Airport Safety Week

The Australian Airports Association (AAA) is partnering with the NZ Airports Association (NZ Airports) through the jointly hosted Australasian Airport Safety Forum to deliver Airport Safety Week 2014 with the support of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). This event will be the first of its kind for the aviation industry and will target airport employees and contractors through communication of key safety messages at airports and exciting events.

Airport Safety Week activities aim to engage airport employees to consider their own personal safety as well as their obligations to provide a safe environment for all airport users. Key topics highlighted throughout the event program will help to enhance the safety culture at airports by creating a forum for information sharing and innovative thinking when it comes to airport-specific safety hazards and how to report on those. The AAA and NZ Airports will provide industry with a range of resources to help facilitate Airport Safety Week as well as providing event plans for suggested activities to encourage staff participation.

By taking part airports will demonstrate to the community and the travelling public their commitment and determination to maintaining a safe environment for all airport users. The education products that will be contained within the resources pack are designed to evoke thoughts and initiate conversations among airport staff that will get them thinking safety.

Airport Safety Week activities will include:

»» toolbox talks with staff to discuss hazard reporting;

»» WorkSafe safety training;

»» gatherings to promote healthy lifestyles with information relating to the impacts of an unhealthy lifestyle, stress and fatigue on airport safety;

»» cross-departmental safety inspections;

»» innovation challenges to explore how processes can be improved using technology;

»» foreign object debris (FOD) walk conducted across Australia and New Zealand;

»» presentations relating to Drug and Alcohol Management Plans (DAMP) in the aviation workplace;

»» wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to work day; and

»» the Airport Safety Awards. The primary communication tool will be a daily Airport Safety Week e-newsletter which will be sent to participants to promote key safety messages as well as engage users via an interactive airport safety quiz. Resource material and activities will be sent to airports within the resource pack. The information will also be provided for download on the AAA website.

As part of Airport Safety Week we are also establishing the Airport Safety Awards to recognise employees or contractors at airports who work to support a positive safety environment. Recipients of Airport Safety Awards will then have the opportunity to be nominated by their airport for the National Airport Safety Award which will be presented at the AAA National Airport Industry Awards and gala dinner on November 25.

The safety week initiative forms part of a greater commitment and focus from the AAA to promote, educate and improve safety in and around airports, particularly for operational staff on the airfield. As part of this commitment, the AAA has agreed to formally integrate the Australasian Airports Safety Forum (AASF) into the formal industry working group structure of the organisation. The integration of the AASF into the AAA structure provides the benefit of the group having direct access to the AAA membership base and communication tools, as well as allowing the AAA board to have strategic oversight and input into the group’s activities and the support of additional resources. With ASAF incorporated into the peak industry body for airports in Australia, the AAA aims to assist in promoting safety awareness across the industry and creating an environment that allows for collaboration and the development of safety best practice. The group is also a joint forum of the NZ Airports, making this a unique collaborative effort of airports in both Australia and New Zealand.

The AASF was originally established in 2011 by workplace health and safety managers from several airports as a mechanism for airport safety professionals to share knowledge, experience and information to further the cause of general safety within the aviation industry of Australia. The forum has grown to now include representatives from all the major Australian and New Zealand international and domestic airports and welcomes other airport operators with a passion for safety to get involved. The AASF is based on a common initiative to keep airport operations safe allowing for growth and improved safety.

The integration of the AASF into the AAA and NZ Airports, combined with the inaugural Airport Safety Week initiative, marks an exciting time for safety in the airport sector. We strongly encourage all those with an interest to get involved in promoting airport safety awareness across the industry and the AAA looks forward to helping airports to continue setting the benchmark for safety in the aviation industry.