Final Report Summary - ASICBA (Aviation Safety Improvement using Cost Benefit Analysis)
The objective of the 'Aviation safety improvement using cost benefit analysis' (ASICBA) project was to improve aviation safety through the development of a novel safety approach. This approach will allow aviation stakeholders (from EASA, to civil aviation authorities, airlines, airports, air traffic control, and manufacturers) to:
- understand and manage the effective risk reduction when adopting a safety measure;
- prioritise their safety investments when multiple options are potentially feasible;
- increase safety as much as possible within the limiting budgets available;
- justify investments in safety from a cost perspective.
The safety approach consisted of a methodology enabling aviation stakeholders to assess the effects of their technical, managerial and political decisions at safety level, together with the associated costs and benefits. The approach will support decisions such as whether or not to introduce a safety measure, by making priorities for investments in safety, based on the most beneficial outcome. The methodology was implemented in a decision support system (DSS), providing a step-by-step procedure that will support the user throughout the different phases for assessing the cost effectiveness of safety measures. The DSS will incorporate a data pool for the estimation of risk reduction and costs related to the implementation of specific safety measures.
Cost benefit analysis of safety measures is a relatively new concept in the aviation community and decisions on safety related matters are taken without knowing precisely what will be their final effect. This project provided the means for taking decision at different levels (i.e. policy, procedures, and operational level) in order to understand the consequences on safety from both viewpoints: policy makers and regulators on one side and industry on the other. While for policy makers and regulators the objective is safety with affordability as a requirement, for the industry the objective is affordability with safety as a requirement.
The dissemination process has been based on a specific marketing perspective through different channels; the following main activities have been performed:
- presentation of project results at conferences;
- organisation of three dissemination workshops;
- continuous population of the project web site;
- dissemination of project results via the existing network of contacts of the end users.
The results achieved by the project are expected to have a short, a medium and a long-term impact. Two different short-term impacts have been identified.
The first type occurred already during the project duration, and just is related to the dissemination of the novel safety approach within the users of this consortium. In addition, it has improved stakeholder participation and inclusion through dialogue, workshops, reporting and transparent processes. Furthermore it increases international cooperation especially in the field of aviation safety research.
The second type of short-term impact is represented be the validation of the approach allowing cost benefit analysis (CBA) of safety measures. In addition to this, the case studies subjects to which the approach has been applied provided valuable results for the users. While the objective of conducting the case studies is 'testing' the novel safety approach, the fact that the case studies address 'real world' problems, brought up by 'real world' users. The case studies have been carefully selected as to fit in current national and international research activities, such that these research activities can equally benefit from the case study results, and vice versa.
A medium-term impact of the project is believed to be the fulfilment of an urgent but nowadays not very well formalised need of aviation stakeholders to manage in a cost-effective way their internal safety budgets.
DSS is a valuable tool that can support aviation stakeholders in their decision making process of budgets allocation. Moreover, the proposed project will define required research activities and research targets on a European level.
Cost-benefit analysis of safety measures is a relatively new concept, and the practical application of the method to real world test cases will undoubtedly bring up important issues. Most importantly in this respect is also the development of a common data set that is accessible to all potential users of the method. Whereas the availability of such a common data set would provide a tremendous advantage to the European aviation industry, its development and exploitation will require a careful approach, as demonstrated with the development and implementation of the ECCAIRS (European Co-ordination Centre for Aviation Incident Reporting Systems) database.
This research project has primarily focused on the development of a framework for supporting all aviation stakeholders in the elaboration of their own safety management systems. Not only this framework enables CBA of safety measures, but it also provides all aviation stakeholders with effective means to set their own target level of safety and measure the current ones. Furthermore, this framework supports them in the identification of the best ways to move from the current to the desired safety level, and to assess their feasibility.
On a long term, this novel safety approach can be used in other industrial sectors, especially within transports (e.g. railways, maritime) and therefore, it will provide an excellent opportunity for benchmarking and comparing different safety measures. Moreover, it could lead to the optimisation of safety of the transport industry as a whole.
- understand and manage the effective risk reduction when adopting a safety measure;
- prioritise their safety investments when multiple options are potentially feasible;
- increase safety as much as possible within the limiting budgets available;
- justify investments in safety from a cost perspective.
The safety approach consisted of a methodology enabling aviation stakeholders to assess the effects of their technical, managerial and political decisions at safety level, together with the associated costs and benefits. The approach will support decisions such as whether or not to introduce a safety measure, by making priorities for investments in safety, based on the most beneficial outcome. The methodology was implemented in a decision support system (DSS), providing a step-by-step procedure that will support the user throughout the different phases for assessing the cost effectiveness of safety measures. The DSS will incorporate a data pool for the estimation of risk reduction and costs related to the implementation of specific safety measures.
Cost benefit analysis of safety measures is a relatively new concept in the aviation community and decisions on safety related matters are taken without knowing precisely what will be their final effect. This project provided the means for taking decision at different levels (i.e. policy, procedures, and operational level) in order to understand the consequences on safety from both viewpoints: policy makers and regulators on one side and industry on the other. While for policy makers and regulators the objective is safety with affordability as a requirement, for the industry the objective is affordability with safety as a requirement.
The dissemination process has been based on a specific marketing perspective through different channels; the following main activities have been performed:
- presentation of project results at conferences;
- organisation of three dissemination workshops;
- continuous population of the project web site;
- dissemination of project results via the existing network of contacts of the end users.
The results achieved by the project are expected to have a short, a medium and a long-term impact. Two different short-term impacts have been identified.
The first type occurred already during the project duration, and just is related to the dissemination of the novel safety approach within the users of this consortium. In addition, it has improved stakeholder participation and inclusion through dialogue, workshops, reporting and transparent processes. Furthermore it increases international cooperation especially in the field of aviation safety research.
The second type of short-term impact is represented be the validation of the approach allowing cost benefit analysis (CBA) of safety measures. In addition to this, the case studies subjects to which the approach has been applied provided valuable results for the users. While the objective of conducting the case studies is 'testing' the novel safety approach, the fact that the case studies address 'real world' problems, brought up by 'real world' users. The case studies have been carefully selected as to fit in current national and international research activities, such that these research activities can equally benefit from the case study results, and vice versa.
A medium-term impact of the project is believed to be the fulfilment of an urgent but nowadays not very well formalised need of aviation stakeholders to manage in a cost-effective way their internal safety budgets.
DSS is a valuable tool that can support aviation stakeholders in their decision making process of budgets allocation. Moreover, the proposed project will define required research activities and research targets on a European level.
Cost-benefit analysis of safety measures is a relatively new concept, and the practical application of the method to real world test cases will undoubtedly bring up important issues. Most importantly in this respect is also the development of a common data set that is accessible to all potential users of the method. Whereas the availability of such a common data set would provide a tremendous advantage to the European aviation industry, its development and exploitation will require a careful approach, as demonstrated with the development and implementation of the ECCAIRS (European Co-ordination Centre for Aviation Incident Reporting Systems) database.
This research project has primarily focused on the development of a framework for supporting all aviation stakeholders in the elaboration of their own safety management systems. Not only this framework enables CBA of safety measures, but it also provides all aviation stakeholders with effective means to set their own target level of safety and measure the current ones. Furthermore, this framework supports them in the identification of the best ways to move from the current to the desired safety level, and to assess their feasibility.
On a long term, this novel safety approach can be used in other industrial sectors, especially within transports (e.g. railways, maritime) and therefore, it will provide an excellent opportunity for benchmarking and comparing different safety measures. Moreover, it could lead to the optimisation of safety of the transport industry as a whole.
