Situation Awareness (SA) is how one sees and perceives the environmental and circumstantial elements within a specific measure of time. SA involves understanding or comprehending information and events and their potential impact on goals and objectives.

Lacking or having inadequate SA is reported to be one of the primary factors in accidents attributed to human error. Someone said, “SA is simply knowing what is going on so you can figure out what to do”. May I expand on this by saying, know early enough to make a sound judgment decision before it becomes an emergency. Good SA will provide what you need to know to avoid being surprised.

Should we consider SA as “Useful Consciousness”? There is a direct correlation to consciousness and awareness. Other terms to consider may be cognitive or wakefulness as related to the minds ability to experience something. Psychology relates consciousness/awareness to four characteristics: subjectivity, change, continuity, and selectivity. The challenge with SA may be illustrated by 2 or more persons entering a room and see or assess the room’s environment differently.

This is why in aviation it is important and vital to safety for crews to have good training, standard operating procedures, flight experience, cockpit resources management, human fatigue managment, and a right attitude (no pun intended) to operate aircraft in today’s environment. The list, by the way, is not meant to be all inclusive either.

Have we jolted your consciousness of the importance of good situation awareness?

Jim Alexander