Safety Statement and Environmental Policy
St Helena Airport Limited (SHAL) is committed to ensuring that it operates safely and with a minimal negative impact upon the environment as far as possible. As such, SHAL has developed a safety statement and an environmental policy which set out its goals for safe operations and prudent environmental management. These can be found below and all staff at the airport commit to supporting them.
Safety Statement
Safety is the prime consideration at all times at St Helena Airport. As the CEO & Accountable Manager, I will, as far as is reasonably practicable:
- Ensure that all our operations and services are conducted with safety paramount;
- Ensure that adequate human and finance resources are provided to manage safety effectively;
- Encourage all staff and stakeholders to report events or potential hazards however insignificant they may consider them at the time.
We have an open reporting culture that encourages free and frank reporting through a ‘Just Culture’.
We will all strive to achieve:
- An accident-free environment;
- An effective Safety Management System and continuous improvement;
- Full compliance with the statutory, national and international regulations that apply to us;
- A reduction in risks to as low a level as reasonably practicable;
- The uninhibited reporting of safety issues;
- The maintenance of clear standards for acceptable behaviour with regard to safety;
- The carrying out of our responsibilities as managers and employees with respect to safety performance.
These objectives are for the benefit of airport users, other stakeholders and ourselves. The SMS manual, policies, procedures and objectives will be reviewed on at least an annual basis by the Safety Review Board to ensure that they continue to reflect our organisation and operation. We have a shared responsibility to achieve these aims.
Safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Signed: Gwyneth Howell, CEO & Accountable Manager
Environmental Policy
The main aim of the Environmental Policy for the St Helena Airport is to support the vision, national goals and objectives of the St Helena Island 10 Year Plan under the “Altogether Greener” heading.
The goal to safeguard the environment for future generations will be met by striving to achieve the following objectives during airport operations:
- Minimise the risk of pollution from airport activities of the land, air, water and sea;
- Minimise the impact of airport activities on the biological diversity in the area within the zone of influence of the airport;
- Minimise the risk of introducing non-native species of plants and animals to the island;
- Minimise the use of resources, such as water, power, wood, glass, paper, etc wherever possible without affecting any aspect of aircraft and passenger safety;
- Adopt the waste mitigation hierarchy of Reduce – Re-use – Recycle – Recover, before accepting final disposal of waste to landfill;
- Reduce carbon use and increase carbon off-setting.
The following social and economic benefits will be realised by adopting these objectives:
- Minimise the risk of the introduction of diseases defined by the World Health Organisation as global epidemics;
- Minimise noise, vibration and visual impacts on local communities;
- Maximise the social and economic benefits of the airport through preferential employment of St Helena citizens and outsourcing to local suppliers;
- Ensure that the requirements of the Environmental Management System are extended to all suppliers;
- Engage on a regular basis with local stakeholders;
- The health and safety of all employees and passengers will be at the centre of all decision-making;
- Protect the local and global environment for future generations.
The airport operations will at all times comply with relevant international civil aviation requirements, international conventions to which St Helena is a signatory, St Helena laws and policies, and any other standards, regulations, guidelines and norms of best environmental practice where appropriate.
The provisions of this Policy shall extend to all staff, tenants of, subcontractors and suppliers to the airport.
Compliance will be reinforced by a system of performance monitoring and continuous improvement in the way we work.
Signed: Gwyneth Howell, CEO & Accountable Manager