Safety Update The “Condition of Being” Safe I s my operation safe? That is a question we have all asked ourselves as we look out on our employees who are towing, marshalling and fueling aircraft. So how do we begin to answer that question; how do we know if we are safe? Some may ask, “Have you had any recent acci- dents, incidents or injuries?” as an indicator of whether an operation is safe. This may be a fair indicator of safety, but what if the answer changes. Does having an incident make you unsafe? Does not having an accident mean you are doing things right, or just lucky? Were you actually safe five minutes before the wing of the aircraft hit the ground power unit, and now, unsafe six minutes later? Merriam-Webster defines safety as “the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury or loss.” While there is a lot of value in the entire definition of safety, I believe the phrase “condition of being” provides us the most insight into what it means to be safe. “Condition of being” may sound like a phrase used in a new-age meditation scheme, but when we think about safety that may turn out to be relevant. In meditation, an individual pays close atten- tion to the small details around and about the self to create a more ordered mind and environment. Similarly, our modern approach to safety, creating that key “condition of being,” is about recognizing there are many small details, actions and occurrences we must better understand if we hope to be safe in our day-to-day operations. We call this process of better understanding our environment—safety manage- ment—and the process by which we actively seek to improve our performance—our Safety Management System (SMS). As an industry, we have realized that achieving safety, whether in flight operations, maintenance tasks or ground handling, is only maintained by treating safety like we would any other part of our business. Safety Management Systems provide: a framework for us to understand the hazards and risks our operations face as well as the tools to change the way we operate to reduce and mitigate those risks and hazards. In the early 2000s, NATA launched the Safety 1st Air/Ground SMS program to provide resources and assistance to members seek- ing to implement SMS. Eventually, this program evolved 60 into the Safety 1st BY MICHAEL FRANCE Ground Audit Program, the first audit- able SMS standard developed solely for general aviation ground handlers and FBOs. In 2013, NATA joined with the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) to create the International Standard – Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) from the Safety 1st Ground Audit Program. NATA is now taking the next step in promoting safety and safety management systems for our members with the September 2017 launch of the Ground Handling Safety Symposium (GHSS). A two-day event to be held at the NTSB Training Center in Northern Virginia, the GHSS will be the first industry event to focus solely on safety from a general aviation ground handling and FBO perspective. The theme for this inaugural GHSS will be “Building a Better Safety Management System.” Some of the scheduled presentation topics include: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ The Big Picture, Safety Management and IS-BAH Practical Approaches to Risk Assessment Safety Promotion and Organizational Culture Safety Reporting and Employee Buy-In The Intersection of Safety and Service Emergency Response Basics for FBOs Data and General Aviation Ground Handling Aside from two days of informational presenta- tions, the GHSS will provide the first platform for FBOs and other general aviation ground handlers to begin sharing safety-related information. Over time, the GHSS will evolve to focus on reviewing safety data and trends aggregated from across our industry, provid- ing attendees the insight needed to take a more proac- tive approach to managing safety at their own facilities. Registration is only $295 for NATA member companies. Refining your organizational “condition of being” regarding safety is a never-ending process. The NATA Ground Handling Safety Symposium will give your safety manager new tools, connections and knowl- edge necessary to build safety into all you do. For more information or to register for NATA’s upcom- ing conference, please visit www.nata.aero/ghss. Aviation Business Journal | 2nd Quarter 2017
