SM4 Aviation Safety Elements: Recovery

Recovery is one of the primary goals of your aviation safety system. While your safety program exists to avoid risks and prevent mishaps, you need to have a solid plan for recovering from a safety incident after your initial response is underway. Your organization’s safety culture is strengthened when you create an effective mishap recovery process. It instills employees with the confidence that, together, and by following a clear recovery plan, they can address any issue that arises.

Your recovery plan and process differs from your immediate response to mishaps, because you must be thinking long-term. Effective recovery, in some cases, may take years. It’s crucial to use all of the resources available to you. To get a sense of the scope and issues related to recovery, visit the Resources section here on the SM4 website. Successful recovery requires a cooperative relationship within your organization and with all the available support organizations in your community.

If you are ever called upon to recover from a serious mishap, you may ask yourself, “Will we ever get back to normal?” If you think ahead and utilize the processes of a strong safety system, you will develop a recovery road map. It will increase the confidence of your employees. It will be a reflection of your culture.

Yes, effective recovery is possible.