To BARS or not to BARS?
Horatio, spot on. BARS is nothing more than a money churning business scheme. Do you need it? Nope. Is it worth the outlay in terms of real safety? Nope. It is simply something that the mining companies have decided is a safe system to have in place and are placing subtle pressure on operators to have in place. Remember one size doesn't fit all, that is a downside to the BARS methodology.
I know of RPT/Charter operators who have succumbed to BARS and introduced it. For them it is unnecessary as they get audited by CASA, have their own internal audit program, are audited almost monthly by external third parties and the list goes on. So do they need BARS, heck no. However those operators who are somewhat how do I put it nicely - ****e, then BARS is a god send.
Behind the scenes the BARS vs Hart Aviation is also interesting viewing entertainment, watching them duke it out for a slice of the audit pie!! Cha Ching $$$$$. At the end of the day the main value in BARS to an operator is to simply tick a box so that you get a mining contract. Is an operator any less safe if they don't use BARS? NO. If you think BARS is the be all and end all in systems safety then it shows you don't have a good grasp on what safety is.
Last edited by Cactusjack; 31st Jul 2013 at 23:21.