FAA’s safety management system earns recognition

The FAA’s implementation of a proactive safety management system earned the agency a prestigious global award this week.

IHS Jane’s, a group of international magazines that covers air traffic control, aviation security and other topics, gave the FAA its ATC Award for Service Provision at a Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) event.

Through its safety management system, the FAA can identify precursors to risk rather than waiting to respond to specific incidents. As a result, agency officials have identified and eliminated minor hazards before they became major safety incidents. The system features various reporting programs that are collecting 10 times more data than the FAA previously gathered.

IHS Jane’s praised the FAA for “implementing the largest voluntary reporting system in the world,” one that focuses on data collection and analysis to identify and mitigate safety risks, and for committing resources to that system. High-ranking officials from international air navigation service providers and industry groups served as judges on the panel that picked the winner from a record number of nominees.