AIM introduces free online human factors safety course

The Aviation Institute of Maintenance, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, announced May 12 that it aimed to offer “instruction and guidance on minimizing aviation risks” from “human error, oversight, fatigue, and other human-related factors” by offering the online continuing education course at no cost.

The institute, which has 11 campuses in major metro areas stretching from the East Coast to the West Coast, is also introducing a $49 certification course with additional safety techniques that, according to a news release, will provide an “in-depth understanding of the twelve most common human-related risk factors for aviation incidents.” Safety officials sometimes refer to oversights including distraction, complacency, and fatigue as aviation's “dirty dozen.”

The news release said students in the certification course will use scenario-based situations to “become more aware of accidents, why they happen, and how to avoid them.”

High-definition video instruction, interaction with other students, and the sharing of experienced-based safety instruction are designed to make both of the online courses feel more dynamic.

A video produced by the school said human factors “mistakes made on the job can result in the endangering of lives and cost airlines tens of thousands of dollars.” While advances in technology and systems have made the aviation industry safer and more efficient, the video said “mistakes still occur, and the resulting damages and injuries are often caused by human error that could have been prevented.”

The news release said the two new classes were examples of the institute’s commitment to the aviation industry.

“It’s situation based, there’s interaction with the instructor, and the assessments draw directly from the scenarios that the video lectures discuss,” wrote Joel English, the institution’s vice president of operations.