T-SAP: Open to All
- Details
- Published: March 18, 2015
By Richard Riggs, PASS National T-SAP Representative
As many PASS members know, the FAA and PASS have agreed to implement the Technical Operations Safety Action Program (T-SAP) nationally. What many may not know is that everyone considered to be a “T-SAP eligible submitter” can now enter a T-SAP report, even if that individual has not received the mandatory training. T-SAP eligible employees are Air Traffic Organization (ATO) employees assigned to Technical Operations (AJW) that are either PASS bargaining unit employees, non-management or management employees.
Recently, the first phase of the mandatory T-SAP training to support national deployment was completed. This is a herculean task given the approximately 8,500 T-SAP eligible employees throughout the National Airspace System (NAS), many who have not received the training. Each covered employee will receive the training during future phases of the national deployment and all new-hire employees are currently receiving training on the program during their initial training at the Academy. Remember though, everyone considered to be T-SAP eligible can now enter a T-SAP report whether or not they have received the mandatory training!
T-SAP has demonstrated its effectiveness many times over. The primary purpose of T-SAP is to identify safety events and problems, and to implement corrective measures that reduce the opportunity for safety to be compromised. It fosters a voluntary, cooperative, non-punitive environment for the open reporting of safety concerns by eligible submitters. Through such reporting, the parties will have access to valuable safety information that may not otherwise be obtainable. This information is analyzed in order to develop corrective actions to help solve safety issues that previously may not have been discovered, thereby reducing the likelihood of errors, incidents or other safety-related events.
The Event Review Committee (ERC) is central to the T-SAP concept. The ERC is comprised of one representative from ATO management, one representative from PASS and one Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service (AOV) representative. The ERC reviews and analyzes reports submitted by employees, identifies actual or potential safety problems from the information contained in the reports, and works with the applicable Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR) or Subject Matter Expert (SME) to develop appropriate corrective actions for the issues identified in the T-SAP reports. Any corrective action recommended by the ERC for a report accepted under T-SAP must be completed to the satisfaction of all members of the ERC.
T-SAP has successfully enabled the identification of safety events and problems, along with the implementation of corrective measures that have reduced the opportunity for safety to be compromised. This ability comes directly through employee reporting and the requirement that corrective actions must be completed to the satisfaction of all ERC members.
If you experience an event or situation that poses a safety risk to the NAS, operations, equipment or personnel, T-SAP is an option for you. T-SAP reporting is done electronically. To complete a T-SAP report, one simply needs to navigate to www.t-sap.org and login to the system. If not previously completed, eligible submitters must complete a one-time registration process before logging in. For assistance registering, logging on or other technical support call the T-SAP Hotline at 1-877-360-6961 and use Option 1. Additional information on when to file a T-SAP report can also be found under the resource tab on www.t-sap.org.