ATSB occurrence category taxonomy  The ATSB uses an occurrence category taxonomy to efficiently and consistently categorise and code transport safety occurrences. These occurrence categories can be used to search through occurrences in the ATSB’s National Aviation Occurrence Database.  A guiding principle behind the ATSB’s occurrence category taxonomy is that a relatively simple coding scheme greatly increases the quality of the data that is recorded in the occurrence database. The taxonomy follows a data-driven approach in that a particular occurrence category is only included in…

The Public Interest Disclosure (PID) scheme builds on existing policies and procedures to protect public officials (including current and former APS employees, people exercising powers under a Commonwealth law and contracted service providers) who speak up and ‘blow the whistle’ on suspected wrongdoing by public officials. The PID scheme provides a transparent process for agencies and government departments to investigate complaints. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (PID Act) underpins the operation of the scheme. The PID Act aims…

ATSB supplements  January – February Making safe transport even safer Safety Watch Aviation Safety Bulletin Deadline for R44 helicopter fuel tanks Safety Management Systems Sibgle-pilot flight operations must manage pilot fatigue Learning from others REPCON briefs Download ATSB supplement (January–February 2013) [PDF: 2.6MB]   March – April No blame Helicopter pilots warned of risk Fatal aircraft accident at Canley Vale Investigation briefs Thunderstorms add stress REPCON briefs Download ATSB supplement (January–February 2013) [PDF: 3.2MB]

Greg Hood, Chief Commissioner Chief Commissioner's Outlook.wmv   ATSB staff ATSB Investigator Laurah Henwood - Recorder Specialist.wmv ATSB Investigator Heather Fitzpatrick - Human Factors.wmv ATSB Investigator Max Marton - Aviation investigations.wmv   Aviation videos Safety around non-towered aerodromes.wmv Handling approach to land.wmv General avaiation.wmv Under-reporting.wmv ATSB Corporte Video.wmv     Rail videos Rail collision animation.wmv Safe Work on Rail.wmv Under-reporting.wmv Corporate video.wmv     Marine videos Marine Work Practices…

REPCON is a voluntary and confidential reporting scheme. REPCON allows any person who has a rail safety concern to report it to the ATSB confidentially. Protection of the reporter’s identity and any individual referred to in the report is a primary element of the scheme. Personal information will not be disclosed. Only de-identified information will be used for safety action. You may be contacted for additional information. The following matters are not reportable safety concerns and are not guaranteed confidentiality:a) matters relating to a serious and…

The ATSB collects, holds and uses a range of information for the purposes of improving transport safety. The ATSB is a part of Australia's aviation safety system and the information gathered by the ATSB may be provided to other agencies for the specific purpose of maintaining and improving aviation safety. It is an additional legislative function for the ATSB to cooperate with these agencies. Mandatory reporting A principal source of safety information is the mandatory reporting scheme established under the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (TSI Act). The scheme gathers information on…

Since March 2013, the Multicultural Access and Equity Policy requires that all Australian Government departments and agencies under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997, with the exception of the Departments of the Parliament, have an Agency Multicultural Plan in place and available on their websites in mid-2013.  The ATSB Multicultural Plan 2013-2015  [PDF: 532KB]  [DOCX: 37KB]   

The National Aviation Occurrence Database allows you to search for accidents and incidents that have been reported to the ATSB since 1 July 2003. You can search the database using a time period, location, type of occurrence (i.e. what happened), and type of aircraft. We regularly add new reported occurrences to ensure the database is up to date. However, depending on workload and volume of reports it may take some weeks to verify and include new occurrences. How ATSB data is collected? ATSB data is collected through the mandatory occurrence reporting requirements of the Transport Safety…

What is REPCON? REPCON is a voluntary and confidential reporting scheme. REPCON allows any person who has a rail safety concern to report it to the ATSB confidentially. Protection of the reporter’s identity and any individual referred to in the report is a primary element of the scheme. Who may make a REPCON report? Any person may report a reportable safety concern. This would include: (a)  Any person involved in the Rail Industry. An example would be an employee or contractor of a rail transport operator who may have reported a matter under the operator’s SMS but does not believe…

Safety concern Navigation through confined waters under pilotage is a high-pressure situation where errors can easily lead to serious incidents.  What can you do? The clear and open exchange of information between the ship’s master and crew and the pilot is vital, both during the pilotage passage and before it even commences. This helps to ensure that all members of the bridge team have a shared mental model of the pilotage passage and, as a result, a good understanding of how it should proceed.  This pre-passage information exchange should always include:  the courses or…