AACM launches confidential aviation reporting system to increase channel for collection of safety information

Collecting aviation safety information from different channels, hence identifying safety threats and giving safety recommendations or warnings is one of the effective ways to prevent an accident or an incident, which is also an objective that the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) aims to achieve in enhancing aviation safety. Since some years ago, AACM started to plan for a voluntary reporting system for safety information and with endeavours, has finally devised the Macao Confidential Aviation Reporting System (MACCARES). The Authority held the first introductory session to the industry today (20 March 2013) to promote the objectives and the operational procedures of the system, as well as urge the operators to further promote the system internally within their organizations and encourage staff to report safety concerns to the Authority.

Presently, apart from the reporting system for accident and serious incident, the operators report occurrences other than accident and serious incident to AACM through the Mandatory Occurrence Reporting System. The MACCARES, which will soon be launched, is a reporting system built on the voluntary, confidential and non-punitive principle. Any person who notices an occurrence or an act of non-compliance relating to aviation safety can complete the reporting form with the necessary information and then send it by post or through email to the Authority. Due to the fact that the MACCARES should be operated with the legal support of Law no. 2/2013 – “Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation and Aviation Safety Information Protection Law”, the system will become operative on the same date as the effective date of the law on 21 May 2013.

Safety information collected by AACM through MACCARES will be analyzed. Statistical reports with de-identified data will be generated, published and shared with the industry so that each entity can learn from experience and make improvement. In the case if a report shows a situation that poses immediate threat to aviation safety, AACM will address a safety alert to the concerned operator at the earliest time.

The Authority points out that each report is handled by one staff member in the accident prevention and investigation group in AACM. When complete information is obtained, the staff member will de-identify the information and record the remaining information in the MACCARES database. To conform with the confidential principle, the email that contains the report will be deleted and the original report that is sent to AACM by post will be returned to the reporter through registered mail. The Authority emphasized that the system works on the confidential and non-punitive principle, in order to encourage the active participation from the operators. AACM will not penalize the operators or any person by using the information collected from this reporting system.

To enhance the promotion of the system to the industry in order that the latter can better understand the objectives and the operational procedures for their future participation, AACM has produced promotional pamphlets (with the reporting form incorporated) and posters in Chinese, Portuguese and English and will launch an online special session for the system in their website. The reporting form will be distributed to the operators and can be picked up in Macau International Airport whereas the electronic copy can be downloaded from the AACM website. In addition, for the purpose of encouraging different levels of industry personnel to report any safety concern to AACM so that the Authority can collect as much safety information as possible, the Authority will organize a number of introductory sessions each aiming at a different category of personnel.

The first introductory session that took place today was done at 10:00 in AACM office, being part of the agenda of the regular Safety Management System Meeting held between AACM and the industry. Attendees from the industry were personnel responsible for safety management in Air Macau Company Ltd., East Asia Airlines Ltd., JetAsia Ltd., Macau Jet International Co. Ltd., the Administration of Airports Ltd. and Menzies Macau Airport Services Ltd. In addition to introducing MACCARES and requesting the operators to help promote the system internally, AACM also made a detailed introduction of the Law no. 2/2013 – “Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation and Aviation Safety Information Protection Law”.

The MACCARES was developed on the basis of the need to comply with the requirements of Annex 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Besides, the audit result of ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme which Macao participated in 2009 indicated a finding that Macao should be equipped with a voluntary incident reporting system in the area of accident investigation. AACM then established an internal accident prevention and investigation ad hoc working group to study into the legislation on accident investigation and the formulation of MACCARES, the process during which the regulations and the practice in other countries such as mainland China, Canada, United States of America, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and so on were taken into reference.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR held the regular Safety Management System Meeting with the industry on 20 March 2013, in which they introduced Law no. 2/2013 – “Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation and Aviation Safety Information Protection Law” and Macao Confidential Aviation Reporting System.