Airport Risk Identification and Prioritization Practices (2019)

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3 The sections that follow outline the background information, objectives, work approach, and organization of the project. Background Airports and their related infrastructure and operations are exposed to a wide range of evolving hazards and associated risks. Airports have varying perceptions of risk and diverse capacities to leverage data to make informed decisions. Currently, risk identification and pri- oritization practices in airport operations range from using FAA safety management systems (SMSs) to enterprise risk management (ERM) programs while using advanced software sys- tems to help identify and prioritize risk, to three-ring binders used to accomplish the same task. Risk reporting, risk matrix charts, and risk assessments appear to be the commonality seen across airports of various sizes that have embraced the concept of risk management. The benefit of using risk management tools is as a catalyst for change and for promoting risk- based decisions. Being able to define and measure risk while speaking to a group of stakeholders assists in clear communication. Furthermore, those concepts that a more experienced airport manager may call “common sense” may be foreign or unfamiliar to a newer employee with less experience. Having standard tools and documented processes creates a repeatable environ- ment that can remain consistent as personnel change. The challenges of having these tools is to make them practicable and scalable; therefore, each airport must have a clear understanding of its system and available resources to determine what tools or processes of risk management are advantageous and feasible for that airport. This requires continuous monitoring and review- ing of an airport’s tools and processes, which can be overwhelming for airport operations that are understaffed or underfunded. Objectives The overall objective of the project is to provide information about the existing tools that airports use for identifying common hazards and the processes used for measuring, monitor- ing, and prioritizing the associated risks. Work Approach The general work approach used in the project is as follows: • A literature review of existing national and international tools in aviation for identifying common hazards found on airports and the processes used for measuring, monitoring, and prioritizing the associated risks. C H A P T E R 1 Introduction and Background

4 Airport Risk Identification and Prioritization Practices • A survey of a selected sample of airports of various sizes, from large hub to nonprimary airports. Many of these airports were airports that took leadership in risk management by participating in the voluntary SMS pilot programs from 2008 through 2012. The interviews held with selected airport authorities highlighted specific existing risk management tools and processes used (featured in the interviews and in Appendix C). Report Organization This subsection reviews the major components of the report, highlighting the contents of each. Chapter 2—Literature Review This chapter provides a brief summary of the findings from a review of national and inter- national literature, reviewing existing tools for identifying common hazards found on airports and the processes used for measuring, monitoring, and prioritizing associated risks. The following topics are covered in this chapter: • A brief history of risk management. • Examples of existing tools for identifying common hazards and other risk management tools available through the FAA and other regulatory agencies. • A brief explanation of ERM that is used by many airports throughout the United States. Chapter 3—Airport Surveys The results of the airport surveys are presented in this chapter. A brief background on the survey approach is provided, and then the quantitative and qualitative results are summa- rized by each question. In this chapter, reference will be made to Appendices A and B, which contain the survey questionnaire and the summary of airport responses, respectively. Chapter 4—Examples of Current Risk Management Practices Using information from the survey results, or input provided by the panel, a representative sample of variously sized airports was further interviewed. The various airport authorities were interviewed by phone for deeper exploration into the questions asked in the survey. Chapter 5—Conclusions and Suggestions for Further Research The report concludes with this chapter, which presents a summary of the overall findings and conclusions of the project. A summary of current gaps and needs identified through the survey is offered to help focus future research efforts. Appendices The following three appendices are included in the synthesis report for the reader’s convenience: • Appendix A—Survey Questionnaire. • Appendix B—Survey Responses and Respondents. • Appendix C—Sample of Risk Management Reference Materials.