ICAO Human Performance Manual

Human factors and human performance is a vital part of our safety efforts. The ICAO Human Performance Manual for regulators provides a great reference in this important area. The foreword from the document is provided below to help you understand more about it's purpose and the document can be downloaded at the bottom. 

Purpose of the ICAO Human Performance Manual for Regulators

This manual highlights the importance of integrating human performance (HP) considerations in the development of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and in States’ associated regulatory activities. It supports regulators to make it easy for people in the aviation system to do the right thing and avoid negative safety consequences. Regulators do this through the development of appropriate regulatory material, through evaluating, accepting and approving, and through the continued surveillance of how service providers meet these regulatory requirements. This manual addresses HP considerations in all these regulatory activities. 

This manual also provides guidance to regulators on HP considerations necessary to meet their obligations under the Convention on International Civil Aviation 2 and the ICAO Annex 19 – Safety Management SARPs for the establishment of a State Safety Programme (SSP). It illustrates how HP considerations are embedded in key oversight responsibilities and activities that are included in an SSP. It does not, however, attempt to comprehensively address all aspects of safety oversight, nor all aspects of HP. For instance, this manual does not discuss in any detail issues of physical or mental health, nor questions of individuals’ fitness for duty. Nor does the manual focus on HP issues for specific types of aviation personnel. Instead, it takes a system’s perspective on human performance, and it brings to focus the human contribution to the global aviation system.

It It is not the purpose of this manual to make every regulator an HP expert, but to enable all regulatory personnel to recognize HP considerations in their daily work activities, including in their own internal organization, and to know when the help of a qualified and experienced HP professional should be sought. It is the purpose of this manual to guide and structure the conversations about HP between the regulator and the people being regulated. Finally, the industry can also benefit by gaining an understanding of regulatory expectations related to HP. This manual supersedes the Human Factors Guidelines for Safety Audits Manual (Doc 9806) and complements the following:

• Human Factors Training Manual (Doc 9683); and 
• Human Factors Guidelines for Aircraft Maintenance Manual (Doc 8824)