Line Operations Safety Audits (LOSA)
LOSA is not a compliance audit; it is not a conformance audit—it is much more. The Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) is built upon the notion that the key to safety and improved performance lies in the ongoing monitoring of normal operations and critical reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of current procedures practices. It is about looking inward—gathering data—and reflecting on the facts. LOSA doesn’t show others whether you comply or conform; it shows you.
The Line Operations Safety Audit methodology is an innovative audit process. It enables a truly organisational approach to performance evaluation. Data for the LOSA are collected by trained expert observers who undertake non-jeopardy observations of normal line operations—they sit quietly in the jump seat, and observe and record.
A Line operations safety audit serves to present data as to the actual functioning of the flight operations system and provide information essential for organisational evaluation (Helmreich, 1999). The LOSA methodology provides the tools for the collection of data relating to key aspects of your operational performance which have been shown to be essential to maintain safety in the environment of everyday line operations (ICAO, 2002).
LOSA works, and ASSET’s TCU observers can show you how.
Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) is defined by ten operating characteristics:
1. Jump seat observations during normal operations
2. Confidential, and non-punitive data collection
3. Voluntary crew participation
4. Trusted and trained observers
5. Joint management / union sponsorship
6. Systematic observation instrument
7. Secure data collection repository
8. Data verification roundtables
9. Data-derived targets for enhancement
10. Feedback of results to line pilots
Why choose us as your LOSA auditors
ASSET Aviation is an experienced audit company with a global presence. And like many of our colleagues we can provide you with quality services and we try to keep our prices competitive. But, this is how we are different and how we can add value to your audit, and make your LOSA program work better for you:
- With our global presence, we offer lower fixed price audits reducing the strain on your cash flow
- We use experienced LOSA observers—airline check captains, and PhDs
- We add your observers to our team—we train them and coach them so that you can become self-sufficient
- We provide you with all the necessary checklists and manuals to run the program
- We write a report that you can understand and use to make informed decisions about the future allocations of your training and safety budgets.
We understand your side of the audit process and will work with you to get the job done with minimum disruption to your organisation whilst adding maximum value.
What’s involved?
A LOSA is a formal process that requires expert and highly trained observers to ride the jumpseat during regularly scheduled flights to collect safety-related data on environmental conditions, operational complexities, and flight crew performance. Confidential data collection and non-jeopardy assurance for pilots are fundamental to the process (The University of Texas, 2005). These are the steps to arranging your Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) program:
- Contact ASSET TCU to discuss your LOSA requirements—objective, scope and criteria
- We will talk you through the program design process
- Work with you to establish audit protocols, advise the pilot groups, and manage the program from start to finish
- We train your observers
- Our team and yours conduct the observation flights
- We collect and analyse the data
- We write a report and brief your flight operations and safety teams
You can read more about LOSA theory by reading ICAO’s Doc 9803 AN/761—Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) https://skybrary.aero/sites/default/files/bookshelf/2494.pdf
You can read more about the process of the audit by reading the FAA Advisory Circular AC No: 120-90 http://flightsafety.org/files/AC-20120-9011.pdf
ASSET Aviation provides complete LOSA services to airlines and defence, large and small on all continents. Trust us with your full LOSA program, or book us for those individual aspects of your LOSA where you need technical or academic assistance.
Our services
LOSA Observer Training
ASSET Aviation Institute delivers training and standardisation training of Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) observers. We train your people to perform LOSA observations and accurately report their findings.
We teach your LOSA observers with 2 to 3 days of classroom training. An additional session of review and calibration is recommended following their first few line observations. We teach five key topics in our observer training curriculum:
- LOSA rationale and etiquette
- Company policies and procedures
- Observation form
- Threat and Error Management (TEM) concepts
- Narratives
LOSA Observations
LOSA observers should be carefully selected to ensure the integrity of the LOSA process.
Your trained observers will observe your pilots during normal routine line (non – training) flights.
While we teach your people to perform the tasks of a LOSA observer, we recommend that at least 10% of observations be undertaken by ASSET Aviation Institute observers. This is particularly useful in validation of results and picking up systemic and organisational threats to which airline staff are often “blind” because of their familiarity with your fleet and flight operations.
LOSA Data Quality Checks
Consistency and accuracy of reporting are fundamental to the success of your LOSA. If your observers each report differently, your LOSA results may not be an accurate representation of your actual flight operations.
We will calibrate your LOSA observers like a precision instrument to ensure that data collected are accurate and reliable.
As observers progressively submit their observations, they are monitored for quality, accuracy and consistency with feedback provided when needed. All observations are then submitted to an internal cleaning process to ensure they are correctly coded.
Data Analysis and Final Report
LOSA data will reveal the strengths and vulnerabilities in your airline’s operations. Our data analysis team which includes experienced airline pilots and academics will investigate the prevalence and management of operational events and errors.
Working closely with your specialists to interpret and verify the results, we will help to you to validate any trends identified though the audit, and give your team a sense of ownership of the final report and action plan.
The last stage of your LOSA is the written report: it presents the overall findings of the audit.
Once data are analysed the Institute’s comprehensive report will be presented to your senior management to discuss the report, its conclusions and guide follow up actions.
How to book us?
Prices
Our rate sheet depends on the country where we work, and the scope of the project.
But our approach to business is this: we listen to your needs and carefully determine how to provide a product to you that is useful and needed, and delivered on time and within budget. We won’t try to sell you stuff that you don’t need, but we will speak up if we think you do; we won’t talk about your business with others, and certainly won’t reproduce or publish any of your writing.
We’ll keep your files safe; we’ll respect your customs; we’ll pass savings onto you when we can, and charge a fair fee that is auditable and traceable to a published rate sheet. We believe that if we conduct business this way, we’ll do good in the industry, and also make some money so we can pay our people and our bills and keep a little aside for the future. Please call to discuss our professional LOSA Audit fees.