The Three Types of Airline Safety
I. Safety Defined.
Safety is the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss (Mirriam-Webster, 2023).
When it comes to driving our own vehicles, roadworthiness and driving behaviors, are our responsibility. However, when traveling on commercial air, we place our trust and confidence on the manufacturer (airworthiness) and on the carrier (safety culture, inspections, and behavior).
II. The Three Components of Airline Safety.
A. The Aircraft.
The aircraft itself broken down into seven sections — fuselage, wings, cockpit, engine, propeller, tail assembly, and landing gear (“Airline parts, 2021).
We expect that the airplane has been tested to withstand environmental factors such as terrain/landing locations, weather conditions, and extreme temperatures that may, over time, negatively affect the integrity of a well-designed airplane.
We trust that the manufacturer designed, built, and tested all aspects of the airplane’s airworthiness, including withstanding temperatures down to -60 degree Centigrade while at altitude, as well as during landing on icy, or wet ground conditions (Jet Finder, 2023).
B. Onboard Safety Equipment.
Safety items onboard the airplane include — escape slides, fire extinguishers, life jackets, life rafts, oxygen bottles, oxygen masks, smoke hoods, squibs/cartridges, and survival kits (Hugen MfA, 2019).
As passengers, we take it for granted that there will be enough safety and protective equipment for every passenger.
But too many safety items inside the aircraft add weight which negatively impacts space for cargo or passengers (profitability and comfort), and may restrict evacuation routes.
C. Human Factors.
Human factors include — Safety Hazard Reporting Culture, Safety Awareness, Safety Communication, Safety Willingness, and Management-Employee Relations (Britton, 2023).
We assume that commercial carriers have “instilled” a safety reporting culture, established the protocols and frameworks to catch issues early, and that it has made “safety” a priority.
On the other hand, as passengers, we follow safety procedures (our end of the bargain), pay attention to the mandatory safety briefings before flight, and expect that unruly passengers to be kicked off the aircraft.
III. Can Airlines Be Too Safe?
Think About Weight.
In light of the recent Alaska Air door plug blowout incident, this seems to be an inappropriate question.
I am not an engineer, so I will no comment on airplane design. However, I feel that there are limits to the amount of safety equipment that may be brought on board.
Piling on too much safety equipment, more than what is necessary, increases weight.
For safety equipment that is brought onboard, there is a thing as “too safe.”
IV. Human Factors and a Safety Culture.
Think About Weight (Again).
The human factors of a “safety culture” do not add weight to the aircraft and therefore, can never be considered “too safe.”
Without adding weight, a safety culture catches design and procedural mistakes early.
Most importantly, a safety culture catches errors early which may prevent most crises from ever happening in the first place.
V. Conclusion.
At the factory, a safety culture ensures that designing, building, and post-production testing meet, and/or exceed, industry standards.
Once at the hand of commercial airlines, a safety culture will improve procedures and processes that catch errors early, and therefore, enhance passenger safety.
Copyright Leonard Casiple 2024. All rights reserved.
About the author:
Leonard Casiple is the founder of Public Value LLC, a multidisciplinary company that provides intellectual capital for the public sector.
Leonard is currently enrolled in Northeastern University’s Doctor of Law and Policy program. He earned his education from California Lutheran University (Master of Public Policy and Administration), ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management (Master of Business Administration in Global Management), Excelsior University (BS in Liberal Arts, Ethnic and Area Studies), US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (Special Forces Engineer Sergeant Course and Psychological Operations Specialist Course), Academy of Competitive Intelligence (Master of Competitive Intelligence™ and Competitive Intelligence Professional CIP-I Certificates), and the Defense Language Institute and Foreign Language Center (Arabic Linguist Certificate).
For more information about the author, see Leo’s LinkedIn Profile
References
Airplane parts. (2021, June 19). Epic Flight Academy. https://epicflightacademy.com/airplane-parts/#:~:text=The%20main%20sections%20of%20an%20airplane%20include%20the%20fuselage%2C%20wings,tail%20assembly%2C%20and%20landing%20gear
Britton, T. (2023, August 8). 5 components of safety culture in aviation SMS — with examples and resources. https://aviationsafetyblog.asms-pro.com/blog/5-components-of-safety-culture-in-aviation-sms
Hugen MfA. (2019, November 1). Hugen MfA aviation safety equipment capabilities overview. https://www.hugenmfa.com/products/overview
Jet Finder. (2023, May 28). Can Planes Fly in Snow. https://www.jetfinder.com/can-planes-fly-in-snow
Mirriam-Webster. (2023, September 16). Definition of safety. Merriam-Webster: America’s Most Trusted Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safety#:~:text=Synonyms%20of%20safety-,1,prevent%20inadvertent%20or%20hazardous%20operation
