Erosion of Safety Culture Begins at the Airport Fence

Why Shortcuts in Hiring, Training, and Supervision Put Airport Safety at Risk

🛫 Introduction:

At many airports, safety culture isn’t being damaged by the big incidents—it’s being quietly eroded at the fence line.

Airports often rely on third-party contractors and tenants to support critical operations, from ground handling and fuelling to construction and security. These organizations bring in workers who may be competent in their industries, but have not been trained for the unique risks, rules, and expectations of the airside environment.

When those workers are rushed into roles with insufficient onboarding, inadequate supervision, or an acceptance of "good enough," the erosion begins. One poor decision, one near miss, one missed briefing—multiplied across dozens of workers and companies—can weaken the entire safety foundation.

Let’s be clear: safety practices that are “normal” at a factory, retail store, warehouse, or construction site may be completely unacceptable inside the airport fence. Yet too often, these outside norms seep in unchecked.

🔍 Key Areas to Focus On

You may not employ every person on your airfield—but you are responsible for maintaining a safe airport environment. That means creating and upholding the standards that every company on site must follow.

Here are four essential pillars to protect and elevate your safety culture:

1. Set Expectations in Writing

Ensure that leases, licenses, or operating agreements include clear, enforceable safety obligations. These should reflect your SMS framework and require participation in safety programs, adherence to airside rules, and immediate notification of incidents.

2. Monitor and Enforce

Make safety inspections, audits, and observations a normal part of airport life—for all personnel, not just your own employees. If a company fails to meet the mark, follow through with corrective actions and, if necessary, escalate.

3. Support and Educate

Contractors and tenants need more than criticism. Provide clear onboarding materials, offer joint safety briefings, and host campaigns or toolboxes that bring everyone into the same safety conversation. Let them know they’re part of the culture, not just visitors to it.

4. Build Relationships, Not Silos

Safety can’t live in a silo. Build regular communication channels with your tenants and service providers. Let them know your priorities. Listen to theirs. Use those relationships to create a shared culture of accountability and improvement.

✅ Your Action Checklist

Here’s a quick-start guide to tackling this issue at your airport—starting today.

Immediate Actions (This Week)

• Walk one of your tenant or contractor work sites and talk to a frontline worker

• Review one lease or agreement to confirm it includes safety obligations

• Identify one contractor whose safety practices need review—schedule a meeting

Short-Term (Next 30–60 Days)

• Launch or update a safety onboarding package for tenant and contractor workers

• Conduct a joint safety inspection with a contractor or tenant supervisor

• Review training and supervision practices of any “high-risk” activities (e.g., fuelling, winter ops, ramp access)

Longer-Term (This Quarter and Beyond)

• Establish a recurring contractor safety committee or forum

• Embed contractor safety performance into your SMS reporting and safety objectives

• Implement or expand your use of software like Wombat to track inspections, safety training, and contractor engagement

🛠️ Take the First Step

No airport wants to be reactive when the stakes are this high. If your team is stretched thin, unsure of where to start, or in need of tools to take the next step, that’s where we come in.

Acclivix helps airports create actionable safety strategies—not just for your own team, but for the full spectrum of operators working on your site. From reviewing your current contractor programs to building training frameworks and integrating inspection software like Wombat, we’re here to make safety work at every level.

📩 Let’s start with a conversation.

Helping you keep your site safe and secure is our business.