Safety & Compliance

From “Day to Day” to a process

From “Day to Day” to a Process

In a more “Day-to-Day Perspective”, Safety is:

Safety Management is a Process (System) that Includes:

  • Internal investigation of occurrences
  • Analysis of risks by the means of a systematic approach (Root Cause Analysis, Risk Classification) by the Safety Department
  • Provisioning of Safety Training for all personnel
  • Predictive and proactive preparedness for all kinds of hazards and their associated risks (referred to as Emergency Response Plan)
  • The endorsement of the Safety Culture by the Safety Manager

A Safety Management System is a systematic approach to managing safety. The objective is to control (flight) operational risks which requires planning, organising, communicating, and providing directions.

International Civilisation Aviation Organisation

What is the Difference between Aviation Safety and Occupational Health & Safety?

Aviation Safety is the control of flight operational risks. The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) is the worlds’ umbrella-organization, responsible for the development of principles of the international air transport to enhance flight safety. The EASA enhances civil aviation safety and standardizes regulations based on the ICAO principles for all EU countries. EASA regulations, as well as national regulations are the ones we must comply with, when it comes to the aviation safety.

(O)H&S (Occupational Health & Safety) is the control of work-related risks when it comes to safety at the workplace. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is responsible
for the development of standards in all technical and nontechnical fields. The ISO norm 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems) is the one, we must conform with, when it comes to Occupational Health & Safety.

In some cases, the aviation and the ISO regulations overlap, however, both fields have dedicated personnel, responsible for their field of expertise.

While the Safety Manager is responsible for the Aviation Safety, it is the Work Safety Manager, who takes care of the (O)H&S.

Here are some Tasks listed for Comparison:

Safety Manager (Flight Operations, Continuing Airworthiness, Ground Operations)

Work Safety Manager
(Occupational Health & Safety)

1.

Implementation, maintenance, and development of the Safety Management System (SMS)

2.

Implementation, maintenance, and development of the Safety Management System (SMS)

3.

Safety audits (of the respective departments)

4.

Carrying out and supervising aviation safety related trainings

5.

Point of contact for all personnel for aviation safety matters

1.

Implementation, maintenance, and development of the HSE Plan

2.

Internal investigation and risk assessments on the part of work-related incidents and accidents

3.

Inspections of the facilities, acquisition of the machinery, and hazardous substances

4.

Carrying out and supervising work safety related trainings

5.

Point of contact for all personnel for work-safety matter

Safety Manager (Flight Operations, Continuing Airworthiness, Ground Operations)

1.

Implementation, maintenance, and development of the Safety Management System (SMS)

2.

Implementation, maintenance, and development of the Safety Management System (SMS)

3.

Safety audits (of the respective departments)

4.

Carrying out and supervising aviation safety related trainings

5.

Point of contact for all personnel for aviation safety matters

Work Safety Manager
(Occupational Health & Safety)

1.

Implementation, maintenance, and development of the HSE Plan

2.

Internal investigation and risk assessments on the part of work-related incidents and accidents

3.

Inspections of the facilities, acquisition of the machinery, and hazardous substances

4.

Carrying out and supervising work safety related trainings

5.

Point of contact for all personnel for work-safety matter

In a more “Day-to-Day Perspective”, Compliance is:

  • When you do as others tell you to do so (laws and regulations)
  • When you go along with it and not necessarily agree with it
  • Motivated by a desire to avoid the penalties for non-compliance
  • Most often motivated by a desire for the payoffs from conforming
  • When you comply with something to achieve some specified status/ benefit/ approval/ privilege

Compliance monitoring is a set of processes (program/system) to ensure a systematic and independent comparison of requirements (regulations, standards, legal binding documents) to the reality (as documented, implemented, evidenced) in specific scopes.

International Civilisation Aviation Organisation

Compliance Management is a Set of Processes (System) to Ensure Compliance through:

  • Gathering relevant regulations, standards
  • System assessment of all applicable documents (regulations, standards, and contracts)
  • Developing, documenting, and implementing a system (management system) in accordance with a set of processes to ensure compliance through:
  • Continuous monitoring and amending own processes (monitoring by managers)
  • Independence compliance monitoring
  • Non-compliance assessment and correction (RCA, corrective/preventive action)
  • Regular management system (management and operational processes) review and evaluation (continuous improvement)