Civil Aviation Authority

Africas New Age In Aviation Safety

Africa remains a continent shrouded in great mystery and delight. The continent is diverse in every sense of the word right from the geography, culture, economic parity and indeed aviation development.

The continent still remains hugely inaccessible due to the high cost of infrastructure that is required to connect such a massive land mass .Aviation however, brings with it the opportunity for the continent to connect its people much easier as opposed to other forms of transport.

However, with this increased growth in Aviation, safety lapses are bound to emanate if measures to have oversight by regulators and safety management by operators are not taken into account. According to the IATA 2009 Global Accident Report, Africa's accident rate at the time stood at 12.21 compared to North Americas 1.11, North Asia's 1.12 and Europe's 2.04.This is quite a worrying trend and sheds a lot of light on the safety standards within the region.

This high accident rate can be attributed to many factors ranging from poor or inadequate oversight by regulators, lack of safety management by operators, poor infrastructure to support aviation, low level training of aviation sensitive personnel, use of old aircraft and aviation support equipment among others.

So the question that begs is how can Africa make amends for such deficiencies and expedite safe flight operations in the continent. In order to correct the years of neglect of aviation in Africa, there is need for a structured actioning of all these issues. A clear structure will move towards addressing the primary areas and sequentially move towards clearing other issues. Safety should be in parallel with the three key stakeholders namely Civil Aviation Authorities, Airport Management and the airline operators. I will concentrate on the Airline operator in this edition of Safety Focus.

Flight Data Analysis In Africa

Africa is currently experiencing a major growth in aviation with new airlines coming up on every corner of the continent. The major underlying reason for this is the cheap lease costs that are now available in the market especially on B737-200, MD 82, and DC9 among others.

With such tremendous growth operators have to affect stringent safety management in order to not only is safe but also profitable. Despite the fact that ICAO recommends Safety Management Systems a compulsory requirement for all airline operators in their jurisdiction. This has gone a long way in creating an enabling environment on which airlines can measure and monitor their safety performance and thus maintain standards.

Though SMS is not fully implement across the continent, certain countries and indeed some operators such as Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines,TAAG Angola Airlines,LAM-Linhas Aereas de Mozambique, Precision Air and Air Zimbabwe have made great strides and are the leaders in this. A strong SMS background by these operators has also enabled them implement Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA)/ Flight Data Analysis though relatively new in sub Saharan Africa, has taken root among the major continental operators and has now become the norm rather than the exception. However, one of the main impediments to a successful roll out of these programmes in most operators has been the cost involved as well as the lack of the necessary human resources to run such a program me.

IATA has spearheaded capacity development in this area for quite a few years now. Recently in 2009 in a bid to even grow this programme further in the continent,IATA decided to offer sponsorship to African airlines that had shown great commitment to safety standards over the years with free analysis for up to three years in a project dubbed Implementation Programme for Safe Operations in Africa (IPSOA).The primary beneficiaries of the program me were six airlines in the continent namely, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines,TAAG Angola Airlines, LAM-Linhas Aereas de Mozambique, Precision Air and Air Zimbabwe. These airlines have continually demonstrated a high degree of safety and this is evident by the fact that they are all certified under the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and all but one were also in the IATA FDA program me prior to the commencement of IPSOA.

For African operators in the region to reap out maximum benefits and have successful FDA programmes, there is a need for them to first and foremost have sound and dynamic safety management systems. The FDA program me remains but a component of the SMS and cannot exist as a stand alone.

State Civil Aviation Authorities as well need to implement state safety programmes as recommended by ICAO .Such programmes will have effective oversight on all players in the aviation industry ranging from Airlines, airport operators, ATOs, AMOs etc.Such operators will thus have to come up with Safety Management Systems that will be checked by the state aviation regulators and in turn the regulator will be able to play their actual role of safety oversight.

At the moment the future for African aviation is bright and can only get better, however a commitment to safety is paramount for this.

Regional Safety Oversight in Southern Africa

Regional cooperation on safety oversight is crucial. According to ICAO, only very few of the 53 African states have sufficient civil aviation activities to able to support an effective and sustainable national safety oversight system on their own.

The project to come to regional cooperation on safety oversight in the 15 countries of the SADC region is still facing budgetary constrains. Member states have contributed 39% of the project budget for 2010.As a result of this, there is presently one Flight Operations Expert in the so-called COSCAP project, with the Airworthiness Expert having had to leave at the end of September. With the inflow of a grant from the ICAO IFFAS fund, the appointment of two Regional Inspectors can start.

The COSCAP project can serve as a very valuable resource to assist some of the countries in the region with implementing their Corrective Action Plans.

