Mind the Gap? Identifying, Managing and Preventing Some Aircraft Crew Occupational Health and Safety/Flight Safety Problems

Abstract

The paper explores a number of obstacles to and key approaches on the recognition and management of occupational health problems, relevant inter-actions and possible multi-causality in the context of aircraft crew health and safety. The dominant approach has all too often been – ‘don’t look, don’t find, where is the problem?’ Control and removal of these problems has failed even where there is a regulatory system that theoretically applies the standard occupational health and safety management hierarchy. Some solutions to address this failure and examples of good practice both within Europe and internationally are then identified and analyzed.