Safety is Flying High at Delta
Mac Armstrong, Delta's executive vice president of operations, said, "Delta's Corporate Safety and Compliance Department has worked hard with all Delta employees to keep safety as everyone's top priority. Over the last several years, the Underwing Partners Team has continually worked toward a more efficient and safe ground handling system to improve customer service. The team has exceeded their goals and today, their commitment to safety, excellence, and innovation is recognized with this prestigious award."
The Flight Safety Foundation-Air BP Ramp Safety Award, established and first awarded in 1996, recognizes outstanding or significant improvements in the ramp safety environment through innovation and implementation of a ramp safety program including methods, practices, or policies. Award criteria include a review of previous awards given and an assessment of specific ways the nominee contributed beyond the normal requirements, impacted the safety of the aviation ramp environment, and contributed to other groups' attainment of higher safety objectives.
In 1996, Delta, along with a select group of its ground-handling, fueling, and food service providers, developed the Underwing Partners Safety Leadership Team (UPSLT). The group developed programs designed to accomplish the following:
- Reduce aircraft ground damage.
- Reduce ramp employee injuries.
- Proactive development and use of new technology on the ramp reduce insurance costs/premiums.
- Increase safety awareness through focused communication.
- Standardize safe work processes.
"The team was originally formed by Delta and six of its largest contractors. Out of the current nine-team members, the original six continue to play an active role in ramp safety developments. The fact that all six founding partners are still involved today is a true testimony to the ongoing benefits realized from the group," said Jim Swartz, Delta's director of corporate safety and compliance and the leader of the UPSLT team.
In three years, UPSLT has inspired several ramp safety initiatives such as adopting behavior-based safety training program for cabin service staff; the adopting ultrasonic technology for ramp use; development of a new design on hitches for tugs, bag carts, and transporters; and the creation of additional work practice guidelines dedicated to a safer and more efficient operation. UPSLT's new programs have reduced the number and rate of aircraft ground damage, year over year, since the team's inception. Ramp injuries, insurance rates, and aircraft repair times have also decreased during the first three years of the group's existence.
"Together, UPSLT team members have developed new safety training programs and raised the level of safety awareness. Heightened ramp safety transfers into a valuable business tool by decreasing the per hour service cost, which translates to increased operational performance," Swartz added.
Flight Safety Foundation is an international membership organization dedicated to the continuous improvement of flight safety. Nonprofit and independent, the foundation was officially launched in 1947 in response to the aviation industry's need for a neutral clearinghouse to disseminate objective safety information and for a credible and knowledgeable body that would identify threats to safety, analyze the problems and recommend practical solutions to them. Since its beginning, the foundation has acted in the public interest to produce positive influence on aviation safety. Today, the foundation provides safety leadership to more than 850 member organizations in more than 140 countries.
Delta, named Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and "Best-Managed Major Airline" for 1999 by Aviation Week & Technology magazine, is the world's most flown carrier. More than 105 million passengers traveled on Delta in 1998. Delta, Delta Express, the Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and Delta's Worldwide Partners operate 5,340 flights each day to 361 cities in 62 countries.