Compliance Reminder: Is Safety Your Priority?

The crash of Continental Express Flight 2574, where missing screws on the horizontal stabilizer led to the disaster, was the most dramatic turning point for "safety culture" in the United States. The probable cause of this accident included "the failure of Continental Express management to establish a corporate culture which encouraged and enforced adherence to approved maintenance and quality assurance procedures." They placed far too much emphasis on getting airplanes to take off on time than correctly following safety procedures. As a result of this and other similar aviation accidents, what we now know as "safety culture" came to the forefront. This movement for air safety continued with the enactment of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century on April 5, 2000, which is also called AIR 21.

Our carriers have said time and again that their number one priority is safety – not profit, airplanes, or routes. They say it is the safety of our passengers and employees that they are concerned with. This is a bold statement, and it has been reemphasized very recently. AMFA has always agreed with that sentiment, and we want to confirm our commitment to safety by connecting the words of our carriers to real action on behalf of the flying public.

Safety is our number one priority, but how do we accomplish this? What can we do as Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) to further safety in our field? First of all we need to be vigilant in thinking about how we are doing things, how others are doing things, and ultimately being safe. We have to be alert and make sure we are aware of our surroundings. Another thing we need to do is be more accountable. What does that mean? When it comes right down to it, we are accountable for our own actions, and everything that we do has a consequence. If you forget to lockout a system, go work on that system, and by doing so cause damage or injury, is it your fault? There are a lot of factors that are in play here, but in the end it could be your fault. Perhaps there are problems with procedures, training, or even the maintenance manual, but the bottom line is you are responsible for your actions. Another point is that we need to be informed by reading safety bulletins, maintenance manuals, and alerts that get posted to ensure the latest information is available to us.

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