Case study: Driving safety culture in small enterprises - an industry-led initiative

Abstract

This paper presents a case study describing an industry-led integrated accreditation programme aimed at improving safety outcomes across an industry. The programme aims to promote an effective safety culture within an integrated programme which covers safety, quality and environmental impacts. Culture has been long recognised as a critical factor in safety. However regulators often have little impact on organisational culture. This paper describes how industry-led initiatives are leading to culture change for small aviation operators working in a series of highly fragmented and dispersed sectors - agriculture, tourism, flight training and emergency services. This paper outlines the key learning to date from establishing and operating the AIRCARE™ programme. The programme is also assessed against the principles and framework of ISO 31000 (Risk Management). © 2013 WIT Press.