Importance of IHRs

Dear Members,
 

We’d like to take the time to remind you of the importance of submitting reports to the company for further investigation. Submitting IHR’s can be taxing and feel as if “nothing ever changes. What’s the point of submitting?”. We get it. But that belief is actually incorrect. Your OHS team alone receives tons of emails a month for safety related issues, and we can use this data to help make changes within the company. The amount of IHR’s we receive is not nearly close to how many incidents happen without being reported.  

Unfortunately, without these reports your OHS committee and union do not have a leg to stand on. Things like the last row of seats, bathroom lines, faulty equipment, etc. all need to be reported. If the company is not made aware of these issues, they will continue business as usual because they do not have any supporting data showing we have nowhere to sit during turbulence, or that the bathroom lines are an actual issue.  

A good tip for reporting is to write it up while you’re on duty, as close to the moment as you can. That way the incident is fresh in your mind and you’re less likely to leave out details, no matter how small. Every single detail helps us build a case for the company and why things need to change. For example, any time we hit turbulence and you have nowhere to secure yourself, write that up. Anytime you cannot complete service due to weather or bathroom lines, write that up. This allows us to advise the company on what is and is not working within our day-to-day operations.  

Unsure on how to write an IHR? Your CCD has an e reporting app that will take you through the steps of what information is needed. There is a lot of required info that may not seem necessary, but anything like tail number or flight information helps us to track how often these issues happen with specific planes or flight segments. Unsure what to write? IHR’s should not contain any emotion or feelings unless it directly relates to the incident. Every big or small detail is best that way we can capture the whole picture. Still unsure how to go about writing an IHR? There are peer support mentors in the crew rooms or online available to assist you! Search “Peer Support Mentors” on your CCD for hours and crew rooms. 

We would like to give a big thank you to all who are submitting reports. We have received a huge influx of reports in the last month. Great job everyone, please keep filling our inboxes! That’s how we can promote change.  

OHS COMMITTEE,
in collaboration with the Executive Board