Safety Management Systems

[Sisyphus]

Here is information about accident rates for Canada, the United States and the the United Kingdom. The reader is left to draw her own conclusions but it certainly appears that the accident rate in Canada is the highest of the three. The rates in Canada and the States are declared per 100,000 hours while those in the United Kingdom are declared per 1,000,000 hours.

 

Transport Canada is about to require operators to implement Safety Management Systems. This is unbelievable. All of the Canadian regulations are nothing if they are not one large safety management system. The phrase 'proactive safety' is often used. This is silly buzzwordism. Proactive is precisely what safety is supposed be. Is TC just coming to this realization? It is a mistake to leave responsibility for safety in the hands of capitalist enterprise. If rules need to be made to ensure aviation safety, then it is the responsibility of the Canadian government to make and vigourously enforce them. Another phrase used is 'pursue smart regulations'. Maybe this means that previous regulations are stupid. It could also mean regulations, whatever else they are intended to do, that do not interfere with aviation businesses ability to make money.

 

The single greatest impediment to decreasing accident rates in Canada is the attitude of pilots. Here is an example.

 

Start practicing this line.... I can't believe they accually (sic) pay me to fly this thing.

 

This fits the definition of obsequious to a tee. If one is pathetically grateful to have a flying job, one will do pathetic things to keep it. One such common practice is computing a helicopter's gross weight by loading it up and then seeing if it will fly. Another is appeasing customers by 'going up for a quick flight to see if the weather is really as bad as it appears'. Once the machine is airborne, it is doubly difficult to refuse the flight. The decision to fly or not should be made on the ground. Sometimes no flying will occur when the flight could actually have been made, but it is far better to err on the side of caution.

 

Some pilots are just plain afraid to say 'No' for fear that their manhood or flying abilities will be called into question or that they will have to endure the shame of being yanked off a job because they couldn't cut the mustard. There should be some mechanism in place to protect pilots from intimidation.

 

At least two things should be done. TC should reinstate tariffs so that, amongst other things, engineers and pilots can be paid what they are worth and so that sufficient numbers of pilots can be hired. They should not have to work these ridiculous and dangerous tours of 42 consecutive 14 hour days, after which they may get 5 days off any number of which may be used for travel.

 

Engineers and pilots must also have an association. Of course, such a thing was handed to them on a silver platter by a man who tried very hard to do good thing. The barbaric fashion in which this effort was thrown in his face says a great deal of bad about the attitude of Canadian helicopter pilots.

[cap]

1) "Capitalist enterprise" will react a lot quicker to insurance rate inceases of 250-300% than they will to government meddling in their business. Government doesn't know how to run a business and we got enough proof of that of late.

 

2) If a person continually compares statistics from Canada to the US they are continually "off balance" because there are other factors at play that do not get used in those statistics. Flying the the continental US is NOT the same as flying in Canada for a host of reasons that don't get mentioned in those vaunted stats.......but are a factor. Ergo, if those stats make us look good, they mean nothing......if they make us look bad, then we shouldn't go pulling our hair out over it.

 

3) You will ALWAYS have pilots that cannot say "No" because nobody can legislate intelligence or common sense. So forget about eradicating it.....it ain't going to be a happening event. When you and I are over the horizon with our company a/c, we are under a "trust system" that has little to do with MOT unless we wrap it around a tree....ditto for the engineer who goes with us concerning his duties. How many people would you trust to take your $1M machine and disappear to some point 1000 miles away? My short list is VERY short for something like that. With regards "intimidation"...the only person that can intimidate you is someone whom you ALLOW to intimidate you. Asking the government to help you with that is a "cop-out" because you don't have backbone enough to handle it yourself.

 

3) Your quote was taken out of context and you drew wrong meaning from it...read again and THINK!

 

4) My friend, I for one do not need a calculator to tell me when I'm over-gross unless I'm newly checked-out on a given a/c........my guages and my assh*le will tell me.

 

5) I've stated my opinion on "De-Regulation" already. As far as the length of tours go, hours allowed to be flown and time-off go, I'm so far over in "Right field" that you , the industry and MOT wouldn't even want to talk to a person like me. Try May to September without a break in the Arctic and then the winter off.....and enjoy it yet.....and just make "gobs" of money. I'm what some would term a Neanderthal.

 

6) I was involved in trying an "Association" thing before and when somebody said "boo", I turned around and all committed personnel were gone!!. I'm what's called "a follower" now....and watch me because I might get lost looking for a beer.

[Charles W.]

I do not understand all the new buzz words that are used by TC when they dictate new requirements, however I would like to ask a couple of questions.

 

It seems that the regulations and the aeronautics act are not sufficient to give guidance in operating safely, so TC keeps adding new requirements for operators to meet and in so doing the operator must take the time and money to write new guidlines into their opereations.

 

That further drives up the cost of operating the business.

 

Correct me if I am wrong here but is TC intent on putting all the responsibility on the operator with no active input from them?

 

And the most puzzeling question is are the number of TC employees decreasing to the point that they can not find the time or personell to actively participate outside their offices?

 

C. W.

[GoldMember]

Well said cap. There is absolutly nothing wrong with enjoying your job and wearing the largest of ####-eating grins whilst doing it. I have giggled silently to myself many times as I crested a mountain ridge and watched the sun light up the surrounding vista, and the thought that accompanies the giggle is usually "I can't believe I get paid to do this ####!".

 

Sissyphus, I resent the fact that you consider loving ones job an indication of ones inability to make sound and safe judgements. I plan to retire from aviation, not get carried out in a body-bag 'cause of some stupid decision I made. I've said no many times. Lighten up.

[cap]

Chuck ------ are you trying to tell us that you don't already know the answers to those questions, you 'ol fart?

 

Maggie ---- ahhhhhhh, it gets a guy thinking and that's not all bad.

 

Gold Member -------Downwash will be interested to hear that because cutting "overhead' is part of his job description. .....and you be careful flying around in those temps up there, otherwise you might "retire" quicker than you plan on. You kept the snow and sent me the temps.....rotten *&%@#. :angry:

[cap]

Chuck ------ are you trying to tell us that you don't already know the answers to those questions, you 'ol fart?

 

Maggie ---- ahhhhhhh, it gets a guy thinking and that's not all bad.

 

Gold Member -------Downwash will be interested to hear that because cutting "overhead' is part of his job description. .....and you be careful flying around in those temps up there, otherwise you might "retire" quicker than you plan on. You kept the snow and sent me the temps.....rotten *&%@#. :angry: May you have a weeping T'R output seal for doing that.

[GoldMember]

cap,

 

Did I say "I can't believe I get paid to do this ****"? What I meant was "I can't believe I get paid so little to do this. How's a guy supposed to make house, car and Harley payments all the while trying to keep all the ladies happy?". Maybe downwash will take pity on me.

 

Had 25cm of snow on Tuesday, and it's -45 today (seriously!).

[cap]

Gold Member ------- Ya, come to think of it, that was probably a typo. (He says while Downwah smirks).

 

Dont' moan to me about temps. Tonite I see on the news it's -45 or more with the windchill and a temp of -27. Just to really piss you and I off, they are reporting that Moscow has no snow whatsoever and showed them mowing grass next to the walls of the Kremlin. First time in history supposedly that that there has been no snow in Moscow this time of year. They remarked that it's a good thing that it wasn't 1812 or Napoleon would be having supper in Moscow tonite.

[Elvis]

Gold Member ------- Ya, come to think of it, that was probably a typo.  (He says while Downwah smirks).

 

Downwash wouldn't do that

[GoldMember]

cap,

 

-45, windchill NOT included. Your turn.