West Coast
Helicopters Training
& Safety Journal
Volume 1 Issue 1
Spring 2009
Can a Safety Management
System help in our hostile
working environment?
A visits with Bill
Yearwood, Pacific Regional
Manager, Transportation
Safety Board of Canada
operating airframes, he displays an inviting warmth and comfortable demeanor.
On to the question then, “ how can a
safety management system
help in this hostile working
environment? ”
Just so there’s no mistaking,
we
operate our helicopters
by Doug Strachan
over terrain that ranges from
a mix of standing timber and
A visit with Bill Year
It’s 13:00 on a hot Friday
deadheads, to thousands of
wood, Pacific Regional
afternoon and I’m heading
feet of shear rock face and
Manager, TSB….……..1 down “5” road in Richmond
onto long inlets of unforgiving ocean.
scouring the alternating Chinese and EngIndeed, for the unknowing or unthinking
A healthy safety culture...1 lish signs, looking for the TSB office
aviator, it can be an absolute minefield.
building. Then, out of the corner of my
eye, I see it, tucked away inside a small
A look at Stress in the
Bill’s response comes in the form of two
helicopter world………...2 side strip mall looking almost “7-11” like. rhetorical questions of his own, “can you
live with your knowledge” and “can eveIs this the building that houses the inRemembering the Dirty
ryone else live without it.” In a way, he is
vestigative think-tank for aviation acciDozen…………………...4
describing a safety culture which prodents in our region? As soon as I meet
motes exact and constant information and
Bill, I know I am in the right place. For a
knowledge transfer at all levels and
Hazard or Smoke—your
man who spends his waking hours forenamong all people.
call………………………4 sically milling through small bits and
pieces of once
continued page 3
In this issue:
Developing a Healthy Safety Culture
by Kevin O’Neill
I believe a strong safety culture comes from a commitment
made by management to adopt and promote a proactive approach to improving safety policies and practices. This encourages all staff to become a part of the process of improvement; it ensures that all employees feel comfortable about raising safety-related issues.
Threats to a strong safety culture come in the form of pressure exerted by financial
goals, customer attitudes and past experience, economic downturn, apathy and “old
school” methods. So, we must have strategies in place to address all perceived threats
to an effective Safety Management System.
continued page 2
Talking openly with customers about how it used to
be "in the old days", why it was like that, and why it
can no longer be like that, will help to educate them
and change attitudes and expectations. Old habits can
be hard to break. For the operator it can lead to loss of
revenue when the competition may be doing things
"the old way".
Making presentations to our customers will pay off.
Those companies/customers that operate without a
strong safety culture have traditionally had poor
safety track records. Many have not survived due to
poor safety practices, and many others have been
forced to change or lose their business.
By regularly reviewing potential safety traps, and by
forward-looking brainstorming to identify potential
safety threats, West Coast Helicopters management is
reacting to its environment and reducing risk. By encouraging and monitoring regular staff safety meetings at all levels, they have set the stage for ongoing
improvement.
Safety marketing is now in play. The system is working.
Thanks for your insightful contribution, Kevin
STRESS
To hell with “bad
stress”, let’s talk
about “Eustress”
By Doug Strachan
Stress—the good, the bad
and ugly. At any point during our day we can find ourselves under the influence of
any one or all three of these
stressors.
What is the worst scenario? Arguably, the ugly, “no
stress” scenario. Could rigor mortis have set in at this
point? Possibly, but more times than not ,“no stress” appears in us when an activity or task becomes routine. We
relax and reduce our mental effort. Automatic behavior is
most likely to result in complacency, and we know—
complacency kills!
How to defend against it—remain vigilant, cross check
your performance and correct your errors before they are
significant. No matter how demanding the task at the beginning once we think we have it nailed and start repeating it regularly, there is an opportunity for complacency
(no stress) to set in.
In reality, when we are vigilant, correcting minor errors
and cross checking our own performance we are promoting “Eustress” or good stress. The “Eu” being Greek for
good and boy, didn’t those old Greeks just love to be good.
Eustress is considered an enjoyable, rewarding and healing stress. Eustress is truly in place when we adopt the
idea that our life’s work is an exploration. T.S. Eliot summarized it in the following poem:
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Have a “bee in your bonnet”, a burning issue, a
gripe, or even something good to say. You can say it
right here, right now.
Just email me, [email protected], 100 words or
less and I’ll print it verbatim (obscenities limited to
PG 13)
Page 2
Everyday, no matter how often we have completed the
task in the past, by approaching it with the thought of exploring, we are promoting positive stress (and...no drugs
needed). For example our daily inspections. We walk
around the helicopter today looking at the same items we
looked at yesterday on the same machine. How can we
look with an eye for exploration and discovery. How can
we see new things today that we didn’t see yesterday?
continued page 3
Visit with Bill Yearwood continued:
Eustress continued:
He goes on to identify that often the rudimentary aspects of
safety are lost in a fog of “safety secrets.” Some companies
will keep safety a secret to maintain a competitive edge in
business. Some individuals will keep safety a secret in the
false hope of rising above others inside the company and
some will keep safety a secret to find humour in others’ misfortunes. But this adage of Mr. Year wood's still holds true, “if
someone has made a mistake in the past...you can make it
too!” Whether we have 200 hours or 20,000 hours without a
strong safety culture dedicated to communication and information transfer we are totally at risk.
