20 SAFETY TRAINING
GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2013 The human factor
A new initiative looks to target the area of human factors. Barbara Schaffner, Inspector Ground Facilities at the Federal Offi ce of Aviation in Switzerland, is our guide.
o – is this yet another requirement for the ground services industry? No – this time an initiative has been launched to support the ground service industry and comply with existing and forthcoming requirements developed by the Ground Safety Working Group (GSWG) of ECAST. ECAST is the fi xed-wing Commercial
Air Transport component of the European Strategic Safety Initiative (ESSI). ECAST comprises various teams, including the GSWG. The GSWG is co- chaired by IATA, CAA-NL and FOCA-CH. Although it has previously published other training recommendations (see box below), ECAST has now come up with a way to improve safety on the ground without further burdening the ground service industry with yet another requirement to fulfi ll (and with little guidance on how to be compliant). ECAST has searched for a way to improve on what is already descending upon the ground service industry: Human Factors Training.
A syllabus for RRM (Ramp Resource Management) training has therefore been developed and published on the ECAST Web page (again, see box below). The project was led by the NLR for CAA-NL and ECAST. The RRM syllabus and guidance material is an easy, comprehensive package that will support ground service providers and aerodromes in complying with the requirements to train staff in Human Factors. RRM extends the CRM principles to the ground handling environment and these principles provide the contents for the RRM training syllabus. Whereas CRM training mostly addresses teams of two or three members, RRM training also addresses larger teams, and is similar to Team Resource Management (TRM) training that is provided to air traffi c controllers in the air traffi c management domain. The target group for RRM training is ramp personnel, including permanent and temporary employees, supervisors and team leaders. Since the initiation of ECAST and the GSWG, many industry initiatives have been introduced. These include IATA’s ISAGO programme, the IATA IGOM and the CAA UK’s GHOST who, for example, produced the impressive DVD entitled Safety in the Balance. ECAST supports all these initiatives and encourages the introduction of common standards.
Standardisation of ground operations in accordance with Best Industry practices can be considered to have a positive impact on safety.
The reasons for the syllabus
So why develop a Human Factors syllabus especially tailored for the ground service industry? There are new and already well-known challenges imposed by airlines, aerodromes, audit programmes, certifi cation programmes and, to a varying degree, authorities. However, there is little guidance on how to comply with many of the requirements. Many of the requirements the ground service industry has to comply with are based on the international regulations addressing aircraft operators and aerodromes, with the NAA, aircraft operator and aerodrome having a varying degree of responsibility over the ground service industry’s area of work. In addition, there are local regulations such as Health and Safety Regulations and industrial agreements that a ground service provider has to consider. Not always do the laws and these requirements go hand-in-hand. ECAST fully shares the ICAO/EASA position that good Human Factors practice benefi ts aviation safety, both in the air and on the ground. There are many studies with regard to Human Factors training for fl ight operations and the technical areas (such as maintenance and engineering). Guidance and best practices addressing CRM training for fl ight and cabin crews have been researched and published. But there
has hitherto been no published material tailored to training in Human Factors for the ground services industry. Based on standards published in the aircraft operators’ ground handling manuals and because of ISAGO requirements, the request to train staff in Human Factors is coming more and more into the spotlight. But the ground service provider has, so far at least, not been given any guidance material on which to base such training. This is what ECAST has changed and for anybody who is interested, information can be obtained on the ECAST Ground Safety Web page (see box below).
ECAST has not only provided the syllabus but also the recommendations for the conduct of these training sessions, as well as guidance on instructor qualifi cations. A comprehensive package has been developed for aerodromes and ground service providers to create their own Ramp Resource Management Training. The package also includes two Human Factors and Safety Culture studies in ground service operations which have been developed by the NLR for the CAA-NL and ECAST. ECAST recommends that the
classroom training be held by the aerodromes to support a non- homogeneous group. Ideally, participants will be drawn from various ground service providers to enhance the awareness and co-operation between different companies operating on the same aerodrome. The various interfaces are one of the major challenges ground service providers have to manage. Therefore this aspect is highlighted in the preamble of the RRM package. Furthermore, the training itself can be adapted and adjusted to any ground service provider or aerodrome. For further information please see the complete package on the ECAST Ground Safety Web page.
The European Commercial Aviation Safety Team (ECAST) is the fi xed-wing Commercial Air Transport team of the European Strategic Safety Initiative (ESSI). ECAST is co- chaired by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and International Air Transport Association (IATA). ECAST has established a Ground Safety Working Group.
Deliverables from the Ground Safety WG team include: 1) Ramp Resource Management training syllabus and course material 2) Just culture and human factors training in ground service providers 3) Training recommendation for ground handling staff 4) Support of safety initiatives such as IATA IGOM, IATA ISAGO and the IATA Ground Damage Database project; and GHOST by the CAA UK
The deliverables are available on:
http://easa.europa.eu/essi/ecast ........................................................Ground Safety
By ECAST supported initiatives in Ground Safety
http://www.caa.co.uk .........................................GHOST - DVD Safety in the balance
www.iata.org ........................................................................................ ISAGO, IGOM
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