The following strategy reflects current best practice in the management of safety. It provides a framework for the establishment of processes to identify safety shortcomings, so that remedial action can be taken, and provide assurance that safety levels are being met or improved.

There are three basic principles to be applied:

a) Safety Achievement: specifying the means by which the safety performance of the organisation meets its safety objectives and their derived requirements;

b) Safety Assurance: specifying the means for providing assurance that risks are being managed properly and effectively;

c) Safety Promotion: specifying the means by which safety issues are communicated within an organisation to eliminate unnecessary risks and avoid repeat errors or risks.

Level of Safety

Rationale: If the safety performance of a service or product is to be assessed and monitored it is necessary to define the safety objectives that need to be met.

The level of safety that the organisation seeks to achieve should be defined. This may take the form of statements identifying hazardous activities undertaken by the organisation and the safety performance required in that area.

System Safety Assessment

Rationale: A safety analysis process should be conducted to establish the appropriate safety requirements are established. The safety assessment process may identify hazards that do not, at present, satisfy the safety requirements.

An organisation should assess all existing operations, and proposed changes, additions or replacements, for their safety significance.

Where a hazard is identified, safety assurance is required. A safety assessment should be conducted and the results documented to ensure that full consideration is given to all aspects which may effect the safety of aircraft.

System Safety Assessment Records

Rationale: The results of the safety assessment should provide evidence to the organisation (and other parties) that it meets and continues to meet its safety objectives.

An organisation should record the safety requirements for its area of activity and the results of the safety assessment process.

Safety Audits

Rationale: A safety audit is a pro-active safety management mechanism by which any risks within the organisation’s operation are identified and controlled.

Organisations should routinely carry out safety audits to provide management with assurance that their operation meets the objectives of their safety management system and remains safe.

Safety Performance Monitoring

Rationale: Safety performance can deteriorate, or the operational environment can change over time. Such events need to be detected and managed to ensure that the organisation continues to meet its safety objectives.

An organisation should have in place suitable monitoring arrangements so that undesirable trends in safety performance can be recognised.

Safety Significant Occurrences

Rationale: If lessons are to be learnt and remedial action is to be taken promptly, safety occurrences need to be investigated in a timely manner by the organisation. This activity should be additional to any statutory reporting requirements.

The organisation should have in place a process for investigating potential safety significant occurrences, identifying any failures of the organisation’s management of safety and to take corrective action if required.

Lesson Dissemination

Rationale: It is essential that lessons should be learned and then remembered, so that the chance of recurrence is reduced. Including the results of such lessons in training programmes will raise staff awareness levels.

The organisation should ensure that lessons learnt from hazardous occurrence investigations, and the case histories or experience gained both internally and from other organisations, are distributed widely and actioned to minimise the risk of recurrence.

Safety Improvement

Rationale: This requires an effective means of communicating safety issues and the development of an internal safety culture that encourages every member of staff to focus on the achievement of safety, and to report errors and deficiencies without fear of punitive actions against them.

The organisation should have in place arrangements that actively encourage staff to identify potential hazards and propose solutions. The organisation should make appropriate changes, in respect of identified hazards, where safety can be improved.