The future of aviation safety

Transport Canada Civil Aviation is holding the 16th annual Canadian Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS) on April 19-21, 2004, and will be hosted by the Ontario Regional System Safety in Toronto, Ont.
The theme for CASS 2004, “The Future of Aviation Safety”, calls for nothing less than gazing into the crystal ball to get a flavour of the safety issues the industry and regulatory authorities will face between now and the end of the decade.
Over time, the industry experiences various shocks; events such as 9/11, war, and economic peaks and troughs. Sometimes, these have short-term effects and tactical responses mitigate the risks.
Other times, however, the impacts are more serious and require strategic or systemic changes. Inevitably, the industry will be confronted with these and other such shocks between now and the end of the decade.
Speakers from all facets of the industry and academia are called upon to provide, in plenary, their perspectives and insights into what they think these shocks may be and their effects on safety, and propose ways and means of eliminating them or mitigating their associated risks.

Workshop topics:
Notwithstanding these system shocks and their potential impact on safety in the future, aviation companies can build a degree of resilience against them by developing and implementing Safety Management Systems (SMS).
Therefore, building on the theme, a series of workshops to companies “safety proof” their organizations will also be on offer. Notionally, these workshops will address some of the following safety management topics:
• Safety Leadership
• Safety Planning
• Organizing for safety
• Controls
• Managing Safety Performance
• Continuous Improvement Strategies
• Managing Safety Partners and Suppliers
• Managing Human Resources
• Safety Communication
• Tools
For more information, contact: Bryce Fisher Manager, Safety Promotion and Education, System Safety (AARQB), Civil Aviation Transport Canada, 330 Sparks St., 7th Floor, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0N8. Tel.: 613-998-4627; Fax: 613-991-4280; Email: fisherb@tc.gc.ca