Towerboss Future Former Controller Houston, Texas

# 1

ATSAP - Air Traffic Safety Action Program

As part of our overall safety goals, ATSAP has established a system for our Controllers and Other Employees to voluntarily identify and report safety and operational concerns. The collected information is reviewed and analyzed to facilitate early detection and improved awareness of operational deficiencies and adverse trends.

The program is non-punitive, and serves as one leg of a good Safety Management System program. ATSAP also helps develop a strong safety culture. The intent is to identify and report all events that may or did lead to a breakdown in safety, or increase risk to our operation. ATSAP reporting must be, and per the MOU, is non-punitive. An employee cannot be decertified nor can any credentialing action take place if an employee reports an event to the ATSAP program.

What is everyone's take on this? Do you think it's a good thing or bad? Do you think they mean it when they say non-punitive or not?

BoomerSooner77 I am rubber, you're glue. Plano, TX

# 2

This was all over the news in Dallas this past fall. Sounds like DFW got in trouble because they didn't want to admit error... and then immediately implemented this there.

I think it's good to hopefully assist in the development of future technology to assist controllers in common errors. Based on the issues with DFW, I think it's good to be able to get the errors recorded so root cause can occur without controllers getting reprimanded.

I would like to know however if these count for errors for the annual performance increases.

Adam Unregistered

# 3

I gotta take the class on Monday...I'll let you know what I think about it...to me...I think controllers in general have too much pride to report themselves when they did something wrong. I think they would rather have it swept under the rug and hope it doesn't get brought up. I'm not sure, since I haven't taken the class, but I think your QA department would have to get involved at some point...especially if the FAA is requesting the tape to review...even though you will not be reprimanded...this would cause the QA team to start and scrutinize another controller, especially if that controller kept reporting on himself...I don't know...I'll give another analysis after I take the course.

FM_Weasel Junior Member

# 4

Pilots have a similar system in place as well, correct?

Adam Unregistered

# 5

Yes...it is called the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) You will hear most people refer to it as a NASA report...I assume the reasoning behind this is that the FAA has elected NASA, a non-bias agency, to collect the reports and file them.

Towerboss Future Former Controller Houston, Texas

# 6

LG I'll be a ZHU taking the class on 2/2/09 too.

Adam Unregistered

# 7

sweet...take the 7 to 11 am class...that is the one I am going to.

Rosstafari Blah blah blah Seattle, Washington

# 8

Will the ATSAP's have neutral oversight like NASA does for the ASRS?

Towerboss Future Former Controller Houston, Texas

# 9

I'm in the 7-11 am class.

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead SW Vegas

# 10

so the FCT i'm at just had the ATSAP packet show up in our R&I. i started reading the pamphlet, but then quit after page 4 of 20. on paper it seems like a pretty good idea. i just think there will eventually be some misuses of the system. controller A will have a vendetta with controller B and turn them in anonymously to ATSAP to try to get them in trouble, when no real OE/OD has even occured. or people that have an error will continue to try to hide it until they get caught, then file an ATSAP. very few people will voluntarily use the system.

i'm all for the program and if it runs the way it supposed to run will be an invaluable tool. i just worry it will be abused.

i can't imagine u guys (LG and Towerboss) having to sit through a 4 hour briefing to go over that packet. get some coffee. it'll be bore-fest 2009