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Title: How does aviation industry measure safety performance? Current practice and limitations

Authors: Steffen Kaspers; Nektarios Karanikas; Alfred Roelen; Selma Piric; Robert J. De Boer

Addresses: Aviation Academy, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Weesperzijde 190, 1097 DZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, the Netherlands ' Aviation Academy, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Weesperzijde 190, 1097 DZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands ' Aviation Academy, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Weesperzijde 190, 1097 DZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), Anthony Fokkerweg 2, 1059 CM Amsterdam, the Netherlands ' Aviation Academy, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Weesperzijde 190, 1097 DZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands ' Aviation Academy, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Weesperzijde 190, 1097 DZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Abstract: This paper reviewed state-of-the-art literature about existing aviation safety metrics. We identified that the long-established view on safety as absence of losses has limited the measurement of safety performance to indicators of adverse events. However, taking into account the sparsity of incidents and accidents compared to the amount of aviation operations and the recent shift from compliance to performance based approach to safety management, the exclusive use of outcomes metrics does not suffice to further improve safety. Although the need to use activity indicators is recognised, those have not yet become part of safety performance assessment. This is partly attributed to the lack of empirical evidence about the relation between safety proxies and outcomes and the diversity of safety models used (i.e., root-cause, epidemiological or systemic models). This has resulted to the development of many safety process metrics, which have not been thoroughly tested against the quality criteria.

Keywords: safety management; safety performance; safety indicators; safety; aviation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAM.2019.098372

International Journal of Aviation Management, 2019 Vol.4 No.3, pp.224 - 245

Received: 26 Sep 2017
Accepted: 22 May 2018

Published online: 18 Mar 2019 *

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