Ground handling involves multiple stakeholders, which operate within important constraints of space, time and profitability. It is a complex activity, and a source of risks that should not be underestimated.
Indeed, one weak link in the long chain of safety – incorrect marshalling, equipment left behind, fuel spillage, weight and balance error, inadequate de-icing/anti-icing, collision - even a minor one - between an aircraft and a vehicle… may have considerable impact on flight safety.
Air Accidents Investigation Branch
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the UK, its overseas territories and crown dependencies.
Our purpose is to improve aviation safety by determining the circumstances and causes of air accidents and serious incidents, and promoting action to prevent reoccurrence.
Airbus Safety First
Airbus Safety First - Ground Operations
Our magazine contributes to the enhancement of safety for aircraft operations. Safety first shares information and lessons learnt about safety topics related to the design, maintenance, and operation of Airbus aircraft. The aim of sharing this safety information is to help prevent accidents.
Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Working Group
The Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Working Group (ARFFWG) is a non-profit membership organization established in 1990 to promote the science and improve the methods of aviation fire protection and prevention. The organization exists for the benefit of fire protection personnel around the world who work at airports or work with aircraft and/or who can reasonably be expected to be involved with some type of aviation/aircraft related emergency event.
Aviation Action
Aviation Action is a mental health and support charity specifically for aviation industry colleagues and offers vital assistance to people who work or have worked in the UK aviation industry. Anyone may be finding things tough, especially through a pandemic, regardless of their job title.
We support the aviation industry across the board from flight deck, firefighters to caterers and cabin crew. Run by an amazing team of volunteers, Aviation Action aims to offer support to aviation industry colleagues who are faced with difficult times, both personally and professionally.
Aviation Safety Network
The Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network (ASN) provides up-to-date, complete and reliable authoritative information on airliner accidents and safety issues.
The ASN accident database is updated daily and contains descriptions of over 23,000 airliner (aircraft originally certified to carry 12 or more passengers), military transport category aircraft, and corporate jet aircraft accidents dating back to 1919. The information is primarily derived from official governmental agencies, such as air accident investigation boards and civil aviation authorities.
Combined Aerodrome Safeguarding Team
Aerodrome safeguarding is a legal requirement under ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) and the UK CAA (Civil Aviation Authority). The safeguarding of aerodromes is the process used to ensure the safety of aircraft manoeuvring on the ground, taking off, landing or flying in the vicinity of the airport.
Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme
CHIRP’s Aviation Programme improves safety in the air by providing a totally independent confidential reporting system for all individuals involved in aviation in UK’s airspace.
The fundamental principle underpinning CHIRP is that all reports are treated in absolute confidence in order that reporters’ identities are protected – any associated information and concerns or experiences are only communicated to external agencies and organisations with the agreement of the reporter and then only in a disidentified format to protect their anonymity.
DGAC Ground Safety Videos
In order to reduce the number of ground handling incidents and create a positive safety culture, the French Civil Aviation Authority has produced a video series about the ground handling impact on flight safety.
EASA Safety Promotion
Safety promotion is a set of means, processes and procedures that are used to develop, sustain and improve aviation safety through awareness raising and changing behaviours.
Together with regulations and oversight, safety promotion contributes to continuous improvement of our European and worldwide aviation safety system. It includes the development of products and actions such as reports and technical publications, bulletins, leaflets and posters, audio-visual material, toolkits, manuals and guides, social media and e-applications, and also conferences, safety events, roadshows and campaigns.
Federal Aviation Administration
Lessons Learned from Civil Aviation Accidents
As with other advances, applying lessons from the past has yielded improvements to aviation safety worldwide. This Lessons Learned from Civil Aviation Accidents Library represents information-rich modules from selected large transport airplane, small airplane, and rotorcraft accidents. The objective of this library is to equip today’s safety practitioners with key knowledge in order to improve aviation safety.
Assisted by many individuals and organizations from the international aviation community, the FAA plans to add content to this library on an annual basis by adding additional material involving selected rotorcraft, small airplane, and large transport airplane modules.
Flight Safety Australia
CASA's flagship aviation safety magazine. Topical, technical, but reader-friendly, articles cover all the key aviation safety issues - safety management systems, maintenance, runway safety, human factors, airspace, training, aviation medicine and more.
Health and Safety Executive
The HSE is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
Our role goes beyond worker protection to include public assurance. We work to ensure people feel safe where they live, where they work and, in their environment.
IATA Ground Operations
Ground handling is an integral part of airline operations. IATA strives to lead the industry towards improved safety and operational efficiency in ground handling by setting standards, initiating and encouraging the implementation of global solutions.
IOSH Aviation and Aerospace Group
We aim to offer professional health and safety guidance and advice to all stakeholders in the aviation and aerospace industry.
