ARGH.OVS.310 Industry standards

EVALUATION OF A RECOGNISED INDUSTRY STANDARD

(a)A recognised industry standard is a standard that has been approved by a standardisation body such as the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), or mandated by legal requirements.

(b)The process of evaluating recognised industry standards that have been certified by an appropriately accredited organisation may be reduced to confirming that they address the scope of Annex I or Annex II to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/20, as applicable.

OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR INDUSTRY STANDARDS

(a)Industry standards subject to the evaluation referred to in point ARGH.OVS.310 should meet the following criteria as a minimum:

(1)they are developed, maintained and endorsed with the participation of experts from relevant industry stakeholders;

(2)they address the scope of Annex I and/or II to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/20, as applicable, with sufficient details to enable implementation of the related implementing rules;

(3)they are based on experience in the field and have proven themselves through testing;

(4)they are supported by scientific and/or technical data and documentation, safety tests and safety impact assessments, as applicable;

(5)they include technical, operational and, if applicable, human factors specifications for their safe implementation;

(6)they clearly identify the responsibilities of the persons involved in their application;

(7)they contain procedures for continuing review and improvement, to include lessons learned from daily operations and consider relevant innovations in the field.

RELEVANT INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS

(b)The industry stakeholders represented in the development, maintenance and endorsement of an industry standard should include but not be limited to aircraft operators, GH organisations, aerodrome operators, product manufacturers, GSE manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, and regional and global industry associations thereof, as applicable. The aim of their inclusion is to ensure that all stakeholders involved in the development and maintenance of industry standards are also involved in their endorsement.

OVERSIGHT OF ORGANISATIONS THAT USE INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND GOOD PRACTICES

(a)For the oversight of a GH organisation that applies industry standards and good practices, the competent authority should verify that the actual implementation of the standards and good practices in the GH organisation’s daily operation complies with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/20.

(b)When a GH organisation declares that it applies industry standards and good practices to comply with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/20, the competent authority should use this as complementary information to support its risk-based oversight. The implementation of industry standards and good practices by an organisation should not be assessed in isolation from the other elements to be considered by the competent authority for its oversight.

(c)The competent authority may decide to what extent it intends to use the results of auditing programmes that verify a GH organisation’s conformity with the industry standards and good practices.

EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD, SCIENTIFIC DOCUMENTATION AND SAFETY TESTS SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND GOOD PRACTICES

(a)It is expected that industry standards related to products such as the following are supported by scientific documentation and safety-relevant tests:

(1)GSE,

(2)de-icing/anti-icing fluids,

(3)fuel.

(b)It is expected that good practices in the aviation industry covering GH processes and operations, the use of products and organisational aspects are based on years of experience in the field, with trial and error proving that certain practices are better than others. It can be difficult to prove that good practices are based on scientific evidence or safety tests. Indeed, they are sometimes the result of a safety impact assessment and may be subject to a series of safety tests before being disseminated or used on a larger scale.

(c)The following guidelines can be used to establish criteria for good practices:

(1)eligibility criteria:

(i)have a clear description of the context;

(ii)have a clear description of the objectives and purposes;

(iii)have a clear description of the actions/activities involved;

(iv)are at least one year old;

(2)selection criteria:

(i)are relevant to the needs identified;

(ii)provide sufficient indication of transferability, for example:

(A)continuing after the initial phase;

(B)attracting structural funding or support from new sponsors or leading to the generation of resources;

(C)showing potential for replication in different contexts and application to different target groups.

(d)It is recommended that human factors be reflected in industry standards and good practices when applicable.