A LAYERED APPROACH TO SAFETY

Every day as thousands take to the skies, Transport Canada's civil aviation specialists are working to keep aviation safe and help bring travellers safely to their destinations. Transport Canada's comprehensive civil aviation program is made up of several complementary layers. Each layer provides an additional level of protection to the Canadian public. These layers are certification, training and licensing, monitoring, enforcement, awareness and promotion, and partnerships.

Through its role as a regulator, Transport Canada establishes and implements rules, regulations, standards and policies. This work is not done alone – much of it is done through the Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council, which was established to improve the approach to consultation and our regulatory system. The council includes operators and manufacturers, professional associations, and smaller groups and individuals. Their objective is to assess and recommend potential regulatory changes.

Oversight activities include issuing certificates, licences, registrations and permits; monitoring compliance with rules through audits, inspections and surveillance; and taking enforcement action when rules are broken.

Certification
Certification provides the first layer of protection for the flying public. All aircraft are designed to meet precise specifications and engineering standards. Staff review all individual components of each new aircraft type to make sure they are airworthy. Certification establishes the aircraft's capability and determines how it can be operated in Canada. More…

Training and Licensing
Trained and skilled flight crews are the hallmark of Canada's aviation industry. Their expertise provides an enhanced layer of safety for Canadians, making training and licensing a supporting layer. Ongoing training maintains the expertise of flight crews to properly fly an aircraft and allows pilots to fully understand their aircraft to operate them safely. Transport Canada specialists establish standards and requirements to make sure that all flight crew, including flight engineers and flight attendants, as well as air traffic controllers, meet or exceed Canadian and international standards. More…

Monitoring
Building on the previous layers, monitoring enables Transport Canada to help verify that operators are following all the rules and regulations concerning safe operations. Monitoring encompasses many things from equipment checks to the verification of personnel qualifications. This is done through detailed inspections, both announced and unannounced, combined with special purpose assessments that build on scheduled assessments. More…

Enforcement
Transport Canada's civil aviation enforcement program makes carriers more accountable to Canadians. When a company doesn't meet requirements, Transport Canada takes enforcement action. Through its enforcement activities, Transport Canada helps to maintain the safe and efficient operation of aviation activity in Canada and protects the public from unsafe aviation practices and harmful situations. Enforcement actions can take many forms, including speaking to the company, imposing penalties, posting enforcement information on the corporate offenders' website and, in some cases, suspending a carrier's air operator certificate. More…

Awareness and Promotion
Communicating aviation safety is another key aspect of the civil aviation program. The goal is to educate and increase awareness of safety issues. Awareness and promotion are the links that allow lessons learned to be shared within Canada's aviation community. Transport Canada communicates widely through conferences, newsletters, targeted safety advisories and stakeholder communications. All of these activities are meant to build awareness and help carriers to continue to operate safely. More…

Partnerships
Safety is a shared responsibility, which is why maintaining partnerships is crucial. Through these partnerships, Transport Canada develops new rules and regulations, requirements, standards and safety management systems. Everyone plays a role in safety, from passengers paying attention to pre-flight safety instructions, to maintenance workers carrying out aircraft repairs properly, to pilots conducting safety checks before take-off. All these partners play an important role in safety that is guided by standards, safety management systems and best practices. More…

Certification:
Certification provides the first layer of protection for the flying public. All aircraft are designed to meet precise specifications and engineering standards. Civil aviation staff review all individual components to make sure they are airworthy. Certification establishes the aircraft's capability and determines how it can be operated in Canada.

An air operator certificate is required for any company wishing to provide commercial air operation services in Canada. As part of the certification process, the applicant must demonstrate that it has developed an operational and organizational structure in accordance with Transport Canada regulations. Transport Canada approval is also required for key managerial personnel nominated by the company including the director of flight operations, chief pilot and flight attendant manager. Transport Canada must also approve the applicant's proposed operations manual, standard operating procedures, minimum equipment lists, and other required documents.

Certification means that every aircraft, every operator, every air navigation service provider, and every airport, has gone through rigorous examinations to confirm that they can meet Transport Canada's requirements before becoming an integral part of the air transportation system in Canada. Transport Canada's certification specialists diligently pursue the safety regulatory process that achieves all requirements for certification of aircraft, operations, air traffic control and navigation systems, and airports. Part of Transport Canada's role includes developing regulations to harmonize design standards and reviewing modifications to aircraft.

Our safety responsibilities begin on the ground. From the large metropolitan airport with several runways, taxiways and sophisticated lighting systems, to the single strip community airfield, safety specialists develop rules, standards and procedures for all aspects of airside safety. They are also responsible for assessing the capabilities of airports and aerodromes in Canada before certifying them for operation. This includes determining land use and zoning, as well as evaluating noise and its impact on wildlife and residential communities.

