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Safety Management Briefing 2024

Hong Kong Aviation Safety Plan : Aligning Goals & Empowering Professionals

By Strategic Safety Office of Civil Aviation Department (CAD)

Objective of Briefing

A safety management briefing was organised by CAD on 4 July 2024. Building upon the theme "Hong Kong Aviation Safety Plan : Aligning Goals & Empowering Professionals", over 120 aviation safety experts across domains received updates on International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO’s) safety management initiatives.

The briefing has engaged the aviation community in a renewed and robust course of a safety roadmap and safety commitments to support the advancement of aviation development, and provided a stage for leading experts to share safety culture implementation in their organisations.

Sessions 1 & 2 Summary

Aligning with Global Safety Strategies

CAD presented the evolving landscape of international safety management, detailing proposed updates to ICAO’s Annex 19, anticipated for implementation in 2026, alongside ICAO’s global and regional safety plans, i.e. GASP and AP-RASP. Those provided essential foresight into forthcoming global safety mandates, enabling local aviation service providers to align their safety management systems (SMS) or practices with international standards and proactively address emerging risks.

We also highlighted the integral role of the Hong Kong Aviation Safety Programme (HK-SSP) and Hong Kong Aviation Safety Plan (HK-NASP) in operationalizing safety initiatives and aligning with ICAO’s strategies to support the advancement of aviation development. It emphasized strengthening safety partnerships across the aviation community to develop actionable insights. A case study on global insect-related incidents demonstrated how effective information sharing and collaborative SMS activities has enabled a swift and coordinated local response to emerging safety threats. The session also encouraged providers to utilize tools like the ICAO Indicator Catalogue, and participate in CAD’s safety culture survey to promote best practices for SMS, mandatory and voluntary reports and drive continuous improvement.

Session 3 Summary

Grow a Safety Mindset and Empower People - Experts’ Insights

The moderator opened the discussion with a challenge for the aviation ecosystem. With a broad spectrum of service providers and a diverse workforce, how can the community instill a unified safety mindset and empower everyone to be a gatekeeper for safety, especially "when no one is watching"?

In particular, the post-pandemic aviation landscape accentuated such challenge, vis-à-vis integration of a new, diverse workforce after the loss of experienced personnel.

In response, industry experts from Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, HAECO Hong Kong, Greater Bay Airlines, and Hong Kong Express shared their multi-faceted strategy in building a unified safety mindset within their companies.

Amongst all, a visible and committed leadership is the foundational element. Safety must be actively championed from the top, with CEOs and senior managers regularly engaging with frontline teams, and moving beyond policies to practice. Leaders’ on-field engagement with staff (e.g. engaging in "night walks" on the ramp or behavior-based observations on the shop floor) could effectively demonstrate that safety is a core and lived value, not just a document.

Leaders can also empower people to do the right things for safety through practicing Just Culture. Creating an environment where all employees feel safe to report errors is essential. This psychological safety is the bedrock for proactive risk identification, encouraging the shared consciousness needed for a resilient SMS.

Ultimately, growing a safety mindset requires deliberate inclusion and communication. With a workforce of varying experience levels and ethnic backgrounds, simple induction lectures are insufficient. Organisations must create inclusive dialogues, valuing the practical wisdom of experienced staff and actively accommodating cultural diversity through targeted initiatives. This proactive engagement is essential to forge one cohesive team from a varied talent pool, ensuring the entire ecosystem upholds the highest safety standards together.

Civil Aviation Department colleagues and industry experts photo 1

Civil Aviation Department colleagues and industry experts photo 2

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