IHSTGlobalSafetySurveyResultsThispaperreportstheresultsandconclusionsthatmaybedrawnfromtheInternationalHelicopterSafetyTeam’s(IHST)second,globalsafetysurvey.Repeatingtheprocessdonein2015,theIHSThas,throughout2016,promotedasurveytojudgeawarenessanduseofitsproducts.InadditiontopromotingtheIHST’swork,thesurveyisintendedtomeasurehowbroadlytheIHST’skeyrecommendationsarebeingimplemented.Overtime,theIHSThopestocorrelatethesurveyresultswithaccidentdatatoseeiftheserecommendationsandtheirsupportingproductsareontargettowardtheIHST’svisionofzeroaccidents.Whereastherewere351responsestothesurveyfrom53differentcountriesin2015,the2016surveyhad340responsesfrom44differentcountries.Further,only25ofthosewhoparticipatedinthe2015surveyupdatedtheirinputsfor2016.Hence,thetwosurveyreportsdonot,aswashoped,showagrowingbaseofannualstatusreportsfromhelicopterindustrystakeholdersontheirimplementationofthekeybestpracticesrecommendedbytheIHST.Nevertheless,aswillbeshown,therearesomeimportantconclusionsthatcanbedrawnfromthisyear’ssurvey,whichreinforcetheresultsofthe2015survey.TheIHST’sregionalteamshaveanalyzedover1,000helicopteraccidentsandconcludedthatthefollowingfourareasofferthebestopportunitiestopreventhelicopteraccidents:
1. SafetyManagementSystems(SMS)2. Structuredprogramsforinitialandrecurrenttraining3. Mission-specificsystemsandequipment,including:
a. Health&usagemonitoringsystems(HUMS)b. Flightdatamonitoring(FDM)programsc. Nightvisiongogglesd. Wirestrikeprotection
4. Structuredprogramstofullycomplywithmanufacturers’recommendedmaintenancepractices
TheIHSTandmanyotherindustrystakeholdergroupsareactivelypromotingimplementationofthesepractices.TheIHST’sglobalsafetysurveyisintendedtoassesstheprogresstowardfullimplementationofthesepracticeswithineachindustrysectorineveryregion.Whilesomeoftherecommendedsystemsandequipmenthavemissionspecificapplication,theotherrecommendationsforSMS,trainingandmaintenancepracticesareuniversallyapplicable.Thefigurebelowshowsthesurveyresultsfromthecountrieswiththemostresponses.Acompletelistofthe“CountryofOperation”givenbysurveyparticipantsisatAppendix1.Inbothsurveysconductedsofar,theresponsesbycountrygenerallyfallinlinewiththenumberofhelicoptersinthosecountries.
Wemustadmitthataftertwoyearsthetotalnumberofsurveyparticipantsisstillasmallsampleforthemorethan35,000civilhelicoptersintheworld.Wedonotproposethattheseresultsarearepresentativesample.TheseresultsmayinfactrepresentthebestoperatorsinthecivilhelicopterindustrywhowerewillingtostatetheirpositionswithregardtotheIHST’swork.Nevertheless,theseresultsdogiveindicationsofwhichoftheIHST’stopsafetyrecommendationsaregainingthebroadestacceptance.Asstatedlastyear,wemustacknowledgethattheIHST’stopsafetyrecommendationsmaybegettingimplementedforreasonsotherthantheIHSTitself.Forexample,SMSimplementation,whichhasthehighestoverallimplementationrateofalltheIHST’stoprecommendations,isgenerallyhighestincountrieswhereSMShasbeenmandatedthelongest;e.g.,theUKandotherEuropeancountriesgovernedbyEASA.Thechartbelowshowsthatthistrend,establishedin2015,wassustainedin2016.So,thefirstconclusiontobeproposedinthisreportisthatregulatorysupportisveryeffective.Whilevoluntaryadoptionofbestpracticescanproceedmorequickly,changinganindustryculturetoembracebestpracticescantakealongtimeunlessthereisstrongregulatorysupport.
Whenwesorttheresultsbystakeholdergroupororganizationtype,weseeagainthisyearthatoperationsdrivenbycustomerrequirementshadthehighestlevelofSMSimplementation.
Weseerelatedresultsinthechartbelow,wherewesorttheresultsbytheusestowhichtherespondentsputtheirhelicopters,andfindtheoffshoreoil&gasindustryleadingthewaywithSMSimplementation.Theoil&gasindustrypracticesaredrivenbycustomerrequirementsbecausethatindustry’soperationsvitallydependontheconfidenceofoffshoreworkersintheirmeansofgettingtowork.TheInternationalAssociationofOil&GasProducers(IOGP)havedocumentedtheirrecommendedpractices,whicharedefactoindustrystandards,intheirAircraftManagementGuidelines,whichareavailableforfreedownloadathttp://www.iogp.org/Reports/Type/390/ID/475.TheIHSTSMStoolkits,availableforfreedownloadathttp://www.ihst.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3053&language=en-US,offerguidanceforalltypesofhelicopteroperations..
Asstatedinlastyear’sreport,structuredprogramsforinitialandrecurrenttraining,oftencompetencebased,aremoreprevalentamongsttheglobaloperatorssupportingtheoil&gasindustry.TheaforementionedIOGPAircraftManagementGuidelinesincludeadescriptionofcompetencybasedtrainingprograms.TheIHST’sfreetrainingtoolkit,basedonlessonslearnedfromaccidentanalyses,(http://www.ihst.org/portals/54/2009_Training_Toolkit_Final.pdf)offersguidanceforallhelicopteroperatorstodevelopandmaintaineffectivetrainingprograms.
