I bring you a weekly bite-sized chunk of the science behind helicopter human factors and CRM in practice, simplifying the complex and distilling a helicopter related study into a summary of less than 500 words.
TITLE:
Using SHERPA to predict human error on the maritime SAR helicopter hoist task.
WHAT?
A human factors study using the Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA) to identify and predict potential human errors during maritime helicopter hoist operations, with the aim of improving safety through better task and procedure design.
WHERE?
Taiwan’s National Airborne Service Corps (NASC), drawing on experience from multiple operating bases.
WHEN?
Published in 2024 in Heliyon.
WHY?
Maritime SAR hoist operations are complex, time-critical, and highly dependent on crew coordination and decision-making under high workload. This method aims to fully capture the complexity of the hoisting task, allowing better SOPs be produced to systematically anticipate and reduce threats and errors.
HOW?
On-board observation, structured interviews, and Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) to break the hoist mission into clear goals, tasks, and subtasks.
SHERPA (a human factors tool designed to predict where human errors are likely to occur) was applied. SHERPA works by systematically examining each task step, classifying the type of human behaviour involved (action, checking, communication, information retrieval, or selection), and identifying credible errors such as omissions, mistimed actions, or missed communications.
Each potential error is assessed for its likely consequences, recoverability, probability of occurrence, and severity. Then, practical mitigations (for example, checklist changes, training interventions, or procedural improvements) are proposed..
FINDINGS:
The SHERPA analysis identified 54 potential human errors across the hoist mission.
- Communication errors were most frequent (19), followed by action errors (17) and checking errors (11).
- Errors of omission (failing to perform a required action or check) were particularly common.
- Most errors were judged low probability, but some had medium or high criticality, meaning serious consequences if they occurred.
- One task (failure to brief “lost sight” procedures during hoisting) was assessed as both high probability and high criticality, posing significant risk to aircraft and personnel.
- Many observed errors could be mitigated through improved checklists, structured briefings, clearer procedures, and targeted training.
SO WHAT?
SHERPA can expose latent weaknesses in maritime SAR hoist processes that may not be evident from experience alone. The findings reinforce that hoist risk is driven largely by human performance under high workload, particularly communication and task omission.
For helicopter operators, the results highlight the importance of explicit briefings, robust crew communication, and task-specific checklists, especially for critical contingencies such as loss of visual reference.
More broadly, the study demonstrates how systematic human error prediction can complement experience-based training, enabling organisations to proactively design safer procedures rather than relying on lessons learned after incidents.
REFERENCE:
Hung, C.-L., & Dai, M. D.-M. (2024). Using SHERPA to predict human error on the maritime SAR helicopter hoist task. Heliyon, 10, e32043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32043
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