Since the first Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) audit was conducted in December 2010, some 116 aircraft operators from across the globe have either completed a BARS audit or are about to have one.
A number of developments took place at the end of 2011, as Mincor Resources, Barrick Gold and International SOS joined the program as BARS member organizations.
Our second audit review and technical advisory committee meetings were held in Singapore in November, coinciding with Flight Safety Foundation’s 64th annual International Air Safety Seminar, and were attended by representatives from each of the audit companies.
The audit review meetings are held twice a year to evaluate the conduct and outcome of audits as part of continual program improvement. Discussions covered subjects such as defining and describing the audit scope; development of an initial audit summary; timelines in support of audit preparation; quality control of audit reports; BARS auditor training; and the BARS Quality Assurance program. BARS Technical Manager Graham Rochat delivered a presentation on the BARSoft database development program, the central repository for all related data.
The BARS program office has compiled an action list of improvement items. This list has been circulated to each of the audit companies for confirmation, with work on many of the items under way. The next audit review meeting is scheduled for March 19–20 in Brisbane, Australia, just before the Aviation Logistics for the Resource Sector conference on March 21–22.
In another development, the Foundation’s website was updated to give BARS a prominent and convenient interface for easy access to BARS information. This change aims to offer a more interesting, informative and user-friendly online experience. The added tab on the FSF home page dedicated to the BARS program provides easy access to a more comprehensive overview of the program and its components. The new pages have an easy-to-download document about the BAR Standard, available in multiple languages, as well as a dedicated page on how to join the BARS program. Visitors to the site can download application forms for the latest courses and the BARS newsletter. It has the latest list of BARS member organizations, with direct links to their websites, and a dedicated page and link to each of our registered audit companies.
Finally, our BARSoft database is undergoing a significant revision to improve user access and data retrieval. After testing, it is expected to be released to users soon. As with all new systems, a number of improvements have been identified from comments provided by users during the testing. The resulting changes provide a more intuitive access to the system and simplify access to information relevant to specific user groups.
A computer-based training package has been introduced, is being used for BARS auditor recurrency training and is accessible through BARSoft.