SADC Directors General of Civil Aviation have requested the ICAO Africa (ACIP) program to assist with transforming the temporary COSCAP program into a Regional Safety Oversight Organization. When setting up regional organizations, States in the region may want to look at putting the retirement age of staff of the regional organization slightly higher than that of the civil services of the countries in the region. In that manner, valuable expertise from retirees may benefit regional safety oversight for a few more years following their retirement from civil aviation authorities in the region.

The South Africa Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has announced the introduction of a new centralized Safety Reporting System that is aimed at improving aviation safety by reducing aircraft accidents.

The new system provides a platform for the public and those that are involved in aviation operations such as pilots, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, engineers, airport and ground personnel , to report unsafe activities, omissions and "situations" that could lead to an aircraft accident. The new system, however, does not replace the reporting of an accident or serious incident which should still be reported to the Accident and Incident Investigation Division of the SACAA.

The SACAAs Director of Civil Aviation, Colin Jordaan, said:"The Central Safety Management Reporting Facility was introduced in order to meet the requirements stated in the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) around safety management.

"Most importantly, the new system is a proactive procedure which enables anyone to report aviation safety risks, on the ground or in the air, whether perceived or real, that could prevent an aircraft accident".

The announcement of the new system comes a few weeks after aviation experts gathered at a seminar convened by the SACAA to discuss safety concerns and whether the relatively new concept of the Safety Management System (SMS) is the ultimate solution to aviation safety.

The centralized Safety Reporting System, which forms part of the broader Safety Management System, accommodates three types of reporting, namely: voluntary, mandatory and confidential. The reporting system also affords "Whistle-blowers" confidentiality.

"Ensuring aviation safety is a daunting task, especially when the general public and role players in the aviation industry are not proactive taking part in reporting unsafe behavior and events that could lead to an accident. With the introduction of the Centralized Safety Reporting System, the process of alerting the SACAA to risky acts, omissions and events has been made easier.

"Through this system and with everyone's involvement ,we are optimistic that hazards can be identified well in advance, thereby providing those involved with an opportunity to prevent any potential loss of life, injury or damage to property," explained Ms Louise Stols,general manager : risk and compliance at the SACAA.

According to MS Stols, reports sent to the SACAA through the Centralized Reporting System are held in strict confidence."For instamnce, reporters may, but are not required to, submit their names and contact information. Moreover, when among analyzing or disseminating the report among relevant departments for follow-up, all identifying information about the submitter is removed."

She added: "Once a report is received, it is logged and where necessary de-identified and then distributed to the relevant SACAA technical department for further investigation."

On a quarterly basis, the reports are analysed and statistical data or information in terms of identified trends is then shared with the aviation community to ensure that lessons are learnt and where necessary steps are taken to rectify mistakes.

"The safety reporting system is a non-punitive system, meaning that reports are investigated with the objective of preventing reoccurrence and not to apportion blame or legal liability. However, in cases where reports indicate serious safety deficiencies that are blatantly and deliberately disregarding applicable regulations, even after the SACAA has alerted the responsible individuals or entities, applicable regulatory or judicial actions will be instituted against such perpetrators;" said Ms Stols.

"While we acknowledge that risk is inherent to the aviation industry, we also believe that most of the aircraft accidents we have encountered thus far could have been prevented had someone taken the initiative to report the risky behavioral trends, events and omissions encountered or observed that compromised safety," concluded Captain Jordaan.

There is still no widespread agreement on exactly what constitutes an SMS despite the information currently available.

A quick review shows us that safety is defined as "acceptable risks that enable an organization to succeed in its mission". It used to be said that safety always came first, but this idea has been modified to recognize that a company's mission, its ultimate business goal, must be the primary focus. The company would not exist if it failed in that mission.

At its most fundamental level, a safety management system helps organizations identify and manage risk. It does not wait for something to happen. It doesn't rely on anecdotal information. It is based on hard data. Safety management systems help us manage risk far better than we have so far because it's a disciplined and standardized approach to managing risk.

Lack of proper reporting and release of data may be the single greatest obstacle to implementation of SMS.

Both mandatory incident reporting and voluntary reporting of observed safety lapses within a corporate just culture are crucial to a healthy SMS2.Without an SMS operators may be surprised to know that you already do quite a lot of risk identification & hazard reduction work. The preparation of aerodrome performance tables, for example, is actually an assessment of the risk involved in operating to and from a runway. The performance limitations that are applied due to runway length, runway slope, ambient temperature or equipment deficiency are the hazard reduction elements. How to get people to do all of the required work; is the key to being able to integrate these tasks into the process of planning an operation, if possible, getting the work done without staff really noticing it. Some form of system needs to be defined so that it can be approved by the authority. At the same time, the system must be accepted into daily use by people other than those in the safety department.

The idea behind SMS is that everyone can contribute to causing an accident as a result of which everyone can also contribute to preventing one.

Relationship of Trust.

