About OSAP
Submit an OSAP Report
AFA Leads the Way in Aviation Safety Action Programs for Flight Attendants
The purpose of the Onboard Safety Action Program (OSAP) is to improve safety through the prevention of accidents and incidents by encouraging Flight Attendants to voluntarily report safety issues and events that will help everyone involved identify and correct specific problems.
While it may seem completely out of the ordinary to be encouraging our Members to report a violation that would normally invoke a disciplinary response, both the FAA and the airlines provide protection from discipline for reports accepted into the program because of the value of the information to address safety issues. For reports of an apparent violation of Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs), the Flight A ttendant may receive a Letter of Correction or Warning Notice from the FAA, but this does not constitute a finding of a violation. The FAA will hold the correspondence in their files for a period of two years; nothing will be placed in the Flight Attendant’s personnel file. Additionally, United Airlines will not take any punitive action upon the employee based on the good faith reporting of a safety incident.
There are five exclusions to the immunity rules. The reported event must not appear to involve criminal activity, substance abuse, controlled substances, alcohol, or intentional falsification.
This type of non-punitive safety reporting system had long been lobbied for by many pilot unions, and has been very effective in addressing and improving issues that affect the cockpit. United pilots have had a program in place since 2000, and it is now migrating into other divisions in our airline, such as Maintenance, Dispatch and Airport Operations.
Once the OSAP program is set up, an employee observing a safety-related event completes a report form within 48 hours of the event and submits it to the OSAP manager. The manager then removes the employee name from the report and forwards it to an event review committee (ERC) consisting of one representative from each OSAP party, the FAA, UA, and AFA, who will review the de-identified report and will decide together what action, if any, should be taken. The OSAP manager then follows through to ensure the recommended corrective actions are complied with. The manager will serve as the point of contact for inquiries concerning the status of report.
Another benefit that was sought by AFA and adopted by OSAP is that when a Flight Attendant makes a report, it will be forwarded to the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). The ASRS collects, analyzes, and responds to voluntarily submitted aviation safety incident reports in order to lessen the likelihood of aviation accidents. ASRS data is used to:
- Identify deficiencies and discrepancies and industry-wide so that these inconsistencies can be remedied by appropriate authorities.
- Support policy formulation by planning for improvements industry-wide.
- Strengthen the foundation of aviation human factors safety research. This is particularly important since it is generally conceded that over two-thirds of all aviation accidents and incidents have their roots in human performance errors.
Reports submitted to NASA ASRS are only for safety analysis and cannot be used for any other purpose.
The OSAP, along with ASRS, will help promote a safer working environment for all of our Flight Attendants. More information will be forthcoming after the FAA approves the program. Until then, we encourage you to review FAA Advisory Circular AC 120-66B, or talk to one of your ALPA counterparts.
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Benefits to Flight Attendants
Flight Attendants will benefit from the new Onboard Safety Action Program (OSAP) by being able to report violations of safety regulations and Company safety policies without fear of discipline or FAA enforcement action. For example, Flight Attendants concerned with being unable to perform their exit row briefings 5 minutes prior to door closure could report that they were unable to do this because passengers were not seated until the very last minute, without any concern for discipline or fines for failing to comply with a obligatory safety procedure. A Flight Attendant who had to stow trash in the lavatory for landing on a certain flight because there was no room in any acceptable trash stowage locations could submit an OSAP report in order to address the problem without the worry of incurring a fine from the FAA.
While many of our procedures and policies may look good on paper, what actually takes place on the line may differ greatly. Reporting information that affects the safety of our airline is valuable enough to all involved, especially the Company and the FAA, that they are willing to suspend their normal course of action, such as discipline, work history notations, and civil penalties. The hope is that employees who are protected from discipline will be more concerned with reporting and less concerned about incriminating themselves or others. The program has been well received among most airline pilot groups for some time now, and we hope this program, the first for Flight Attendants at a major carrier, will be a success.
If a safety violation is observed by an FAA inspector or a supervisor, a Flight Attendant may still be able to submit an OSAP report, provided they meet certain criteria. In this situation the report must be filed timely, the incident must be inadvertent, no criminal activity, substance abuse or alcohol involvement by a working employee, or intentional falsification of information. The reasons for allowing a report after observation of a violation are many, but primarily, it is human nature not to want to incriminate oneself. A Flight Attendant who may be cited for cracking ice in the galley during taxi could elect to say nothing, or could provide insight on the reasons for doing this. Perhaps reporting that a full dinner service on a route that is almost always turbulent would lead to some service changes; thus avoid pressuring Flight Attendants into violating the regulations by preparing the galley on taxi.
There are many opportunities to improve cabin safety. We would like to eliminate inadvertent slide deployments, and avoid doors being left armed, to name a few. OSAP will offer an opportunity to those Flight Attendants who wish to participate to fully discuss the factors leading to the action, without censure, so that better procedures can be created that will eliminate the possibility of human error in the future.
