Importance of a Risk Management Program

Risk...Is Really it Worth it?

Back in 2003 a 19 seat Beech 1900, which plunged in to the earth 37 seconds after take off, was found to have improper set turnbuckles, which control tension on the elevator cable. How would you feel if you were the maintainer that performed work on the turnbuckles prior to the plan's accident. You probably would feel pretty bad know you were the cause of the accident. This is way companies have Risk management programs. Risk management insures the a safe product is being produced. The Purpose of a risk management program is to identify potential problems before they occur so that risk handling activities may be planned and invoked as need across the life of the product or protect to mitigate adverse impacts on achieving objectives. Common risks taken in aviation maintenance are Skip a step, skip a task, ignore warnings and cautions, intentional deviations, improper removal and replacements, improper repair, incomplete installations and allow debris to enter.

Procedures To Mitigate Risk of Human Error

Clear documentation; crystal clear understanding and documentation of actions ensures inspections and checklist are correctly usable; however clear documentation is useless if its not used. Proper inventory; accuracy in reporting tool or part inventory is essential. Proper inventory of parts and tool will ensure that an aircraft is airworthy when it takes off. Checklist; checklist are tailored towards individual circumstances. It provides the minimum requirement to safely perform maintenance or operate aircraft engines. Inspections ; purpose of an inspection is to ensure the work being performed is done properly. A second or third set of eyes will ensure that the work was done properly. Functional checks; are performed to ensure an aircraft is airworthy and capable of accomplishing its mission. These are just a few Procedures that can help minimize risk during daily aviation operations.

The Big Picture: By taking a step back and focusing attention to cover the human elements that can lead to incidents, as well as the technological factors the probability of future incidents can reduced and improve an organization’s safety performance, safety culture and communication systems. It is not simply about what happened, changing procedures or trying to control and alter observable behaviors; sometimes we have to look beneath these behaviors to understand why and how they occurred and to provide ways of managing human failure so that companies are not only safer but more adaptive and proactive in their approach to safety.