A proven way to make the ramp safer
Trained ramp peers watch normal turnarounds, with no jeopardy. The data shows where the safety margins are thin, and what helps the work go well.
Why the ramp
Flight operations have had LOSA and Crew Resource Management for decades. The ramp hasn't had the same tools. In 2025 the industry recorded about 29,000 aircraft ground damage events and nearly 38,000 loading errors (IATA, May 2026).
What it finds
- With problems in freight and baggage, the odds of an irregular load were about 6× higher.
- With badly packed freight at the bay, the odds that the loading supervisor didn't supervise the loading were about 8× higher.
- With missing line markings, the odds of equipment not being staged correctly were about 12× higher.
From the NOMIC reference data: 1,302 observed turnarounds.
How it works
- Agree it with management and the workforce.
- Train 4 or 5 ramp people as observers.
- Observe 75 to 100 normal turnarounds, on a phone: talk, tap, carry on.
- Code and check every observation.
- See the threats, variations and enablers, and how the team manages them.
- Learning Teams decide what to change; measure again next round.
Built on LOSA, made for the turnaround
- Peer observers, joint support, voluntary, de-identified, no jeopardy.
- Threats, variations and undesired states, each managed, mismanaged or unmanaged.
- Also what goes right: the enablers and good practice that keep turnarounds safe.
- Data for your safety management system and audits. Not an SMS; it feeds yours.
Self-service: your own people run it, so it costs a fraction of a consultant-led programme. Get in touch to talk about your operation.
Developed by a team of psychologists and human factors specialists at a major Australian airline, starting with the Ground Operations Safety Audit, then as part of a PhD with UNSW Aviation. NOMIC is the Normal Operations Monitoring International Collaborative.
See the app, a sample dashboard and a sample report: tour · dashboard · report.