Executive Summary

This document presents the results of a 12-month investigation of Event Review Committee (ERC) Best Practices. The identified best practices are listed and described. Strategies to achieve the best practice and factors that airlines should consider when implementing the best practice are also presented.

Background

The Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is a voluntary safety program initiated and sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The objective of this program is to encourage aviation employees to voluntarily report safety data that may help identify actual or potential threats to safety. Airline representatives work collaboratively with the FAA and a third party (typically the labor union) to review reports submitted by employees. Known as the ERC, this committee works to identify causal contributors and to develop corrective action(s) for individuals and recommendation(s) to the airline or other entities to prevent recurrence. Much of the information reported through ASAP would be otherwise unknown and is critical to identifying safety risks.

Purpose

The purpose of this project was to identify best practices that facilitate the success of ASAP. The FAA’s Voluntary Safety Programs Branch (AFS-230) sponsored this project to identify key features that make ASAPs successful.

Approach

Best practices were identified from previous research on ASAP, interviews with ASAP experts, and site visits to a sample of high-performing pilot, dispatcher, maintenance, and flight attendant ERCs as identified by the FAA’s Voluntary Safety Programs Branch. Site visits included observations of ERC meetings and interviews with ERC members.