The Dirty Dozen: When Routine Takes a Wrong Turn
This article series sheds light on the 12 most common causes of human error, known as the Dirty Dozen (article 5 of 12).
The term complacency refers to a mental state in which individuals become overly comfortable or confident performing their job. The job has become too familiar, too routine, and nothing has gone wrong. Yet.
Complacency means that you experience a feeling of pleasure or security in your job. Often, this makes you unaware of potential dangers, defects, or hazards. Complacency may also lead to a self-satisfying or smug attitude towards existing conditions.
Essentially, complacency leads you to forget that things can go wrong. In our industry, this can pose serious dangers because it may lead to lower vigilance, reduced attention to detail, and lack of adherence to safety protocols. A complacent behaviour also increases the risk of missing critical information or overlooking safety hazards or concerns. Factors which can compromise operational safety.
“What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
Another problem with complacency is the associated “nothing can go wrong”-attitude.
Often, this attitude stems from reliance on routine and repetitive tasks. You may even hear yourself saying phrases like this to yourself throughout your work day:
- “Why should I bother with this task”
- “Nothing is ever wrong here”
- “There’s no need to pay particular attention to this job”
- “Everything’s going to be fine”
- “I’ve done this a hundred times”
Attitudes like these may cloud your judgment and impair your attention to safety.
But what can you do to mitigate your complacent attitude?
Read more: Diving into the Dirty Dozen: Limit the Impact and Improve Safety
We have collected four recommendations for reducing complacency when performing an important job:
- Conduct regular training and evaluations to keep personnel engaged and prepared for unexpected situations.
- Vary your tasks to prevent routine-like behaviour and enhance motivation. Maybe introduce a job rotation within the team?
- Implement checklists and peer reviews to ensure that protocols are followed and that no steps are missing.
- Promote a just culture where team members are encouraged to ask questions and double check assumptions.
Complacency is often a hidden safety hazards become many people are not aware that they are complacent. Therefore, it is crucial to remind yourself that the job you are doing is important – even if it is a routine task you have done a hundred time.
Make sure to never let your guards down – and expect to find errors in your work. Your job is not to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Your job is to actively ensure that everything goes right.
Read more: Human Factors in Aviation: The Crucial Role of Training
