The ATSB Annual Review 2002 documents ATSB's
achievements and safety activities from 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002
and outlines its business planning for 2002-2003
Executive Directors message
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has made significant
progress since it began on 1 July 1999 as an operationally
independent body within the Commonwealth Department of Transport
and Regional Services (DOTARS).
During 2001-02, the ATSB assisted the Minister for Transport and
Regional Services to develop new legislation that would enable the
Bureau to investigate rail accidents on the increasingly important
interstate system. The legislation also updates and harmonises the
Bureaus aviation and marine investigative powers. Introduced into
parliament on 20 June 2002, the Transport Safety Investigation Bill
2002 (TSI Bill) passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan
support on 24 September and is currently before the Senate. The
Bureau is also involved with the drafting of associated Regulations
and proposed memoranda of understanding with key stakeholders.
The Bureau revised its investigator work-level standards and
developed an internal competency-based Diploma in Transport Safety
Investigation, for which national tertiary accreditation has been
granted for five years. The Diploma will help validate that ATSB
investigators have reached a minimum competency standard before
assuming more senior responsibilities.
The federal industry minister asked the ATSB to investigate,
under the Space Activities Act, an accident involving the first
HyShot rocket launch at Woomera. The launch was to test a
University of Queensland scramjet, a world-leading project in the
race for faster passenger transport. The Bureaus investigation of
the October 2001 launch and its final report and recommendations
led to important changes before a reportedly highly successful
second launch.
The ATSB has continued to monitor and report on road safety
progress under the National Road Safety Strategy framework approved
by ministers of the Australian Transport Council (ATC). It has
worked closely with state and territory transport agencies, and
other major stakeholders, through the National Road Safety Strategy
Panel. Toward the end of the financial year, the Bureau, aided by a
panel of distinguished road safety experts, formed a task force to
develop an Action Plan for 2003 and 2004. The national road
fatality rate, which stood at nine deaths per 100 000 population in
calendar year 2001, has plateaued since about 1997 and the new
Action Plan will seek to substantially cut the road toll. ATC
approved the Plan on 8 November 2002.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Senator the Hon. Ron Boswell,
released several ATSB research reports and a number of other road
safety publications throughout the year. Two important studies
concerned speed risks. ATSB research findings on the links between
travel speed and road trauma have been widely cited in policy
papers produced by other agencies (both in Australia and overseas)
and have supported a number of major public education campaigns on
speed. The Bureau also released reports on motorcycle fatalities
and on driveway deaths. ATSB researchers have a special interest in
fatigue issues and are working to improve national injury data as
well as data on heavy-vehicle safety.
The ATSB continued to participate in rail-safety investigations
at the invitation of state governments. Since 1999, the Bureau has
undertaken or taken part in nine investigations. Most of these were
in Victoria, but others have involved WA, NSW, Queensland and SA.
Investigations have brought about important safety changes,
including to operational practices and to legislation. In
cooperation with state rail regulators, the Bureau has also created
a national rail occurrence database with a concise set of key
statistical rail safety indicators for the calendar year 2001.
Ongoing discussions with state rail regulators are directed to
extending the databases coverage of safety occurrences, harmonising
definitions and incorporating pre-2001 data.
In 200102, marine reports released included investigations of
groundings and collisions between ships and fishing vessels.
Recognising the international nature of the shipping industry, the
ATSB has continued to actively support the work of the
International Maritime Organization, where it has addressed topics
such as lifeboat safety and vessel fires, and to provide marine
investigation and safety training. Captain Kit Filor continued as
chair of the Marine Accidents International Investigators Forum
(MAIIF).
The ATSB released 118 final air safety investigation reports in
the past financial year thereby reducing its investigation report
backlog from 125 to 90. Major reports included:
-
the Whyalla Airlines VH-MZK Piper Chieftain accident with eight
fatalities -
the Beech Super King Air 200 VH-SKC ghost flight fatal accident
which followed the incapacitation of the pilot and seven
passengers -
a serious incident involving loss of control during one engine
inoperative training in a Beech 1900D airliner.
The Bureau continued to investigate maintenance problems
involving Ansetts 767 fleet and Class A aircraft, as well as a
fatal accident involving the WA Police AirWing at Newman. It also
helped the Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan investigate a major
Singapore Airlines SQ006 747 fatal accident. The President of
Taiwan acknowledged the Bureaus contribution when he opened the
International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) forum in
October 2002. Aviation outputs also included CAIR reports,
recommendations and safety notices, as well as articles in
magazines such as Flight Safety Australia. The Bureau further
developed its website www.atsb.gov.au and now receives more than
four million hits each year.
When the Secretary reorganised the Department in January 2002,
the Bureaus previous federal Black Spot and vehicle recall
functions transferred to more appropriate divisions within DOTARS.
I thank the staff involved for their contributions to the ATSB. I
particularly wish to acknowledge Adrian Beresford-Wylie, who left
the Bureau for a senior DOTARS position in September 2002. As a
branch head, Adrian made a great contribution to the Bureau and to
Australian road safety. I am pleased to welcome Joe Motha who has
taken on Adrians former role.
I am grateful to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for
Transport and Regional Services, the Hon. John Anderson, to our
Parliamentary Secretary, Senator the Hon. Ron Boswell, and to the
Department Secretary Mr Ken Matthews, for their support throughout
the year. The ATSB is passionate about its role in contributing to
safe transport and on behalf of the ATSBs hardworking staff, I
affirm that the Bureau looks forward to meeting the challenges of
2002-03 and beyond in all four transport modes.
Kym Bills