Safety Management: Maintaining the Safety Margins ― An Integrated Approach

摘要

This has been an extremely brief overview of one of the ways in which the basic principles behind the safety of commercial air transport can be viewed. It is not a definitive way ― others may hold different views, which also must be considered. As we are all aware, the subject of aviation safety is an ongoing public debate, and it is vital to the prosperity of the industry and for future growth. The design of aircraft, together with the comprehensive integration of their flying control systems, structures, engines and autoflight systems are getting better all the time. Aircraft maintenance is facilitated by onboard recordings and diagnostics. Operators, in turn, have become more global in their outlook. All this, and many other things too, are helping safety to be enhanced. On the other hand, safety may be compromised, if we allow it to be, by other insidious factors such as forgetting lessons learned the hard way and over-reliance on technology. Costs, while they must be tightly controlled these days, must not be allowed to become the sole arbiter in operational considerations. The correct balance between risks and costs must always be maintained in order to satisfy public demands. Provided we always remain open and receptive to learning from experience and always striving to improve safety levels, then public demands will be fulfilled, and we will have succeeded. Safety must remain paramount.