We encourage those participating in the OSAP program to feel free to provide any and all information that may be useful in improving the current regulations, policies and procedures. By providing a full explanation, problems submitted into the program can be corrected, and other Flight Attendants will not be compelled to repeat the mistake.
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What happens to an OSAP Report
Flight Attendants who are concerned about a safety issue or a potential violation of a regulation or safety policy can take advantage of protective provisions offered with the Onboard Safety Action Program (OSAP). OSAP allows a person the ability to report safety issues to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and United management without fear that their report could be used against them to pursue fines or disciplinary action. Flight Attendants can affect safety changes while taking advantage of these incentives by submitting a report via Skynet, within 24 hours (48 hours internationally) after completion of their ID, or within 24 hours of becoming aware of the possible violation. Alternatively, a report can be filed using the OSAP hotline, via FLTLINE option 7, but the Skynet report must be submitted within 3 days of the call.
After a report is submitted, names, flight number and dates are removed to protect the anonymity of the submitter. De-identified reports can be forwarded to appropriate departments for investigation and response to the event. If another employee is mentioned or involved, they will be given the opportunity to also file a report, either an OSAP, or the appropriate Safety Action Program report for their division. They, too, are afforded the same protections from fines and/or discipline offered to the original reporter if their report is filed within the above time guidelines. This reinforces the program's intent of evaluating systemic issues to improve our safety procedures, eliminating the possibility of human error. The submission of a detailed report will provide the airline the necessary tools to effect change.
The Event Review Committee (ERC), comprised of a company representative, a FAA representative and an AFA representative, evaluates the report or event. If it meets the criteria and is timely, it will be accepted into the program. An untimely report will not be accepted, unless extenuating circumstances exist. If the incident did not occur while performing the duties of a Flight Attendant, the report will be closed, and will not be forwarded or used for any other purpose.
Concise reports should contain enough information to be thoroughly evaluated. For example, if a Flight Attendant is unable to perform the exit-row verification process before door closure, provide any and all information about events leading up to the violation. Was boarding delayed? What was the staffing? Was everyone in the proper boarding position? Were the exit row passengers late? All of this information is essential. The protective provisions enable Flight Attendants to openly report the event. If the report contains insufficient details, the OSAP Manager or the AFA ERC Representative may contact the reporter.
It is important to realize that if a report is not accepted, that report would not be forwarded to other company divisions or to the FAA except in the case of criminal activity, intentional falsification or drug/substance use by a working employee.
The contents of an accepted report will not be used to initiate or support any company disciplinary action, nor will it be used as evidence for any purpose in an FAA enforcement action. If a report does involve a violation of an FAR, the Flight Attendant may receive a letter from the FAA as opposed to a fine. The letter will remain in their FAA file for up to two years. The Flight Attendant may also be assigned corrective action, to ensure required skills are performed to proficiency. The ERC may also utilize AFA Professional Standards, if indicated.
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OSAP Reports Integrated With NASA Reporting System
Not only does your OSAP report help to identify safety concerns at United, it also helps identify safety concerns industry wide. Part of our OSAP program, and something that AFA was a strong proponent of, includes automatic reporting to the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). ASRS is a part of the government’s effort to maintain and improve aviation safety, and functions much like OSAP except it serves the entire aviation industry, and not just one carrier or department. ASRS collects aviation safety incident reports nationwide from aviation employees, and acts on the information these reports contain by identifying industry wide deficiencies, and issues alerting messages to persons in a position to correct them. The database is a public repository, which serves the FAA's and NASA's needs and those of other organizations worldwide that are engaged in research and the promotion of safe flight.
Incident reports are read and analyzed by ASRS's aviation safety analysts. The analyst staff is composed entirely of experienced pilots and air traffic controllers. They have experience with air carriers, military, and general aviation, as well as Air Traffic Control. Each report received by the ASRS is read by a minimum of two analysts, who identify hazards that are discussed in reports and flag that information for action. When hazards are identified, an alerting message is issued to the appropriate FAA office or aviation authority. Analysts' also classify reports and diagnose the causes underlying each reported event. Their observations, and the original de-identified report, are then incorporated into the ASRS's database.
When an OSAP report is submitted, the report is automatically sent electronically to ASRS, where it also reviewed and becomes a part of their database. The identifying strip is then removed and sent to the Flight Attendant reporter. In addition, a copy of the ASRS Callback newsletter, a letter explaining ASRS, and other material are also enclosed in the mailing. No further action is necessary by the Flight Attendant.
OSAP has been running almost a year now, and has been successful at identifying several safety issues at United, providing protections from discipline and FAA enforcement action for all employees involved in inadvertent safety violations. If you have questions about the program, please contact your local safety committee.
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