Building an EASA Compliant Cargo Operations Risk Register as Part of our Safety Management System (SMS)

Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) www.sassofia.com Considers the importance of managing the risks in a systematic and controlled way using a Risk Register as the Fundamental Tool.

Hazard identification is the foundation of the risk management process in an SMS and may be conducted reactively, proactively and even predictably. A Hazard is something with the potential to cause harm, and risk is the potential outcome of a hazard.

What is the difference between a Safety System Hazard Register and a Risk Register?

A hazard register is a source of information from which we can consider the risks, whereas a risk register contains information related to the nature of the risk (clearly a risk register serves a higher purpose).

The Visibility of Hazards

» Visible hazards – Are essentially obvious they can be observed, smelt, heard, tasted or felt.
» Hidden hazards (Sometimes known as latent hazards) are not so easily understood and can relate to either physical hazards such as electricity or non-physical related to poor training, stress etc.

An Effective Risk Register Process can support the following SMS Analysis:

» ‘Reactive’ risk management (incident investigation).
» ‘Proactive’ risk management (Used to identify potential risks).
» ‘Predictive’ risk management (supported by Data to identify the area of exposure).

As part of the development of an EASA compliant SMS related to the Safety Management System will benefit from the development and continuous monitoring of a Risk Register.

A risk register is a crucial part of your approach to managing these risks. It’s a tool to help you identify, assess, and record your risks and the actions you’re taking to eliminate or minimize them.

For each of the following items perform a risk assessment and ask the following 5 questions which help you determine the level of exposure that currently exists in your organisation:

» Is this an issue in our organisation?
» If it is not considered an issue how can I demonstrate it – where is the evidence?
» How can I measure the effectiveness of the current process?
» How effective is documentation/training?
» If there are changes in this element how effective would the system accommodate the changes?

Examples of Cargo Operations hazards which can be risk assessed for your organization:

» Undeclared or improperly prepared dangerous goods
» Freight forwarders unknowingly accepting undeclared dangerous goods from shippers
» Passengers carrying prohibited dangerous goods in baggage
» Related to Portable Electronic Devices Aboard Aircraft
» Containers and Palletized Cargo with Integrated Powered Devices
» Cargo Containers with Self-Contained Temperature Control Systems
» Hazard Associated with Sublimation of Solid Carbon Dioxide (Dry Ice) Aboard Aircraft
» Lithium Batteries
» Carriage of Spare Lithium Batteries in Carry-On and Checked Baggage
» Passenger Baggage
» In-Flight Fires
» Hand Fire Extinguishers for Use in Aircraft
» The Transportation of Portable Electronic Devices (PED) in Checked Baggage
» Mis-Loaded Cargo
» Air Cargo Operations
» Ground Damage to Aircraft through Miss use of Equipment
» Aircraft Weight and Balance Control
» Approval and Acceptance of Manuals and Checklists
» Conduct Ramp Inspection on Cargo Loading
» Containers and Covers

Next Steps

Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com and Sofema Online www.sofemaonline.com provide multiple training courses related to Safety Management System Risk and Hazard Training. For additional details visit our websites or email team@sassofia.com