Our specialists in maintenance, manufacturing and aircraft certification work closely with industry to develop and apply the design and production standards for all aircraft and aeronautical products produced in Canada. Aircraft certification specialists guide the aviation community in highly technical fields such as aircraft design, structures, avionics, electrical and mechanical systems, power plants, equipment and engineering flight tests.

Aircraft type certification is the process of verifying that an aircraft is in compliance with all applicable design standards and safety regulations. A certificate is issued when the applicant demonstrates that the aircraft type design meets all applicable standards; that no feature or characteristic makes the aircraft unsafe; and that required flight tests have been conducted against these standards.

With the second largest fleet of civil aircraft in the western world — just over 29,000 aircraft — Canada's maintenance and manufacturing specialists develop the maintenance and airworthiness standards for all Canadian-registered aircraft, and certify maintenance organizations, programs and personnel. Commercial and business aviation specialists carry out the certification of air operators.

To assist the safe and efficient movement of aircraft, there are airways, air routes, and various control zones and areas, collectively known as airspace, as well as the navigation system to support the use of airspace. Air navigation and airspace specialists develop the rules governing the use of Canada's airspace and apply these rules to certify air navigation service providers for the safe provision of all air navigation services in Canada. The main service provider is NAV CANADA.

Training and Licensing: 
Trained and skilled flight crews are the hallmark of Canada's aviation industry. Their expertise provides an enhanced layer of safety for Canadians, making training and licensing a supporting layer. Ongoing training maintains the expertise of flight crews to properly fly an aircraft, and allows pilots to fully understand their aircraft so they can operate them safely. Transport Canada specialists establish standards and requirements to make sure that all flight crew, including flight engineers and flight attendants, as well as air traffic controllers, meet or exceed Canadian and international standards.

With over 75,000 licensed aviators, Canada has the second largest licensed aviator population in the world, which makes the training and licensing of aviation professionals critical. Transport Canada sets the standards for aviation personnel, such as pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, and aircraft maintenance engineers in Canada. The initial learning process during training is important in building proper decision-making skills and the associated proficiencies.

Transport Canada issues permits and licences to airplane, helicopter, ultra-light, gyroplane, glider and balloon pilots, in addition to air traffic controllers and flight engineers. Our specialists also validate foreign pilots' licenses, administer written examinations to flight crews and certify flight training schools.

The training schools and programs, which introduce new aviators to Canada's aviation system, for example, pilots, mechanics and engineers, are monitored and certified by our flight-training specialists. Examination specialists set and administer examinations taken each year by flight crews. Licensing specialists test pilots' flying skills and issue licences.

Fit and healthy pilots and air traffic controllers are crucial to aviation safety. Transport Canada's medical specialists set the medical standards for aviation personnel, working closely with our licensing specialists. Minimum medical fitness requirements for the various types of licence are broadly defined by international agreement through the International Civil Aviation Organization. Canadian medical requirements honour this agreement, and procedures and standards reflect international standards and recommended practices. Civil aviation medical examiners carry out regular health examinations and make recommendations related to the medical certification of aviators.

Monitoring:
Building on previous layers, monitoring enables Transport Canada to verify that operators are following all the rules and regulations concerning safe operations. Monitoring encompasses many things, from equipment checks, to the verification of personnel qualifications. This is done through detailed inspections, both announced and unannounced, combined with special purpose assessments that build on scheduled assessments.

Transport Canada uses a comprehensive program of audits, normally conducted on a cycle ranging from six to 36 months, and inspections, which are conducted more frequently. The audit cycle and inspection schedules can be extended or shortened depending on a number of risk indicators, including the strength of a company's internal audit program, its regulatory record, and its history of compliance with previous regulatory findings.

Transport Canada has a large and well-qualified team of inspectors who certify, license, inspect and audit the operations of Canadian air carriers, aircraft manufacturers, airport operators and air navigation service providers.

When monitoring, inspecting and auditing, inspectors from every aviation discipline oversee the system to confirm that all required national and international standards are being met. Their inspections and audits are part of a broad-based regulatory program that includes in-depth review and on-the-spot checks of equipment, systems, operations, documents and personnel qualifications of aviation companies and organizations.

For example, whether it be on the ground or in the air, cabin safety specialists monitor cabin safety practices. They conduct pre-flight and in-flight inspections as well as auditing cabin safety training programs, including emergency procedures. This monitoring program also includes, for example, incognito cabin inspections to ensure that safety briefings by cabin crew meet regulatory standards, that flight crews are following the proper procedures, and that required safety equipment is in place.

Dangerous goods specialists monitor the safe handling of dangerous goods by the aviation community, against detailed regulations and standards for the labeling, packaging, and transportation of dangerous goods.

