Certainly it can’t be the lack of corporate leadership and investment. Today, helicopter companies and their customers are spending hundreds of thousands--if not millions--of dollars on safety program marketing and incentives. Not to mention the considerable time corporate executives allot to meeting with the workforce to ensure they know that safety is a top-to-bottom effort.


So what’s still broke?


TROUBLESHOOTING SAFETY Maybe we can “troubleshoot” safety


SHOULDN’T WE BE ACCIDENT FREE?


Decades of safety history in the helicopter industry reveal the lineage of our current programs. In the beginning it was simple: you got hurt or you damaged something and you got fired. No more issues.


When that didn’t seem to work, companies implemented a kinder, gentler method. Don’t get hurt and you got a belt buckle, plaque or jacket. After that plateaued, safety incentives were elevated to TVs and cash. Funny thing was that although the basic safety numbers were lower, we still had workers sporting Band- Aids and limping around. Maybe those safety rewards were too material in nature. To combat this trend, safety programs became broader and more behavior orientated. New proactive incentives encouraged co-workers to look out for each other’s best interests. Customers jumped on the bandwagon by presenting ultimatums


to helicopter operators:


strengthen your internal safety programs by adopting oil industry safety practices— or lose our business. In a few cases, customers even offered incentives to their


52 February 2015


employees if they reported alleged safety violations committed by vendor personnel, including “unsafe acts” committed by flight crews during flight. That really took “safety” to the next level. Currently we have safety representatives in every facet of the helicopter operation. New departments have been created for the sole purpose of wiping out all unsafe acts. With such a robust history and developed culture of safety, one would think that by now the helicopter industry would be incident and accident free. But we’re not there yet. Ever wonder why?


IT CAN’T BE


Certainly it can’t be the lack of safety documentation. Current safety documentation has grown from a 10-page outline with simple charts to 300-plus page multiple volume manuals of policy and procedures complete with interactive videos.


Certainly it can’t be the number of safety meetings, or lack thereof. Daily crew tailgates, weekly departmental meetings, and quarterly division reviews appear to keep everyone updated and engaged in current safety topics.


from a mechanic’s vantage. Helicopters and safety programs actually have similar foundations. For one thing, both need balanced components in order to function properly.


For example, with helicopters the main


rotor and drivetrain must be operationally balanced, otherwise the unbalanced condition causes a rough ride, or worse, damage to the aircraft. It’s the same for a safety program. If a program is heavy on safety videos but light on safety meetings, the program is unbalanced in its coverage and message. So how do we tell when we have an out- of-balance situation? On the helicopter side, the pilot or customer may feel the resultant vibration from the unbalanced condition, and it’s reported to the mechanic or written up in the aircraft logbook. Or maybe a mechanic will discover it during routine maintenance. Either way, it’s pretty straightforward.


OK, so what about the safety side?


Surely, if an employee or supervisor senses an unbalanced situation in the safety program, they can take their observation to the next level and report the defect without retribution. Furthermore, if warranted, anyone can send a letter or email to the executive level expressing concern about a problem in the safety program. Or can they? Maybe it’s not so straightforward.


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