Airlines and service providers have been enjoined to go beyond the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety compliance in promoting safety culture in the aviation sector.
Dr Kola Uhuegho, a former deputy rector, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), stated this at the Aviation Stakeholders Safety Workshop entitled: “ Promoting aviation safety in Nigeria”, organised by the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers(NAAPE) in Lagos.
He said in promoting safety, airlines, agencies and service providers should not limit their compliance to the ICAO Standards and Recommended practices, which to him, are just minimal safety levels that operators must adhere to, but must also strive to go far beyond to achieve excellence.
He, therefore, admonished stakeholders to imbibe the “silence” and non-punitive and reporting information sharing culture to ensure continuous improvement in safety.
He further noted that safety would further be enhanced through lessons learnt from previous incidents and accidents and commended the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) for its continuous release of accidents reports with vital safety recommendations to the regulator (NCAA), affected Airline(s) and aircraft manufacturers.
He advised that the AIB should not stop at safety recommendations alone, but rather, it must always ensure compliance through proper monitoring.
In his welcome address, the President of NAAPE, Galadima Abednego, noted that the workshop was among others intended to serve as a platform for sensitisation and discussion on the pressing safety concerns in the industry.
He hoped that NAAPE’s engagement in this regard would bring about solutions to identified safety concerns and greater promotion of safety in the industry.
Abednego recalled: “The safety thinking has evolved over the years, since 1950s where technical factors were the only consideration and later in the 1990s, human factors gained prominence over technical factors. Now, organisational factors are considered more prominent and critical.
“Hence, our assessments will focus more on the organisational factors.”
He said NAAPE members would continue to promote professional excellence to boost safety in the industry.
AIB Commissioner, Akin Olateru, in his keynote address charged pilots and engineers to play their part to ensure a safer air space for Nigeria, saying: “I implore pilots, engineers and stakeholders to note that safety is not a one man’s business.”
The commissioner, represented by a Director of the Bureau, Muhammed Wali, said pilots and engineers play a critical role in safety, adding that NAAPE’s focus on the welfare of aircraft pilots and engineers would improve safety in the industry in Nigeria and othe parts of the world.
