Occupational and aviation safety

The protection of people, aircraft, vehicles and infrastructure from damage, accidents and criminal acts is of paramount importance to the Zurich Airport Group.

Relevance

Ensuring safety and security is also a core responsibility where the companyʼs operations abroad are concerned. However, owing to the specific terms of the concession models in the respective countries, this may be handled organisationally in different ways at the various airports. In Brazil, the airport operator is responsible for drafting and implementing safety and security concepts. These must be approved by various government agencies at different levels (security, customs and regulatory authorities). In Chile, on the other hand, all aspects of flight safety are a matter for the civil aviation authority, namely the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC). Airport licence holders are responsible for safety solely in the publicly accessible passenger zones.

All countries where Zurich Airport Ltd. operates belong to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and are contractually obliged to follow its safety and security standards and recommendations for commercial airports. The ICAO rules are the legal minimum, and are specified in more detail and monitored by the respective national civil aviation authorities. In Switzerland, and consequently for Zurich Airport, safety and security requirements are monitored by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), which in turn are largely based on European regulations (EASA). The Zurich Airport Group is also obliged to comply with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements in the countries in which it operates.

Approach and progress

Zurich Airport

Overarching safety and security responsibilities

Zurich Airport Ltd. operates an Integrated Management System (IMS) for systematically managing all safety and security aspects relating to flight operations at the Zurich site. As well as safety and security, this system also encompasses occupational health and safety. It aims firstly to reduce organisational risks by putting clear processes and organisational structures in place, and secondly to systematically improve preventive measures so that injuries and material damage are avoided from the outset.

For the first time since 2019, safety days were again held at the Zurich site during the year under review as part of the ongoing “Working together for a safer airport” campaign. These days are organised together with our airport partners to highlight various topical aspects relating to safety and security, occupational safety and fire safety. Safety days help to raise awareness and deliver related further training. Over 1,000 employees of Zurich Airport Ltd. and its airport partners participated.

Safety

Both the authorities and Zurich Airport Ltd. itself regularly conduct inspections and airport operation audits to verify that rules and safety procedures are being followed in day-to-day operations. Any necessary corrective action is then taken where necessary. In the course of the reporting year, one audit was carried out by FOCA and one audit was carried out by EASA at the Zurich site. In addition, the internal pool of auditors supervised by the Safety & Compliance Office conducted 25 audits and inspections (including emergency drills). A few deviations and several recommendations were identified, but no significant deficiencies were discovered.

All the measures taken aim to continually reduce each year the number of accidents and incidents relative to the number of flight movements and employees. Nevertheless, an increase in the number of accidents and incidents (not directly resulting in material damage) was recorded. This is primarily due to the greatly reduced experience and routine of the airport partners’ staff resulting from the many new hires. Together with the recovery in passenger numbers and the greater-than-expected rise in flight movements after the Covid-19 pandemic, this led to a negative trend in safety performance indicators. Although additional training and assistance was provided, this did not prevent a rise in the number of incidents. In absolute terms, safety standards are nevertheless very high.

Security

Zurich Airport is obliged to implement many national and international regulations relating to security in the air. These are based on the National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NASP) issued by FOCA. The airport operator is responsible for ensuring and verifying that its processes comply with all legislation. However, the Zurich cantonal police and private security firms are responsible for carrying out the actual security checks at doors and gates, and for checking passengers, baggage and freight.

Both the authorities and Zurich Airport Ltd. itself regularly carry out spot checks and audits at the checkpoints to verify the quality of the service and compliance with the regulations. Compared with other European airports, compliance with regulations is very high. During the year under review, FOCA carried out 22 audits, inspections and tests. In addition, the internal Airport Security unit performed 247 quality control checks. 33 deviations were identified and corrected with the appropriate measures. Neither FOCA nor Airport Security detected any serious deviations.

No incidents of a terrorist nature occurred at Zurich Airport during the reporting year.

Occupational safety and fire safety

At the Zurich site, Switzerlandʼs accident insurance legislation obliges the company to take all technically feasible measures that experience has shown to be necessary and appropriate in the circumstances to prevent occupational illnesses and workplace accidents. Zurich Airport Ltd. has set out its position in its occupational safety policy. To implement and fulfil the statutory requirements, at the Zurich site, Zurich Airport Ltd. operates an occupational safety management system (which follows ASA guidelines, analogous to the ISO 45001 standard) based on the rules stipulated in directive 6508 of the Federal Coordination Commission for Occupational Safety (EKAS). This system not only applies to all employees of Zurich Airport Ltd., it also covers workers in an employment-like relationship (see also Responsible employer section).

Work processes, equipment and materials are regularly analysed with respect to hazards, or after incidents and accidents. Internal Safety Officers who have received appropriate training are responsible for this. Where necessary, they also identify scope for improvement. If an employee considers a situation dangerous, they are required to stop work immediately and seek assistance. Every unit has a contact person for occupational safety, and these officers are in contact with each other at regular intervals several times a year. Co-workers and line managers are obliged to report incidents and accidents to a central office for investigation.

Zurich Airport Ltd. regularly conducts internal inspections and audits. Inspections are also carried out by various official bodies. Besides checking day-to-day operations, the latter also review the systematic implementation of occupational health and safety as well as fire safety measures. Following a detailed internal system analysis of occupational safety, some initial actions were implemented during the reporting year. For instance, three new e-learning modules were introduced, one for new employees, one for new line managers, and one for working outdoors.

Safety at majority-owned international subsidiaries

The majority-owned airports in Brazil operate a safety and occupational safety management system designed to ensure the health of employees. This system comprises a risk management programme and an occupational health and safety programme in compliance with the statutory requirements. It covers both hazard identification and regular employee training. A continuous improvement process ensures that an incident or a tip-off from an employee triggers an investigation and additional measures are taken where necessary. The system covers all of the airport operatorʼs employees.

The two airports in Chile also have an occupational health and safety system based on the ISO 45001 standard in order to comply with their statutory obligations.

Occupational health and safety is one of the top priorities for workers on the construction site for the airport currently being built in Noida. As the responsible promoter, the local subsidiary established a health, safety and environmental management system which also covers safety and occupational safety. This system complies with the customary industry standards, meets the statutory requirements and is certified according to ISO 45001. The system covers all construction work for the new airport, and consequently all workers on the site, irrespective of where they are employed. Any reports of incidents or hazardous situations are collected centrally for analysis, and corrective action is taken where necessary. Potential improvements or changes are communicated to small groups of employees in short daily briefings.

When construction contracts were signed in India, Zurich Airport Ltd. imposed strict workforce protection conditions above and beyond the statutory requirements. Everyone working on the building site will receive occupational safety training and will be provided with personal protective equipment.

Additional insulation and ventilation was fitted to workersʼ accommodation on the construction site to provide better protection from the weather. Care was also taken in the sanitary facilities to respect privacy and protect the health of workers. Both the authorities and the management of the local subsidiary periodically check site safety and the accommodation situation.

No incidents of a terrorist nature occurred during the reporting year.

Key data