Civil aviation occupational health and safety specialists monitor the working conditions on board aircraft for air operator employees. They investigate potentially unsafe working conditions and issue preventive and corrective directions for a safe and healthy work environment.

While the department retains the ultimate responsibility for the regulatory oversight of safety, Transport Canada operates a program for delegating authority, where appropriate, to responsible 
aviation industry personnel and organizations charged with specific roles. This delegation of authority is based on the commitment by the aviation community to share responsibility for safety. Delegation has a direct and positive impact by using existing personnel more effectively and 
efficiently – building a bigger team to get the work done and finding the most cost-effective way to achieve the required safety performance.

Enforcement:
Transport Canada's civil aviation enforcement program makes carriers more accountable to Canadians. When a company doesn't meet requirements, Transport Canada takes enforcement action. Through its enforcement activities, Transport Canada helps to maintain the safe and efficient operation of aviation activity in Canada and protects the public from unsafe aviation practices and harmful situations. Enforcement actions can take many forms, including speaking to the company, imposing penalties, posting enforcement information on the Transport Canada corporate offenders' website and, in some cases, suspending a carrier's air operator certificate.

Aviation enforcement has a unique and important role in the civil aviation program. Identification of areas of regulatory non-compliance that could compromise safety is the fifth layer of safety. Enforcement also promotes the goal of improved aviation safety by encouraging voluntary compliance with aviation regulations in Canada, and in the international airspace under Canadian jurisdiction, through the enforcement of Canada's aeronautics legislation.

Enforcement officials investigate alleged violations of the Canadian Aviation Regulations and can order immediate corrective action or take appropriate punitive actions when necessary. These can range from specific fines to the suspension of a company's operating certificate.

In the spirit of Transport Canada's commitment to open communications, and to allow corporate offenders to be treated in a consistent and equitable manner, their names are published on Transport Canada's website only when they have been charged with an infraction. A summary of the offence and resulting sanctions are also posted on the website. When charges are laid against an employee of a corporation, personal information about the employee will not be published.

Awareness and Promotion:
Communicating aviation safety is another key aspect of the civil aviation program. The goal is to educate and increase awareness of safety issues. Awareness and promotion are the links that allow lessons learned to be shared within Canada's aviation community. Transport Canada communicates widely through conferences, newsletters, targeted safety advisories and stakeholder communications. All of these activities are meant to build awareness and help carriers to continue to operate safely.

Transport Canada promotes safety awareness by communicating directly with all members of the aviation community to relay immediate safety information, and by initiating educational and promotional campaigns to encourage safe practices by aviation professionals in Canada.

One example is the implementation of safety management systems in aviation organizations, which started with the education of the aviation industry. An awareness campaign was developed and sessions were delivered across the country between 2001 and 2004 to various segments of the industry to promote the understanding of safety management systems.

Partnerships:
Safety is a shared responsibility, which is why maintaining partnerships is so crucial. Through these partnerships, Transport Canada develops new rules and regulations, requirements, standards and safety management systems. Everyone plays a role in safety, from passengers paying attention to pre-flight safety instructions, to maintenance workers carrying out aircraft repairs properly, to pilots conducting safety checks before take-off. All these partners play an important role in safety that is guided by standards, safety management systems and best practices.

Both on the ground and in the air, safety is a shared responsibility among everyone in the industry, including regulators, operators and manufacturers. Everyone has roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities necessary to actively manage safety within the national air transportation system. Transport Canada emphasizes the consultative approach with the aviation community to help promote a safety culture. Aviation safety depends on ongoing communication and dialogue on safety management issues between stakeholder groups in both industry and government.

Ultimately, understanding and applying the rules is the responsibility of everyone involved in aviation. The main mechanism to support this process is the Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council (CARAC). Created and supported by Transport Canada, CARAC is a joint initiative between government and the aviation community. Its primary goal is to assess and recommend potential changes to Canada's aviation regulations and standards. Members of the aviation community are encouraged to participate in CARAC's numerous regulatory meetings and technical working groups. A large number of non-government organizations — including air operators, aviation labour organizations, manufacturers, industry associations and groups representing the public — are members.

Dialogue between Canadian aviation executives and key decision-makers is key to enhancing aviation safety in Canada. The Canadian Aviation Executives' Safety Network is a recently established forum for this purpose. Transport Canada also maintains professional relationships with a variety of international organizations. The department participates in bilateral and international working groups to harmonize technical and operational standards, to simplify regulations through bilateral agreements, and to develop common safety standards and programs.

The continuing safety of Canada's aviation system depends upon Transport Canada's ongoing coordination and cooperation with a variety of domestic and international organizations concerned with aviation safety. These include the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the European Joint Aviation Authorities and the International Civil Aviation Organization. Together, these organizations set the international guidelines and standards for safe air transportation.

March 2005