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СпутникиРНSpaceXРоскосмосNASAWhen distraction takes your mind off critical maintenance tasks, bad things happen.
The post Dirty Dozen #4: Distraction appeared first on Vertical Mag.
I watched a mechanic almost take a rotor head to the face because he was on his phone.
The blades were off and the crew was prepping to remove a rotor head. One mechanic was on the man-lift to guide the rotor head once it picked up, another on the ground with the ropes guiding it down, and a crew chief was calling the operation.
The mechanic on the lift, however, was scrolling away on his phone.
The rotor head popped free, swung, and, luckily, the ground spotter caught it with the ropes. The guy on the lift looked up just in time to see what almost hit him.
We made an immediate policy change after that incident. No phones during active maintenance. It shouldn’t have taken a policy, but we all know what policies are made from.
But I can’t throw stones.
I’ve been mid-inspection when management called with an urgent need. I stepped away, dealt with it, then had to recalibrate where I was before I’d left off. I wasn’t certain where I was in my work when the call came. I had to start over, which added 20 minutes to the task.
That’s the cost of being interrupted.
I’ve been on the other side, too.
I’ve observed maintenance and watched mechanics suddenly second-guessing moves they’d normally make without thinking because something had distracted their flow. It was me. I wasn’t there to catch mistakes, but my presence changed how they worked. I was the distraction.
Distraction isn’t just phones or interruptions. It’s anything that pulls you out of your mental space where you do work correctly.
Distractions can be anything, conversations nearby, worries at home, fatigue, anticipation, authority figures watching or nearby, squirrels, you name it
The problem is that you’re still physically present, you still look like you’re working, but you’ve mentally checked out. That’s when things can get missed.
How do we stay focused?
For individuals, recognize when you’re distracted. Don’t power through and hope for the best. Go back to where you’re certain you were performing the task right and continue. Or start over. If you are dialed in the moment a distraction takes place, mark your place in your work.
You can also take a proactive approach. Create boundaries. Put your phone away during critical tasks. Tell people you need 10 uninterrupted minutes before you respond to a request to step away.
You can also take real breaks to give your mind a rest when it gets distracted. I used to take a ‘smoke break’ even though I don’t smoke. It gave me time to reset my brain and put on a new hat or fresh eyes. Of course, make sure to mark where you stop before you step away.
For leadership or quality teams, it is just as important to be aware. Recognize when you’re the distraction. Be intentional about when and how you show up to your team that is working on critical tasks. Don’t hover during critical work unless there’s a reason. Respect what an interruption can do to a mechanic and first ask “Is now a good time?” Don’t call inspectors or mechanics mid-task unless it’s critical.
Distractions aren’t only in aviation. Surgeons get distracted by personal issues, drivers take conversations while merging, and parents scroll on their phones while their kid is in the pool. Distraction can happen anytime or anywhere to anyone.
The mechanic on the man-lift was lucky because the ground crew was alert, undistracted, and on the ropes. But luck can run out. And when it does, “I was distracted” doesn’t bring anyone back.
Part 4 of a 12-part series on the Dirty Dozen in aviation maintenance by Anneke Tucker, originally published on her LinkedIn page. Tucker is an FAA-certificated A&P mechanic, IA, and 23-year aviation maintenance veteran. She is currently a consultant at Attain Aviation, specializing in Part 145 certification, quality systems, workforce development, and human factors in MRO environments.
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