Aviation safety managers are tasked to ensure that the safety risks encountered at their operations are controlled to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).
Modern aviation safety risk management includes:
Aviation hazard identification and risk assessment are performed both reactively and proactively. New companies will naturally conduct multiple proactive hazard analysis exercises before commencing operations to ensure risks are adequately accounted for and controlled. Afterward, new hazards will be identified as operations are conducted in the aviation safety management systems (SMS) safety assurance activities.
Many safety managers have a problem determining what is a hazard and what is a risk. So let's tackle this before we get too involved in describing how to identify hazards and assess risks in an aviation SMS.
Hazards are anything that can potentially harm any of the following elements:
For airlines and airports, hazards are not always physical, tangible elements. For example, an intangible hazard could be:
Tangible hazards are something we all can manage more easily because we can see it. These hazards may be:
Safety managers must be intimately familiar with discussing hazards to managers and employees to maintain credibility and promote the SMS. Employees and managers will then be better prepared to identify and report hazards using the SMS' safety reporting system.
The risk is the potential impact or damage that a hazard may cause to affected elements. The risk is evaluated in both a controlled and uncontrolled state. The risk is controlled using various mitigation strategies. These risk control measures are commonly known as control measures or risk controls in an aviation SMS.
Control measures may include:
When managing hazards, safety professionals seek to reduce risk to ALARP. The risk may still be present after treatment; however, future uncertainty becomes more manageable should an event occur.
Now that we know the difference between hazards and risks, let's get to the meat of this discussion about hazard identification. Hazard identification is the process used to identify hazards. Simple, right?
We know what hazards are. Before aviation service providers commence operations, they have policies and procedures to control risk. However, hazards will always manifest themselves through:
Safety hazards commonly manifest themselves whenever any changes affect the aviation service provider's operations, including normal work activities.
These changes may include, and are certainly not limited to:
Aviation safety hazards generally manifest themselves from the interactions of:
Hazards are also routinely identified whenever new information enters the aviation SMS. This information may take the form of:
Once hazards are identified and formally entered into an aviation risk management system, they are reviewed and risk assessed. Risk management systems may be as simple as Excel spreadsheets, Word templates, or more advanced aviation safety management databases.
Most mid-sized and larger operators today have aviation SMS database programs to facilitate:
Aviation safety reporting databases are not required in most parts of the world; however, since 2015, aviation service providers have been required to have databases to store and manage reported hazards.
Once the safety team understands the nature of the reported safety concern, they proceed to perform a risk assessment.
Formal risk assessments in aviation SMS always involve considering:
Hazard risk assessments help safety professionals determine:
When safety managers are determining the likelihood of occurrence or recurrence, there are a few questions that should be answered. These questions may be part of your formal risk management policies and procedures, or they may be simple mental notes. Of course, we prefer that all risk management policies and procedures are adequately documented, but not so thoroughly that they will get you into trouble with auditors.
Safety professionals that neglect to follow documented policies and procedures risk audit findings whenever regulatory auditors visit. Therefore, we recommend that processes are not overly detailed and that risk assessment processes are documented in sufficient detail so that they will adequately address every possible scenario, from low-risk routine issues to an event where there may be multiple fatalities.
Now let's get back to determining the likelihood of occurrence/recurrence in our risk assessment.
We have these simple questions to ask:
Risk increases as the likelihood and severity increase.
After performing an initial risk assessment, safety managers should next evaluate the potential damage should this event either actually occur, or recur. Several questions should be considered:
Hazard identification and risk assessment are ongoing tasks for all aviation safety professionals. There will always be room for improvement.
Aviation service providers operate in an ever-changing environment. The risk is controlled and seldom completely minimized. The goal is to have a repeatable, easy-to-use process to identify hazards efficiently and track them. An end deliverable for most hazard identification programs is the hazard risk register. This is a compilation of all your identified hazards, their initial and residual risk assessments, and their control measures. This is a topic for another time.
Managing risk for aviation SMS is not sustainable using spreadsheets. In short, the SMS documentation requirements are too great. An SMS database is affordable and pays for itself in labor costs and peace of mind when auditors come calling.
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Last updated October 2024.