Two areas where positive stress is strongest is in
preparing for athletic competition and preparing for
an exam. So, can we not treat our day to day tasks as
a competition or an exam. Can we not look to competing within ourselves to ensure we are vigilant.
Can we not treat every task as an exam. If during the
D/I we discover an item worn or a nut backed off we
have passed, (passed with flying colours!). If we
missed it, well the ramifications may be catastrophic.
If some stress is good, can more be better? Possibly,
th
st ings
re
ss g et
fu ti
t im
l? ng
ef
al
or
it t
SM
le
St
o
ki
ck
in
Well then, it does beg the question, “how strong do we stand
but there is a point where too much stress goes well
at West Coast Helicopters?” Sure, we have a young and develpast the optimum point of arousal verses performoping safety culture but the clock is ticking. On the pilot side
ance and takes us down a path of distress. Too much
of the house, we are now running on the 50-50 rule. 50% of
stress narrows our focus
our pilots are over 50
and we fixate on problem
years old. Although
to the exclusion of all
Junior Pilot
the demographics on
other issues.
the engineering side
The Partners
are better, geographiIn a complex task, high
cally most of our junCASO
levels of arousal will narior engineers and
row our span of attention
apprentices support
and make us fixate on
our busiest base both
smaller areas of attention.
locally and remotely.
Transport
Inspector
When in distress we may
As a company, we
not be able to concentrate,
are under the gun to
our judgment becomes
move our precious
impaired and we make
cargo of knowledge
rash decisions. Basically,
from our more senior
we lose perspective.
to our junior
members.
Courtesy Transport Safety Board
Bill continues on to identify that many of the accidents could
be prevented by simply remaining sharp. And to remain
sharp we have to “be alert, recognize hazards and be prepared to adapt to ever changing environments and working
situations.” We must look at every job as if it is brand new. A
job successfully completed on day one can easily be at risk on
day two. Complacence is a killer; unproven norms can be a
disaster.
I check my watch and wow, times up, I have to catch a ferry
at three o’clock on this hot, bustling Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, I scheduled only one hour to visit a man I could easily have spent days with. Bill Yearwood's dedication to understanding how and why an accident happens is professional to
the smallest detail; his ability to allow you into this world, if
but for a moment, is admirable. So, when he raises these two
pertinent points, “can you live with your knowledge” and
“can everyone else live without your knowledge”, please
think long on them, for they are at the very heart of a strong
safety culture.
Page 3
Symptoms of Overstress:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Anxiety and apprehension, depression, gloom
and mood swings
Detachment from the situation
Failure to perceive time
Fixation of attention
Personality changes
Desire for isolation
Reduced cognitive ability
Unsafe cavalier attitude
Anger
Managing Our Bad Stress—Manage Our Change
All the symptoms above have one thing in common—change. If we can manage change, we can
manage stress. Overstress can develop through not
being able to adapt, frustration, overload and exposure to noise and vibration. But how do we cope?
continued page 4
The Back Page
Hazard or just “CASO” blowing smoke out his backside? ... YOU Call IT!
Out of date operating manuals…...…………………………………………….Hazard/Smoke
Tightening a nut and answering the phone at the same time…....……… Hazard/Smoke
Unauthorized personnel on the ramp….…………………………………….. Hazard/Smoke
Seatbelts not attached to anchor points…………………………………......Hazard/Smoke
Unserviceable manual release on longline…………………………………..Hazard/Smoke
Rags found on Transmission Deck during D/I……………………………….Hazard/Smoke
Loose “B” nut on the B206……………………………………………………… Hazard/Smoke
Planned sortie to return to base after sunset………………………………. Hazard/Smoke
Uninitiated opening of sliding doors in flight……………………………….. Hazard/Smoke
CASO accidentally pours hot chipotle over his baked bean lunch……...Hazard/Smoke
If you answered “Hazard” to all the above you are well underway to good hazard
identification and reporting
Eustress continued,
Attitude—It is more our attitude toward stress that affects
us than our actual situation. We must develop an attitude
toward accepting and preparing for change. Those of us
with a “S” component to our personality will have some
work to do.
Action Coping—take positive action to cope with the source,
including removing ourselves (not always possible). Addressing the situation or altering the situation to reduce
demands.
Remembering
The Dirty Dozen
T. R. A. A. C. K.
T = Lack of training
C = Complacence
R = Lack of resources
D = Distractions
A = Lack of Assertiveness
N = Unacceptable
Norms
Cognitive Coping—we can reduce the perceived demand by
A = Lack of Awareness
consulting with a co-worker or friend. It is critical to ensure
we do not deny that the stressor is real.
C = Lack of Communication
Exercise—simple physical exercise will use up the chemicals
which get placed in your bloodstream as stress builds up.
K = Lack of Knowledge
Diet—we cope better by reducing sugar, caffeine and salt in Why remember the DDs?
our diets. Critical vitamins are depleted with excess sugar,
Because without knowing the
caffeine acts on our bodies the same as stress and salt reDirty Dozen you’ll never
tains water in our systems leading to higher blood pressure.
recognize them!
Copyright:
West Coast Helicopters
Port McNeill Municipal Airport
PO Box 1030, Port McNeill, BC,
V0N2R0
250-956-2244
Page 4
C.D.N.
F.A.S.P.
F = Fatigue
S = Stress
P= Pressure
Any reproduction of this journal, in
whole or in part, without the expressed written consent of the Company Aviation Safety Officer for
West Coast Helicopters is
strictly ...OK just call me, please.