The ATSB prioritises the investigation of transport safety matters that have the highest potential to yield improvements to transport safety for the greatest public benefit.
When assessing and prioritising accidents and incidents for investigation we consider a broad range of factors including ATSB resource availability and, in no particular order:
- the anticipated safety value of an investigation, including the likelihood of furthering the understanding of the scope and impact of any safety system failures
- the likelihood of safety action arising from the investigation, particularly of national or global significance
- the existence and extent of fatalities/serious injuries and/or structural damage to transport vehicles or other infrastructure
- the unique value an ATSB investigation will provide over any other investigation by industry, regulators or police
- the obligations or recommendations under international conventions and codes
- the nature and extent of public interest – in particular, the potential impact on public confidence in the safety of the transport system
- the existence of supporting evidence, or requirements, to conduct a special investigation based on trends
- the relevance to identified and targeted safety programs
- the risks associated with not investigating – including consideration of whether, in the absence of an ATSB investigation, a credible safety investigation by another party is likely
- the timeliness of notification
- the training benefit for ATSB investigators.