Quality and Safety Two Sides of the Same Medal
Course work A Quality Management for Airline Operations (by John Davou), City University London.
Quality and Safety. Two sides of the same medal?
Quality and Safety are two commonly used terms generally in various industries and particularly the aviation industry. For a comprehensive comparison between Quality and Safety, the first step would be to outline the basic dictionary definitions which are most relevant.
Quality is defined as:
The standard of something as measured against other things of similar kinds
The degree of excellence of something
General excellence of standard or level
Safety is defined as:
The quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss
The state of being safe; freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss
A contrivance or device to prevent injury or avert danger
From the definitions above, quality is defined by standards, level and excellence as measured against other things of similar kinds denoting that it could be better (continuing improvement). Safety on the other hand is defined as the 'quality of averting or not causing injury danger or loss', which denotes safety as a resultant of quality therefore quality enhances, ensures and guarantees safety. This indicates that quality and safety by definition have a symbiotic relationship, but could Quality and Safety be seen as two sides of the same medal? The answer to this question from my point of view requires further comparison between Quality and Safety systems currently implemented by most operators globally. My research will be based on and with reference to the EU-OPS Quality System, ISO 9000 (International Organization for Standardization) quality management standards, International Labour Organisation (ILO) SMS Model and ICAO recommendation on SMS (Safety Management System).
The EU-OPS Quality System/ requirements Overview
The compulsory introduction of Quality management in European operations was initially promoted by the
Quality and Safety. Two sides of the same medal?
Quality and Safety are two commonly used terms generally in various industries and particularly the aviation industry. For a comprehensive comparison between Quality and Safety, the first step would be to outline the basic dictionary definitions which are most relevant.
Quality is defined as:
The standard of something as measured against other things of similar kinds
The degree of excellence of something
General excellence of standard or level
Safety is defined as:
The quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss
The state of being safe; freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss
A contrivance or device to prevent injury or avert danger
From the definitions above, quality is defined by standards, level and excellence as measured against other things of similar kinds denoting that it could be better (continuing improvement). Safety on the other hand is defined as the 'quality of averting or not causing injury danger or loss', which denotes safety as a resultant of quality therefore quality enhances, ensures and guarantees safety. This indicates that quality and safety by definition have a symbiotic relationship, but could Quality and Safety be seen as two sides of the same medal? The answer to this question from my point of view requires further comparison between Quality and Safety systems currently implemented by most operators globally. My research will be based on and with reference to the EU-OPS Quality System, ISO 9000 (International Organization for Standardization) quality management standards, International Labour Organisation (ILO) SMS Model and ICAO recommendation on SMS (Safety Management System).
The EU-OPS Quality System/ requirements Overview
The compulsory introduction of Quality management in European operations was initially promoted by the
References: and websites: Mr. G Bouno, Quality Management in Airline Operations, course handbook 01/04/2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_Management_Systems http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/saso/library/media/SASO_Briefing_Managers_Toolkit.pdf SASO Outreach, spring 2009 Transport Canada publication TP 13739 Implementation of the State Safety Programme (SSP) in states (13/11/2008) ICAO STATE LETTER http://www.thecqi.org/Knowledge-Hub/Resources/Factsheets/Integrated-management-systems/ Chartered Quality Institute, Integrated Management Systems 2011 CQI http//dictionary.reference.com Definitions, quality and safety from( dictionary.com) Image EC 155 http://www.atron.ie/pages/eurocopter-sales/ec155b1-dauphin.php Image Beoing 787 http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/media/dreamliner/boeing-787-dreamliner-n787ba-za001-40128.aspx