Human factor issue – glare effects towards airline personnel

Abstract

The main objectives of this research are to identify the factors and effects of glare that could grave consequences towards the airline personnel and discuss effective, economical preventive measures; especially pilots and technicians. This research focuses on 102 airline personnel; consisting of pilots, ground handling services staffs, and line maintenance workers of a major airline in Malaysia who were stationed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Penang International Airport (PIA). A quantitative approach has been utilized to measure not just the awareness levels of glare effects, but also possible innovative ways to avoid glare effects. A validated, customized questionnaire involving Likert-scale and open-ended questions was successfully distributed and returned. Overall, the results showed that glare effects have been critically affecting their work during the day and night. In addition, several staffs have revealed several cases of eye hazards caused by prolonged glare effects. This has imposed the airline company to implement precautionary steps extensively, e.g. always impose the ruling of wearing shades, apply safety tints on glasses and windows around the working sites, and usage of special paints which do not reflect sunlight. It is hoped that more researchers and aviation companies can collaborate with safety equipment industries to innovate not just effective, but also economical solutions for preventing glare effects.