In the Guidebook for Airport Safety Management Systems aviation safety expert witness Mac McCall, A.A.E, writes:
The International Civil Aviation Organization, recognizing these facts and that “the public’s perception of aviation safety is largely based on the number of aircraft accidents rather than the accident rate,” issued a resolution to “reduce the numbers of accidents and fatalities irrespective of the volumes of air traffic.” The ICAO further provides guidance on how to achieve this resolution, including the recommendation to “develop a civil aviation safety management framework and recommendations for improving safety.”
In recent years a great deal of effort has been devoted to understanding how accidents happen. It is generally accepted that most accidents result from human error. It would be easy to conclude that these human errors indicate carelessness or lack of skills on the job, but such a statement is not accurate. Accident investigators are finding that the human error is only the last link in a chain that leads to an accident. Accidents cannot be prevented by changing people; they can be prevented only when we address the underlying causal factors.
Source:
Applied Research Associates, Inc.
International Safety Research, Inc.
Mac McCall Airport and Aviation Consultants