Inside the cockpit of an Embraer 175. In the aviation world, checklists are common. Fotosearch
By DANIEL ONDIEKI
At some point in the past it may have been possible
for one human being to read all the books in the world. This was due to
the fact that all books were handwritten, but also because the world
just wasn’t producing as much knowledge.
The number of papers churned out by scientists and
books written on any subject under the sun may mean that it is
impossible for one person to keep up with the latest findings in just
one field.
This has led to splintering of most professions
into sub-specialties. However, even these sub-specialties require
incredibly complex work with many steps. And for the most part, the
human brain has not changed and is still limited by the same memory and
attention span issues that plagued our ancestors.
One way around this is to have long, extensive
training, which still doesn’t account for memory loss and day to day
dips in performance.
A simpler way to augment our memories is by the use
of checklists. These are lists of essential steps that must be done in a
procedure, which are written down. They are then used to ensure that
nothing has been missed or that everything has been done in the right
sequence.
In 2009, Dr Atul Gawande wrote an article in The New Yorker
on how checklist use in operating theatres could improve patient
outcomes. He drew a lot of inspiration from the aviation industry where
checklists are common.
Most actions that pilots do in the cockpit are part
of procedure flows that are done from memory. However, in the past
there have been many accidents caused by omission or inappropriate
action. Consequently, safety critical items are counter-checked by using
a checklist. One or both pilots verify that the items have been done.
Time-critical actions are memory items. They are few and are limited to events such as explosive decompressions or engine fires.
Checklists definitely work. Once in a while there
will be something that has been skipped that a checklist will catch.
Aside from the obvious improvement in safety, they also provide legal
cover for an airline.
An accident that occurs due to an omitted checklist
item is almost certainly a case of pilot negligence. Deliberately
skipping a normal checklist is usually grounds for immediate dismissal.
Other professions have been reluctant to use
checklists, including medicine, despite an endorsement from the World
Health Organisation. There are many reasons for this but key is the fact
that checklists appear to challenge one’s competence.
These professions are not as introspective as
aviation is about safety, and usually the consequences of a mistake are
far removed from the person making them. For example, if a patient dies a
surgeon doesn’t go down with him. That being said, most tasks could
probably benefit by using checklists.
Dr Ondieki is a pilot with an international airlin
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