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Which option correctly lists, from the items below, the main features of latent errors? They…

1. remain undetected in the system for a certain length of time
2. may only manifest themselves under certain conditions
3. are quickly detectable by the front-line operator whose mental schemas on the instantaneous situation filter out formal errors
4. lull pilots into a false sense of security

  • A
    Only 1 and 3
  • B
    Only 1, 2, and 4
  • C
    Only 1 and 2
  • D
    Only 2, 3, and 4

ACTIVE AND LATENT ERRORS

An error, officially, arises when a planned sequence of activities fails to achieve the intended outcome, where random external intervention is not involved.

The terms active and latent as applied to errors were coined by Reason.
  • Latent errors have consequences that lie dormant and are difficult to recognize or foresee because of the time lag between their generation and occurrence, while active errors, which are committed at the human/system interface, have consequences that are felt almost immediately, which is how they can be detected.
  • Active errors are committed by the “sharp end”, those people who are directly involved in flight operations (pilots, ATC, etc). Latent errors are usually committed by the blunt-end, people who are not directly engaged in flight operations. However, latent errors can also be made by front-line personnel. An example of a latent error committed by a pilot would be the selection of a wrong waypoint in a GPS database.
"2. may only manifest themselves under certain conditions." Latent errors may become obvious at a later point of time and sometimes require the occurrence of an inevitable active error to have consequences at all, lulling the pilots in security.

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