Good, effective safety departments are essential in an airline.
Unfortunately they are now a means to reach a workable consensus between operational teams and management. That is not an environment that adequately promotes safe operations. A case in point being the management of fatigue in most airline's operations and CASA.
In years gone by an operation would be established with the cost of a safe operation being a necessary part of the budget. Now an acceptable budgeted cost is established and 'safety' must fit within that budget even if that means significant compromises made in the process. Affordable safety……….