Bird Strike Committee Proceedings
Date of this Version
8-2008
Document Type
Article
Abstract
According to Cleary and Dolbeer (Wildlife hazards at airports, 2005), before solving a problem, it must be understood. A mandatory and first step toward understanding and solving the complex problem of collisions between aircrafts and birds is the collection and analysis of bird hazards. Therein lies the bird hazard report, as an important document that feeds the safety management system. Safety is typically managed from a systemic perspective in which the accident results from a chain of events. Despite the large amount of knowledge that exists about the dynamics of aircraft accidents, the investigation processes still identify in the accident chain practices and conditions that point to poor operational risk management. Risk management requires information from those who are the frontline, who usually are the first ones to know the hazards pertaining to their workplace. Pilots are usually the last domino piece before a mishap occurs, and most of the time they are also the last people who could avoid an accident. But they are also the ones who are always in contact with all sorts of hazards. The Bird Hazard Report allows the pilots to let safety professionals investigate each single hazard, and it is considered a big step in the accident prevention effort and consequently enhances the effectiveness of the report. The effectiveness of safety culture varies greatly among organizations. To a large extent, the variations may reflect organizational culture, the level of safety performances established by management policies, and especially practices accepted and practiced by its employees. Therefore, it is critical to understand civil pilots’ perceptions regarding the Bird Hazard Report as an important safety tool. The author is writing a thesis as a part of his Master of Science in Aviation Safety Course at the University of Central Missouri, in which he will survey two airlines’ pilots in Brazil to find out what should be done to improve the Bird Hazard Report System in Brazil.
Comments
Abstract of paper presented at Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada Meeting, Lake Mary and Sanford, Florida, August 18–21, 2008.