Safety management
Safety and security
Two definitions to know apart.
The state in which risks associated with aviation activities, related to, or in direct support of the operation of aircraft, are reduced and controlled to an acceptable level.
A combination of measures and human and material resources intended to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference.
The aim of working with safety
Three steps, taken before an accident occurs.
- 1Identify
Potential system weaknesses which could contribute to an accident, before an accident occurs.
- 2Estimate
The risk of possible accidents occurring.
- 3Mitigate
Implement risk mitigation measures to reduce risk, where unacceptable levels of risk have been identified.
Safety-I and Safety-II
Two ways of looking at safety, from Professor Erik Hollnagel.
| Safety-I | Safety-II | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition of safety | As few things as possible go wrong. | As many things as possible go right. |
| Safety management principle | Reactive: respond when something happens, or is categorised as an unacceptable risk. | Proactive: continuously trying to anticipate developments and events. |
| View of the human factor in safety management | Humans are predominantly seen as a liability or hazard. | Humans are seen as a resource necessary for system flexibility and resilience. |
| Accident investigation | Accidents are caused by failures and malfunctions. The purpose of an investigation is to identify the causes. | Things basically happen in the same way, regardless of the outcome. The purpose of an investigation is to understand how things usually go right, as a basis for explaining how things occasionally go wrong. |
| Risk assessment | The purpose of risk assessment is to identify and determine the likelihood of hazards, in order to eliminate or contain them. | To understand the conditions where performance variability can become difficult or impossible to monitor and control. |
Work-as-imagined and work-as-done
What should happen, against what actually happens.
An idealistic view of the formal task that disregards how task performance must be adjusted to match the constantly changing conditions of work and of the world.
WAI describes what should happen under nominal working conditions.
Describes what actually happens, and how it unfolds over time in a concrete situation.
WAD reflects the reality people have to deal with on a daily basis.
Safety regulation layers
Three layers, each one inside the one above it.
International regulatory arrangements and requirements.
Regional regulatory arrangements and requirements.
National regulatory arrangements and requirements.
Safety management system
Four components, and the elements under each.
Framework for a safety management system
- 1Safety policy and objectives
- Management commitment and responsibilities
- Safety accountabilities
- Appointment of key safety personnel
- Coordination of emergency response planning
- SMS documentation
- 2Safety risk management
- Hazard identification
- Safety risk assessment and mitigation
- 3Safety assurance
- Safety performance monitoring and measurement
- The management of change
- Continuous improvement of the SMS
- 4Safety promotion
- Training and education
- Safety communication
Accountability and responsibility
Who the safety manager answers to, and what the role does.
Safety manager
Hazard identification
Three ways to find hazards, from before anything happens to after it has.
- Before anything happensProactiveSafety risk assessment
- During daily operationActiveMonitoring and surveys
- After an occurrenceReactiveReporting and investigation
Severity classification scheme in ATM
Five classes, from the most severe down.
- 1Accident
- 2Serious incident
- 3Major incident
- 4Significant incident
- 5No immediate effect on safety
Risk regions
How much risk is tolerated, and how much effort it takes to reduce it.