Thechartsbelowshowthesurveyresultsfortrainingbytypeofoperationandthenbyuse.
Asseenin2015,theuseofhealth&usagemonitoringsystems(HUMS)isstillrelativelyloweverywhere.
Whenwesortthoseresultsbystakeholdergroup(organizationtype)wefindtheinterestingresultthatnoneofthesixsurveyparticipantsfromthemaintenanceandserviceindustrysectorsaidtheyuseHUMS.ThreeofthesixsurveyparticipantswerefromCanada,theUSAandMexico–twowerefromEuropeandonefromRussia.Thoughsixishardlyastatisticallysignificantsamplingofthemanycompaniesinthehelicoptermaintenanceandservicebusiness,itissurprisingtoseethatnoneofthosewhorespondedtothissurveyuseHUMS.ExperienceincompaniesthatdouseHUMSasanintegralpartoftheirmaintenanceprogramsshowsthatthesesixsurveyrespondentsappeartobemissingoutonawell-establishedbestpracticeformaintenance.TolearnmoreabouthowtoimplementHUMS,seetheIHSTmaintenancetoolkitandtheHUMStoolkitavailableforfreedownloadathttp://www.ihst.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3050&language=en-US.
Whenwesorttheresultsbyhelicopteruse,wefindthehighestlevelsofHUMSimplementationinoffshorewheretheoil&gasindustrysponsoredHUMSdevelopmentinthelate90sandmanyoil&gascompanieshaverequireditformorethan10years.
Turningtotheuseofflightdatamonitoringprograms,wealsofindrelativelylowimplementation.
Perhapsmanyoperatorsareunawareofthelow-costtechnologiesavailableforFDM.AlistofsuchresourcesisgiveninAppendixBoftheIHST’sFDMtoolkit,availableforfreedownloadathttp://www.ihst.org/portals/54/2011HFDM.pdf.
Asseenin2015,theoffshoreindustryhasthehighestlevelofFDMimplementation.
Theuseofstructuredprogramstofullycomplywithmanufacturers’recommendedmaintenancepracticesismorewidespreadthantheuseofHUMSorFDM,butnotnearlyuniversalasitshouldbe.
Here’stheuseofstructuredmaintenanceprogramswhensortingtheresponsesbyhelicopteruse.Thoseusinghelicoptersforpersonal/privateor“other”havethemosttogain.TheIHST’sfreemaintenancetoolkitshowshowhttp://www.ihst.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=uhdMiyXCSCE=&tabid=1507&language=en-US.
Whenwerollupresultsintoasingle,aggregatemeasureoftheimplementationoftheIHST’skeyrecommendedpractices,weseesimilarresultsaslastyear.
Whenwesorttheseresultsbytypeofoperation,weseethatoffshoreoperationsdrivenbyoil&gascustomerrequirementshadthehighestlevelofimplementation
oftheIHST’skeyrecommendations,whilethoseusinghelicoptersforpersonal/privateor“other”purposeshadthelowest.
Asseeninlastyear’ssurveyresults,privateoperatorsusinghelicoptersforpersonalusehavethelowestlevelofimplementationoftheIHST’srecommendations.ThisresultscorrelateswiththeIHST’sanalysisshowingthatthepersonal/privateoperatorshavehighaccidentrates.Hence,theseoperatorshavethemosttogainfromimplementingtheIHST’skeyrecommendations.Conversely,theresultsshowthatimplementationishighestinthegroupswiththelowestaccidentrates,particularlytheoffshorehelicopteroperators.So,althoughcorrelationdoesnotnecessarilymeancausation,itappearsclearthattheIHST’skeyrecommendationsareveryeffectiveinpreventinghelicopteraccidents.Anotherconclusionthatmaybedrawnfromthiscorrelationisthatcustomerawarenessofandinsistenceontheuseofbestpracticesforsafetycanbeasimportantasregulatorysupport.ThechallengeforthosewhosharetheIHSTvisionofzeroaccidentsistoengageallthosewhousehelicoptersinreviewingtheoverwhelmingevidenceforthesebestpractices:
1. SafetyManagementSystems(SMS)2. Structuredprogramsforinitialandrecurrenttraining3. Mission-specificsystemsandequipment,including:
a. Health&usagemonitoringsystems(HUMS)
b. Flightdatamonitoring(FDM)programsc. Nightvisiongogglesd. Wirestrikeprotection
4. Structuredprogramstofullycomplywithmanufacturers’recommendedmaintenancepractices
TheIHSTExecutiveCommitteehascommittedtoredoubleitseffortstogetparticipationinarepeatofthissurveyin2017.Ifyoucompletedthesurveyin2015,2016orbothyears,pleasedosoagainin2017sothatwecanbuildagrowingbaseofannualstatusreportsfromhelicopterindustrystakeholdersontheirimplementationofthekeybestpracticesrecommendedbytheIHST.LookforarelaunchoftheIHSTglobalsafetysurveyaroundthetimeofHelicopterAssociationInternational’s(HAI)Heli-Expo.Spreadtheword!
AppendixA“CountryofOperation”forSurveyParticipants