MELBOURNE, Australia — Flight Safety Foundation is proud to announce the formation of the Australian Aerial Mustering Safety Committee (AMSC).
The inaugural meeting of the AMSC was held in the Foundation’s Melbourne office on 9 May 2016 to establish the mission, terms of reference and first-year objectives.
Five leaders of the commercial aerial mustering sector were asked to join the committee under the chairmanship of Craig Crumblin. The committee is comprised of:
- Craig Crumblin, inaugural chair;
- Richard (Dick) Arnold, Townsville Helicopters;
- Nick Dyer, Heli-Muster;
- Weldon Percy, Fortescue Helicopters; and,
- Shane Brook, Fixed Wing.
David Anderson, managing director of the Foundation’s Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) Program, represents the Foundation in its support and facilitation of the AMSC.
The AMSC works with the commercial mustering community to improve the level of safety performance, perfectly aligning with the goals and initiatives of the Foundation.
Flight Safety Foundation recently released the Aerial Mustering BAR Standard and will work with the AMSC to ensure safer operations in the commercial mustering community.
Crumblin said that the AMSC meeting “identified key safety issues for the sector and explored the opportunities for addressing these issues. One of the big steps forward is the release of the Aerial Mustering BAR Standard.
“This will provide an opportunity to develop a common approach to managing risk and reveal trends that the industry needs to monitor, and put safety protocols in place to manage them. Version 1.0 has been released with the endeavour to get valued feedback from all aspects and operators in the industry.
“The AMSC wants all operators to buy into the standard. Operators are not forced to adopt the BAR Standard, which is designed with input from both operators and end users with the best interest of both parties in mind.”
Feedback on all types of items is critical so the standard can become a “practical tool” for all sides of industry to depend on, both the end users and the operators, and to apply within their operating environment. “Safety is the key issue here,” Crumblin said.
BARS Managing Director David Anderson said, “This latest partnership with the AMSC shows growing support for the BARS Program and increased industry collaboration. This is a great example of the work Flight Safety Foundation does, bringing together stakeholders from adjacent sectors and industries with a common interest in safety of operations, so that we can share expertise and knowledge, and lessons learned, and work together to improve the safety performance of all.”
The AMSC is supported by QBE Insurance as well as BHP Billiton, which utilises aerial mustering operators in support of pastoral station activities. Both companies are members of the BARS Program.
About Flight Safety Foundation
Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation’s mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community. For more information on the BARS Program, please visit www.flightsafetstg.wpenginepowered.com/bars or contact the Australian regional office on +61 1300 557 162.
Contact: David Anderson, +61 1300 557 162; anderson@webdeva.flightsafety.org
