TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Stress management

In most instances, people are highly resilient and able to cope with potential critical incidents through their own natural adaptive coping strategies.

This step can be aided by resilience training and psychoeducation delivered through organisational refreshers, induction briefings, union publications etc., all of which are designed to provide pilots with an early understanding of adaptive coping strategies and normalise reactions that might occur following potential critical incidents.

Effective organisational support has been recognised to be critical for wellbeing and prevention of psychological injury (1). In terms of potential critical incident accepting this support within the first 12-24 hours can often benefit the pilot to feel better about the process sooner.

This assists the pilot to feel valued by the organisation, while providing an opportunity to normalise stress response reactions, also giving confidence and direction in determining a return to flying plan.

Our brain is an amazing tool with the optimal aim of achieving balance within our central nervous system. The key is to identify our own normal response and manage it. As human beings, our brain will always seek safety when it senses a threat. It’s comforting to know that ‘safety’ is available in many organisations in the form of carefully selected peer supporters trained to provide ongoing wellbeing and referral to specialists.

Through accident and incident training, the critical first moments may also lead you to the AFAP Hotline where you enter not only an emergency response process, you will find a place that understands that you’ve done a lot right. Also referred to as ‘Safety-II’. Professor Erik Hollnagel writes “humans are seen as a resource for system flexibility and resilience” (2). Evidence tells us human beings are intrinsically resilient.

Instead of focussing solely on what went wrong during an operational incident, we should also look at what went right and build on those strengths.

If you find yourself involved in a critical incident, take time out to reflect on what you did right and understand subsequent processes are always manageable.

"After extensive research and surveys, it has been proved beyond doubt that pilots are, in fact, only human” - Dr. Reis Simons, European Society of Aerospace Medicine

Captain Laurie Shaw is an A350/A330 Captain with Fiji Airways. Laurie has been associated with the development of pilot assistance programs at Cathay Pacific AIrways and more recently Virgin Australia.

Captain Naomi Radke is a Safety & Technical Officer with the AFAP. Naomi is a former Virgin Australia B737 Captain who understands the intricacies and stressors associated with front line operations.

References:

1. Beyondblue, 2016; Brunetto et. al, 2013; Comcare, 2008; Halpern et. al., 2009 2. “Safety I and Safety II: The Past and Future of Safety Management”, Attitude to the Human Factor, Erik Hollnagel, 2014

FIGURE 1: Keep a wide stress buffer (Coutesy of the Queensland Ambulance Service)