The following is a summery of the
Dispatch ASAP information sharing meeting held in
~Natha Robertson – nathaj@hotmail.com – 303-655-1998
Starting an ASAP
ASAP set up time
The average time to set up an ASAP is 6 months, and requires much more than filing for an MOU with the FAA. Before the program begins, you must have report forms, a confidential method of filing reports, training and reference material for your dispatch group, and a program manager or method of handling reports. It was recommended we contact those who have programs for support and guidance during the process.
Understanding ASAP –
your report improves safety
It takes a lot of trust in the program to report to the Company and the FAA when safety has been compromised. The important thing to remind the dispatchers of is the reason for ASAP: to improve safety. When the group understands that their ASAP reports generate procedural changes to improve safety, it becomes easier to support the program. All accepted reports go through the complete process, including feedback to the person who filed the report, so they are aware of the changes their report generates.
Almost all dispatch
ASAP reports are sole source
Sole-source reports are accepted under ASAP if there is no evidence of illegal activity or intentional disregard for the regulations. While filing an ASAP report is NOT a “get out of jail free card”, an accepted sole source report is not used by the FAA for certificate action.
Your boss on the ERC
– all about trust and confidentiality
Is it okay for a dispatch Manager, or someone else who would be involved in dispatcher disciplinary action, to be an ERC representative? It all comes down to trust and confidentiality. If the Manager can be objective and the dispatchers trust him/her with the issue of confidentiality, then it works well. Many of the groups include a member of dispatch management on the ERC.
Making the Most of ASAP
De-identify to all
ERC or just FAA?
Some groups de-identify their reports as they pass through the program manager, so no one on the ERC has any identifying information. Others de-identify the information only for the FAA representative on the ERC, while the other representatives receive the full report, allowing them to conduct their own investigations separately. Some feel the ability for the ERC representatives (excluding the FAA) to do independent investigations is important to really get to the core of the issue.
Internal info share
with pilots and mx
Some airlines have internal information sharing with the other employee groups that have their own ASAP, like pilots and mechanics. These meetings are held monthly or quarterly, and help to solve overlapping problems.
Voluntary disclosure
vs. ASAP
Voluntary disclosure in an option the Company has to handle occurrences that would otherwise result in an FAA fine. The voluntary disclosure program is separate from ASAP, and used at the discretion of the Company. The ASAP Manager usually alerts the Company when there may be a fine involved, but the Company doesn’t use the ASAP report to get their information. The Company does a separate investigation to decide if they want to voluntarily disclose to the FAA.
Irregularity report vs.
ASAP
ASAP is an aviation safety reporting system to identify and correct safety issues. In many cases, the ASAP becomes over burdened with non-safety issues, that provide useful information, but do not fall under safety. It was recommended that we have a separate reporting program for non-safety issues, like an irregularity report. When you train your group on ASAP be sure to identify the difference between the reports.
Common Issues
Communication – MELs,
release amendments
Lack of communication is root of the most common issues. All of us seem to have problems keeping the lines of communication open between the dispatcher, the pilot, and maintenance. It was suggested we include Maintenance Control in CRM/DRM training. It may also add to the confusion when the pilot thinks he has “contacted dispatch” by speaking to anyone in the SOC area.
Workload – dispatch
used as a “catch all”
As
communication fails, it usually becomes a “dispatch duty” to take care of all
the loose ends, resulting in higher workloads and eventually missed duties.
Everyone is trying to do more with less, and the workload can result in problems.
Workload does account for some of the ASAP reports filed.