Hazard Reporting: What’s In It For YOU?

Hazard Reporting at Airlines & Airports

Every employee is responsible for operational safety and has a duty to report hazards when they become evident.

Feel free to use this content as desired in your safety newsletters. TACG provides this aviation safety newsletter template as a service to the aviation safety community.

Hazard Reporting Systems Form the Heart of Every SMS Program

If your company has a Safety Management System (SMS) then undoubtedly you have some kind of structured Hazard Reporting System (HRS). The purpose of an HRS is to allow employees to submit hazard, error, or event reports without fear of reprisal or retribution from management. A Just Culture will need to be established (or maintained) in order for this concept to work. A Just Culture can be defined as a culture of trust and a culture of learning, both of which are necessary for an open, non-punitive HRS to be effective and successful.

Hazard Reports Are Very Valuable to Your Airline or Airport

The reports that you submit serve a very important purpose. They allow safety managers to be informed about things that they may not see themselves; after all, they can’t be everywhere! Therefore, you become “the eyes on the frontline.” And while you might think that some hazard (or event) is trivial and not worth reporting, keep in mind that those seemingly unimportant hazards and events can very well surface to the top of the metaphorical iceberg and become your next incident or accident. In fact, YOU could very well be the “trigger puller” or “enabler” for that incident or accident!

So keep sending in those hazard reports. The small amount of time that it takes to submit them is offset by the safety dividends that will be paid, for both you and your organization. Keep in mind that an SMS is a “system” and YOU are integral to the system! 

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Dr. Bob Baron is the President and Chief Consultant of The Aviation Consulting Group (TACG). His specializations include Human Factors (HF), Safety Management Systems (SMS), Crew Resource Management (CRM), Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA), and Fatigue Risk Management (FRM). He consults with, and provides training to, hundreds of aviation organizations on a worldwide basis. Projects range from short workshops all the way up to, and including, full safety program implementation at some of the largest airlines and aircraft manufacturers in the world. He also works with various civil aviation authorities and accident investigation bureaus to improve safety at the very highest levels of the aviation system. Please visit the TACG website for more information. www.tacgworldwide.com

Dr. Bob Baron can also travel to your location to provide quality aviation safety management systems software training to best suit your airline or airport's need.