Improving intelligibility at a safety critical point: In flight cabin safety

Molesworth, Brett R. C.; Burgess, Marion

doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2012.06.006

Cited by 36 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…[4][5][6] Exposure to aircraft noise, both within and outside the cabin has repeatedly been demonstrated to degrade performance. [7][8][9][10] For passengers of commercial airlines and in particular for commuters wishing to use this time to complete work, the effect of aircraft noise on performance is an important concern. For modern aircraft, there have been reductions in the cabin noise and this is used as a marketing advantage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence and against an aviation backdrop of high noise levels within the cabin of commercial aircraft, the main aim of the present research is to provide a user-friendly index of the relative impairment associated with noise in the aircraft cabin. A secondary aim of the present research is to build upon previous studies highlighting the benefits on performance from the use of noise cancelling headphones in the noise environment of an airline cabin [10,21] and compare this also with the effects of alcohol on performance. This investigation stemmed from an applied situation where a commercial airline passenger was threatened with refusal of carriage if he continued to use his noise cancelling headphones during the taxi phase of flight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using the effect of alcohol as a comparison to illustrate the detrimental effects of noise on performance

2013

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The aim of the present research is to provide a user-friendly index of the relative impairment associated with noise in the aircraft cabin. As such, the relative effect of noise, at a level typical of an aircraft cabin was compared with varying levels of alcohol intoxication in the same subjects. Since the detrimental effect of noise is more pronounced on non-native speakers, both native English and non-native English speakers featured in the study. Noise cancelling headphones were also tested as a simple countermeasure to mitigate the effect of noise on performance. A total of 32 participants, half of which were non-native English speakers, completed a cued recall task in two alcohol conditions (blood alcohol concentration 0.05 and 0.10) and two audio conditions (audio played through the speaker and noise cancelling headphones). The results revealed that aircraft noise at 65 dB (A) negatively affected performance to a level comparable to alcohol intoxication of 0.10. The results also supported previous research that reflects positively on the benefits of noise cancelling headphones in reducing the effects of noise on performance especially for non-native English speakers. These findings provide for personnel involved in the aviation industry, a user-friendly index of the relative impairment associated with noise in the aircraft cabin as compared with the effects of alcohol. They also highlight the benefits of a simple countermeasure such as noise cancelling headphones in mitigating some of the detrimental effects of noise on performance.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using the effect of alcohol as a comparison to illustrate the detrimental effects of noise on performance

2013

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“…Importantly, future research should also consider the environmental factors that could impact on passengers' attention and recall performance. For example, it has been widely reported that aircraft noise (even as low as 65 dBA) which is present during the taxi phase of flight adversely affects individuals' memory for information (Molesworth and Burgess, 2013).…”

Section: Limitation and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Employing humour and celebrities to manipulate passengers’ attention to pre-flight safety briefing videos in commercial aviation

Seneviratne

Molesworth

2015

Safety Science

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“…The findings, reported in Molesworth et al (2013a), suggested that, as long as there was no conflicting audio signal such as music, the use of the noise cancelling headphones during the taxi phase of flight would be beneficial for the user/passenger, in terms of providing them the optimum conditions to hear audio information such as the preflight safety brief.…”

Section: Some Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of the role for noise cancelling headphones to assist speech recall in noise

Burgess¹,

Molesworth²

2013

Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics

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There are many situations where it is necessary to hear, comprehend and be able to recall spoken information in less than ideal listening conditions. For example within an aircraft cabin where, despite improvements in modern passenger aircraft, noise generated from aircraft engines and aerodynamic airflow makes it difficult to hear important on-board safety announcements such as the preflight safety brief. The benefits of headphones that incorporate active noise control in such environments are the focus of a series of research studies. In this paper, we discuss the techniques developed to investigate the use of active noise control headphones on the intelligibility and recall of speech generated outside the headphones in noise typical of that in a commercial aircraft cabin. The initial studies were directed towards assessing the effects on the recall for safety announcements. These studies have been extended to investigate if there are any benefits for those for which English is a second language. The results suggest that the use of active noise control headphones can minimise communication errors in a range of situations and this paper will discuss the methodology adopted and summarise the outcomes.

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Improving intelligibility at a safety critical point: In flight cabin safety

Cited by 36 publications

References 17 publications

Using the effect of alcohol as a comparison to illustrate the detrimental effects of noise on performance

Using the effect of alcohol as a comparison to illustrate the detrimental effects of noise on performance

Employing humour and celebrities to manipulate passengers’ attention to pre-flight safety briefing videos in commercial aviation

Investigation of the role for noise cancelling headphones to assist speech recall in noise

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