Developing a safety culture measurement instrument for European Air Traffic Control Kathryn Mearns, Barry Kirwan, Jeanette Winter, Tom Reader & Rachael Gordon

Background ATC is a very ‘safe’ industry but is undergoing major changes to accommodate increasing air traffic volume –ATC now required to implement SMS –Successful SMS depends on a positive safety culture (Kirwan, 1998) SMS embodies espoused values regarding management and mitigation of risk Safety Culture is the enactment of those values

What is Safety Culture? Complex & multi-faceted construct Embodies attitudes, beliefs, values, competencies, patterns of behaviour regarding risk and efficacy of safety measures Is it possible to develop a culture free instrument for ATCCs from across Europe (North, South, East & West)?

Development Stages Understanding Safety Culture Developing a Safety Culture Measurement Tool 2005: Literature Review, interviews, validation check & Survey of 4 ANSPs 2006: Tool Development & Safety Managers Workshops Safety Culture Enhancement Safety Culture Enhancement : 30+ ANSPs to be surveyed : Tool Deployed at 8 ANSPs, CFA applied to data

Main Themes Identified SAFETY CULTURE Commitment Involvement Responsibility Communications & Trust Learning & Reporting Teaming

Model to be tested

Items fitting across 4 countries 1. Appropriate responses are made after an incident to address the reasons why the incident occurred. Reporting/ Learning 26. There are so many changes that it is hard to keep track of the current situation. Communication Of Change 29. My manager speaks about safety but does not take action. Involvement 30. I trust the confidentiality of the reporting and investigation process. Trust 42. Procedures accurately describe the way in which I do my job. Communication of Change 58. People understand the need to report incidents in order to identify trends and make changes to the system if required. Reporting/Learning

Items fitting across 3 countries 1. Appropriate responses are made after an incident to address the reasons why the incident occurred. Reporting/ Learning 8. Controllers provide information about systems to maintenance personnel to keep the systems working properly (and vice versa). Teaming 9. We are consulted about changes to the system and our opinions and input into areas such as safety assessments is actively sought after. Involvement 17. People are willing to report incidents because they know they will be treated in a just and fair manner. Reporting/Learning 20. Sometimes I have to bend the rules to cope with the workload. Commitment 24. Information about changes to procedures or the system is easily accessible. Communication Of Change 29. My manager speaks about safety but does not take action. Involvement 35. I know what the future plans are for development of the system or the service. Communication of Change 40. Everyone shares the responsibility for safety in this organization. Commitment/Responsibility 41. I trust the systems that I need to use in my job. Trust 42. Procedures accurately describe the way in which I do my job. Communication of Change 44. Team meetings are used to communicate concerns and collect ideas for improvements. Reporting/Learning 46. Controllers get sufficient training, prior to major changes being made, for example in the simulator. Teaming 48. People avoid getting involved in safety because their opinions are ignored. Teaming 52. Lessons learned from incidents are published in a newsletter or a similar document. Trust 58. People understand the need to report incidents in order to identify trends and make changes to the system if required. Reporting/Learning

Best Model Fit – ANSP B

Future Work Further refinement of questionnaire –Seems to have face and content validity but not good discriminant validity Retention of ‘ambiguous’ statements, e.g. ‘Everyone knows about an accident that is just waiting to happen’?