Exploring Resilience Engineering Contribution to Risk Analysis in Air Traffic Management

Abstract

This paper investigates how a resilience engineering based safety assessment method, the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM), can contribute to both the traditional risk analysis represented by the EUROCONTROL safety assessment method and to Risk Influence modelling (RIF). While FRAM embodies a systemic view, the traditional risk analysis is based on a causal model. The main finding is that FRAM provides a perspective that provides a deeper understanding of the actual functioning of the system. The scenario is contextualized and accounts for the variability of everyday performance due to financial, technical, human and organizational dynamic interactions. Rather than the indicators related to failures, the example shows how FRAM enables the identification of indicators which support the organization's ability to manage variability related to an everyday successful operation.