Our objectives are to provide group members with:
- Invitations to regular networking events, seminars and site visits.
- Opportunities to volunteer your skills and knowledge to help others.
- The chance to contribute to legal consultations that have a direct impact on your industry.
- Opportunities to join campaigns and projects in your industry.
- Opportunities to network with health and safety professionals in your sector.
- The latest best practice from collaboration with other organisations.
Airside Safety DVD
- Part 1 https://youtu.be/p_q0CyCo3zg
- Part 2 https://youtu.be/mkB2lihbgqA
International Civil Aviation Organisation
ICAO is funded and directed by 193 national governments to support their diplomacy and cooperation in air transport as signatory states to the Chicago Convention (1944).
Its core function is to maintain an administrative and expert bureaucracy (the ICAO Secretariat) supporting these diplomatic interactions, and to research new air transport policy and standardization innovations as directed and endorsed by governments through the ICAO Assembly, or by the ICAO Council which the assembly elects.
As new priorities are identified by these stakeholders, the ICAO secretariat convenes panels, task forces, conferences and seminars to explore their technical, political, socio-economic and other aspects. It then provides governments with the best results and advice possible as they collectively and diplomatically establish new international standards and recommended practices for civil aviation internationally.
Joint Inspection Group
Founded in the early 1970’s, JIG is the world-leading organisation for the development of aviation fuel supply standards covering the entire supply chain for Aviation Fuels from refinery to wing-tip.
Our Standards are followed by both Members and non-Members all around the world. Our Mission is to increase aviation safety worldwide by extending our reach to more aviation fuel handling organisations and to assist their operational excellence programmes through enrolment in our inspection programme.
Link to Airport Safety Video
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Partnership for Systems Approaches to Safety and Security (PSASS)
NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System
The ASRS is an important facet of the continuing effort by government, industry, and individuals to maintain and improve aviation safety. The ASRS collects voluntarily submitted aviation safety incident/situation reports from pilots, controllers, and others.
The ASRS collects, analyses, and responds to voluntarily submitted aviation safety incident reports in order to lessen the likelihood of aviation accidents. ASRS data are used to:
- Identify deficiencies and discrepancies in the National Aviation System (NAS) so that these can be remedied by appropriate authorities.
- Support policy formulation and planning for, and improvements to, the NAS.
- Strengthen the foundation of aviation human factors safety research. This is particularly important since it is generally conceded that over two-thirds of all aviation accidents and incidents have their roots in human performance errors.
Society of Aircraft Performance & Operations Engineers
The Society of Aircraft Performance and Operations Engineers is a member based organization promoting the safety and efficiency of flight through knowledge of aircraft performance and weight and balance principles.
Society of Automobile Engineers
SAE International is the world’s leading authority in mobility standards development. The design of safety, productivity, dependability, efficiency, and certification is better with standards.
Aircraft Ground De-icing/Anti-Icing Training and Qualification Program AS6286
Aircraft Ground De-icing/Anti-Icing Processes AS6285
UK Civil Aviation Authority
As the UK's aviation regulator we work so that:
- The aviation industry meets the highest safety standards.
- Consumers have choice, value for money, are protected and treated fairly when they fly.
- Through efficient use of airspace, the environmental impact of aviation on local communities is effectively managed and CO2 emissions are reduced.
- The aviation industry manages security risks effectively.
UK Civil Aviation Authority (Dangerous Goods)
Information for shippers and freight forwarders.
UK Civil Aviation Authority (Whistleblowing)
The CAA is a “prescribed person” under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 for the purpose of receiving “protected disclosures” (whistleblowing) regarding compliance with the requirements of civil aviation legislation, including aviation safety and aviation security (including cyber security).
We are directly responsible for investigating any information of this nature that is received. A “worker” (which definition includes employees, independent contractors, agency workers and trainees) may make a complaint to the Employment Tribunal if he or she suffers a detriment as a result of making a “protected disclosure”. An employee will be regarded as having been unfairly dismissed if the reason or principal reason for their dismissal is the making of a protected disclosure.
UK Flight Safety Committee
The UK Flight Safety Committee was formed 50 years ago.
It has matured into a fully representative group of aviation safety professionals that meets regularly, dedicated to the improvement of commercial aviation flight safety.
ULD Care
ULD CARE is a not-for-profit Canadian corporation. Its membership is open to organizations whose scope encompasses any aircraft unit load device (ULD) activity. Starting as an IATA committee in 1971, it became a legal entity in 2011.
The vision of ULD CARE is that regardless of location or process, any ULD shall, at all times and by all parties, be handled, stored, transported and otherwise used in a responsible manner by persons who are suitably trained, managed and supported such that ULD assets may be operated at all times in a manner that is both efficient and meets all regulatory requirements.
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