seem minor for them. However, these are still offences that must be prevented. There are many examples of routine violations that may lead to unpredictable events and the ruining of lives of many people. As staff shortage, desire to reduce time and efforts, and outdated instructions are the reasons for routine violations, the aviation industry should consider these problems in order to improve the situation. Incident reporting programs, staff trainings, incident investigations, and learning lessons from the incidents are the best strategies that help to reduce the possibilities of routine violations to minimum and to eliminate them at all in the future.