"The basis on a relationship of trust between the organization and the employee is the development of an effective safety culture; the employee and the regulator; and the regulator and the industry," according to Transport Canada 3."In some cases, this may already exist; in most cases it will take some time to establish a foundation that fosters the development of this relationship.Some of the tools that will promote this growth are reporting policies that are, to the extent possible, on-punitive and effective communications at all levels."

‘Part Of Their Business'

In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) underlined to the CEOs of the country's aviation organizations that they must consider safety management "as part of their business-not just a technical add-on."

In a booklet distributed to the CEOs, CASA discussed development of SMS and other key aspects of safety management, including a positive safety culture and human factors issues.

CASA said,"Internationally, it is now recognized that a structured SMS is an essential feature of an aviation business." Although many CEOs in industry have operated SMS for years, CASAs CEO said, "It is clear that others need some help".

Citing guidance material produced by ICAO and CASA, among others, he said one of the most meaningful actions a CEO can take to advance safety is to preside over the operations "top" meetings on safety. This ensures that everyone in the company knows that SMS is considered a vital part of the business.

That approach is in place at Continental Airlines, where the CEO chairs quarterly meetings of the corporate safety review board, whose members are the airlines senior executives, said Capt. Don Gunther, senior director for safety and regulatory compliance.

"That's ….the top –down approach," Gunther said, and it sends a message company wide that the SMS is important to senior leadership."

Gunther began work in 2005 on Continentals SMS implementation plans .In January 2008, Continentals program was "pretty far along" but still not 100 percent implemented, he said. In addition to the corporate safety review board, safety action groups (SAG) are a crucial component. They represent the organizations employees within a particular geographic location or with a specific type of job or concern. The safety action groups are the "heart and soul of the safety management program".

‘Involvement of Middle Managers'

Accountable executives are increasingly showing their support by verbal and visible measures. They produce strong safety policies and are instrumental in the development of a proactive and predictive program.

Safety personnel are receiving formal safety training and education in the mechanics and implementation of SMS.ICAO is working towards making states self sufficient in imparting safety training. The AviAssist Foundation is one of the sources providing complementary action under its Training Centre Capacity building program (TCCP) in East and Southern Africa. The benefits of SMS are shown by increased productivity with less risk to the organization.

The safety department is responsible for establishing an SMS,but the success of such a program rests on the shoulders of management personnel. A review with more than 400 safety professionals reveals that one of the major stumbling blocks of the implementation of an effective and dynamic SMS program is middle management. The reasons are many, but two of the most important are lack of understanding of their role and the belief that safety programs are solely the responsibility of the safety department.

In his article in Aero safety World in February 2010, Barr asks us not to forget that safety is a corporate staff function that advises but has little if any authority to direct actions. The engine that drives SMS is line management; they are accountable for implementing SMS. Plus, they ensure that company personnel comply with SMS policies and procedures. Without the active support of the middle management, SMS is doomed to fail, Barr points out.

Middle management cannot be expected to support such radical new concept if they do not know its principles and potential benefits to the organizations mission.

Middle managers are responsible for the job safety training of their personnel as well as a workplace hazard analysis. The first line manager is the most important influence on individual safety behavior.

A blame culture and open reporting culture cannot coexist. It is up to middle management to openly support a strong reporting system and ensure that supervisors follow the just policy of reporting.

Finally, employees should have a method to report hazards that they observe in the operation. They should be free to report without fear of reprisal. The safety office should take all reports very seriously and evaluate cited hazards in a timely manner. Middle managers often discourage these reports.Then, after an incident, investigators find that the organization was aware of a hazard that led to the mishap but that institutional mechanisms failed to correct it or at least report it so that it could be fixed.

The Safety Action Group (SAG) plays a vital role in an SMS.The group is made up of managers who will review the data that has been provided by the safety office. They will look at audits, mishap investigations, hazard reports, goals and objectives, future activities and other areas of concern. It is their duty to review the data and make recommendations to senior managenet.Another reason for the importance of the SAG is the possible reduction of direct communication between the safety manager and the accountable executive. Paragraph 8.6.5 of the ICAO Safety Management Manual (SMM), Document 9859, second edition, says the following concerning those communications:

"Normal: Safety communicates through the (SAG) and/or the Safety Review Board (SRB).

"Exceptional/special circumstance: Safety must have direct emergency access to the accountable executive. The ‘backdoor' communication should rarely be used and properly justified and documented

"The Safety Manager will likely be more often than not the bearer of bad news, safety wise".

Further ICAO Action on Safety Management

ICAO is developing a new Annex to the Chicago Convention-annex 19.The annex will specifically address safety management. That will include state safety programs as well as Safety Management Systems and the interaction between both of them.

ICAO wants to take the opportunity of this new annex to provide the world with the best feasible material for all areas of aviation, especially for the smaller companies. It is these operators that have the most problems to understand and implement the SMS.

However an operator chooses to implement its SMS, crucial is that it must be understood & accepted into daily use by people other than just those in the safety department.