IOSH Managing Safely – Aviation, now available

3 April 2012

New scheme takes off to cut airside accidents

A reduction in the number of injuries suffered by airport operational staff is the aim of a new scheme, launched yesterday (2 April 2012).

A training course for supervisors and managers in the aviation sector, accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), has been unveiled to ensure airside and landside health and safety standards remain paramount.

In the UK the aviation industry supports nearly one million jobs. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), during 2010/11 within the industry there were 78 major injuries and 815 incidents which meant an employee was absent from work for three days or more.

With the ever-increasing pressures on the industry to ensure more efficient aircraft turnaround times, health and safety on the ramp has never been more important.

Doing things at a much faster pace increases the risk and makes employees more susceptible to injury, illness, or even worse, fatality. Airline bosses and managers need to be aware of the hazards that operational staff face on a day-to-day basis, and put simple safety measurements into place to protect workers from harm.

Steve Terry, managing director of Astutis, the company which is the brains behind the course, said:

“Managers and supervisors need to understand and accept their responsibilities with regard to the health and safety of their staff and contractors.  The importance of good, robust health and safety management cannot be understated given the variety of risks present in the industry. Hopefully, this course will go some way to help bosses understand this.

“This is the first accredited course for managers within the aviation industry. And, I hope it will raise awareness, reduce ’unnecessary’ accidents and generally raise health and safety standards – making them consistent across the board.”

The IOSH Managing Safely in Aviation course has been created to provide the industry with a blanket standard for managers, bringing them up to speed with the latest needs and developments.

When developing the course, Astutis has worked closely with IOSH’s Aviation and Aerospace Group, who last year launched a generic Airside Safety Induction DVD, as well as aviation safety specialists and other industry bodies.

Keith Merrie, chair of IOSH’s Aviation and Aerospace Group, said:

“The Airside Health and Safety Induction DVD has been a resounding success since its launch in 2010.  However, there was a requirement to back this up with accredited and relevant training for managers and supervisors – Astutis’ course certainly achieves this.

“Delegates will benefit from accredited training which relates directly to their day-to-day activities, and I’m confident that this course will be very well received by all attendees and the industry as a whole.”

Managing Safely in Aviation covers topics such as ramp safety, aircraft turnaround and airside safety management. Using interactive games and video footage, delegates on the course learn how airport work activities can run smoothly using a ‘common sense’ approach to health and safety management.

Ian Mattimoe, corporate head of safety, security and quality at bmi, said:

“I believe the provision of aviation specific health and safety training will enhance any company’s performance.

“An accredited IOSH Managing Safely in Aviation course will, in my opinion, increase the delegate’s awareness of airport hazards and the subsequent control methods.” 

Source:  IOSH News section. 

For further details of the course, please see the Astutis website under IOSH courses.