Resource library
Key publications on ramp safety, LOSA, Safety-II and systems safety. Each link goes to the original publisher. Some are free, some are sold by the publisher.
Ground operations safety and standards
- ACRP Synthesis 143: Ramp Safety Practices, UpdateTransportation Research Board, 2026. Current ramp safety practice: training, technology, human factors, communication and performance measures. Free to read.
- ICAO Doc 10121: Manual on Ground HandlingICAO, 2019. Ground handling and safety management for states, airlines, airports and handlers. Sold by ICAO.
- EASA: ground handling regulationEASA. Europe's ground handling rules, including a safety management system for handlers, applicable from 2028.
- IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) and ground operations standardsIATA. The industry's common procedures for the turnaround.
- IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO)IATA. The audit programme for ground handling providers.
- IATA Ground Damage ReportIATA. The cost and causes of aircraft ground damage.
- IATA: stronger standards, modern equipment and digitalisation for ground handlingIATA, May 2026. The latest industry figures: about 29,000 aircraft ground damage events and nearly 38,000 loading errors in 2025. Free.
- CASA: ground handling sector safety risk profileCivil Aviation Safety Authority, Australia. Occurrence types and trends for ground handling in Australia. Free.
- IATA Enhanced GSE Recognition ProgramIATA. Anti-collision and inching equipment to reduce ground damage.
- FAA SAFO 23006: ramp worker safety around aircraft and enginesFAA, 2023. Staying clear of aircraft under tow and running engines. Free.
- Flight Safety Foundation: ground handlingFlight Safety Foundation. Articles and tools on ground safety. Free.
LOSA
- ICAO Doc 9803: Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA)ICAO. The international manual for LOSA, built around Threat and Error Management. Sold by ICAO.
- FAA Advisory Circular 120-90: Line Operations Safety AuditsFAA. The rationale and procedure for running a LOSA. Free.
- Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA): Definition and operating characteristicsKlinect, Murray, Merritt and Helmreich. The ten operating characteristics that define LOSA. Free.
- Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA)SKYbrary. A short introduction with further reading. Free.
Ramp and maintenance LOSA
- FAA: Line Operations Safety Assessments for maintenance and rampFAA. Ramp LOSA and Maintenance LOSA, developed with an airline industry task force: forms, codes and guidance. Free.
- FAA: LOSA publicationsFAA. Papers and reports on LOSA for ramp and maintenance. Free.
- The Line Operations Safety Audit Program: Transitioning from flight operations to maintenance and ramp operationsFAA research report. How LOSA was adapted for maintenance and ramp work. Free.
Safety-II
- From Safety-I to Safety-II: A White PaperHollnagel, Wears and Braithwaite. A short, readable introduction to Safety-II. Free.
- The Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM)Erik Hollnagel. A way to model how everyday work actually happens, and how variability spreads. Free resources.
- Day-to-Day safety surveysSKYbrary. Confidential observation of work as done on the airside, with positive indicators. Free.
- Human and Organisational Performance (HOP)IMCA information note. HOP principles and Learning Teams: learning from the people who do the work before something goes wrong. Free.
Systems safety
- Systems Thinking for Safety: Ten PrinciplesEUROCONTROL, 2014. Ten practical principles, from local rationality and trade-offs to performance variability. Free.
- Engineering a Safer World: Systems Thinking Applied to SafetyNancy Leveson, MIT Press. The STAMP model and STPA hazard analysis. Open access.
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