Press Release

Issued by Bell, a Textron Company.

September 17, 2014

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, announced it held a regional Safety Symposium for rotorcraft pilots and technicians in Prague, Czech Republic at the Prague Marriott Hotel.

Introduced in 2013, Bell Helicopter's safety symposiums are designed to promote safety practices and applications that maintainers and operators can easily implement into their daily work. The effort is tied, in part, to Bell Helicopter's participation in the International Helicopter Safety Team's (IHST) mission to establish international partnerships in countries with significant helicopter operations and encourage development of safety interventions.

Bell Helicopter hosted Dr. Simon Mitchell, IHST representative, who provided an update on the progress IHST is making to improve rotorcraft safety. The Bell Helicopter team introduced the Safety Management System concept – a holistic approach to managing safety in an organization by implementing the necessary organizational structure, metrics, accountability, policies and procedures. Human Factors awareness training and interactive case studies were also a part of the day's events. In addition, local aviation authorities were in attendance.

“Europe is a very established rotorcraft market, but that doesn't mean we should take our focus off maintaining a strong safety culture in this region,” said Steve Woolston, director, Product Support for Bell Helicopter's Customer Support and Services organization. “This particular safety symposium offers a blend of refresher training and new information on how to advance an organization's safety culture. Our collaboration with the IHST offers even greater insights into the work we can do, collectively as an industry, to promote a culture of zero mishaps and zero accidents.”