Contrary to popular belief, commercial flying is extraordinarily safe considering more than 30,000 flights take off every day. But the aviation industry didn’t always have the same standards and regulations it does today. In fact, a handful of infamous airplane crashes triggered crucial safety improvements which have shaped aviation. Here we look at three of them.

The Creation of the FAA

In 1956, the TWA Super Constellation and the United DC-7 were both flying over the Grand Canyon, out of contact with ground controllers and flying under visual flight rules (see-and-avoid). Both were maneuvering when the left wing and propellers of the DC-7 tore into the Constellation’s tail, causing both planes to crash into the canyon, killing all 128 individuals onboard the aircrafts.

Not only was the accident the catalyst for the formation of the FAA to oversee air safety but it triggered a massive upgrade of the air traffic control system, equating $250 million.

Fire Determent in the Cargo Hold
In 1988, ValuJet 592 crashed into the Everglades after a chemical oxygen generator that had been illegally packaged started a fire. A bump of turbulence set the generator off, resulting in intense heat that started the fire, which was fueled by the oxygen. The 110 people onboard were killed after the pilots were unable to land the burning plane in time.
The crash of ValuJet 592 spurred new regulation requiring smoke detectors and automatic fire extinguishers in the cargo hold and further parameters regulation the transportation of hazardous cargo.

Faulty Wiring Detection
One of the most horrific plane crashes in recent memories is that of TWA Flight 800, a flight that had taken off from JFK en route to Paris. Just 12 minutes after takeoff, the flight exploded in mid-air, killing al 230 passengers onboard. After a four-year investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that a short circuit in wiring triggered a spark in the fuel gauge sensor, causing fumes to ignite.
Since then, the FAA has implemented changes designed to reduce sparks cause by faulty wiring. Furthermore, technology companies have created devices and an electrical circuit test which can detect and locate faulty wiring. Boeing developed a system that infuses nitrogen gas into fuel tanks to reduce the likelihood of explosions.

Allow Flexible Schedules – If possible, give employees the opportunity to choose their schedule. In an effort to reduce energy, many state departments and companies are allowing employees to work 4-day weeks (10 hour a weeks). Or let employees come in an hour early and leave an hour early.

360 Feedback Surveys – Studies have shown that there are a myriad of benefits to conducting 360 feedback surveys within an organization. They not only encourage open communication between employees and managers, but

Incentives – Offer incentive for deadlines met, projects finished, or quotas filled. These may include extra vacation days, monetary bonuses, or gifts such as MP3 players or gift certificates.

Food – Something as simple as buying lunch once a week for employees can boost morale and demonstrate your appreciation and gratitude for employees.

Cool Break Room – Provide a suitable, enjoyable break room where employees can really relax and take a break from work. They will be more efficient and productive throughout their day if they are allotted adequate breaks – bonus if they have a place to relax! Some of the best break rooms provided by a corporation have ping pong tables, fuse ball, television and movies, even gaming systems such as the Wii.

Verbal Praise - Frequently praising and commending employees on efforts and jobs well done can really do wonders when it comes to employee morale. Simply knowing that they have personally attributed to the overall success of the company can increase their drive and confidence.

Pay Raises – This may be one of the oldest tricks in the book but it is certainly one of the most effective. Giving employees pay raises when appropriate will increase morale, productivity, and efficiency.

Web design isn’t so bad when you have all these resources out there…code I can handle, but design? I have quite a bit of room for improvement.

• Hard Drive Failure – It really is a matter of when, not if, your hard drive will fail so it’s absolutely necessary you have a sound backup solution implemented (i.e. online backup).
• Viruses – Did you know there are between 2 and 3 new viruses created every day? Your computer is vulnerable to computer viruses which affect your computer much like a virus would you. They can wipe out your hard drive and crash your computer.
• Theft – Chances are if you’re laptop is stolen, you won’t be seeing it anytime soon. The average business suffers a loss totaling $47,000 from the theft of just one computer.
• Environmental Disasters – Think lightening, flood, or another natural calamity that could destroy your computer.

The question is whether or not some applications for this product are ethical.  For instance, I’ve heard of people using this device to track their employees.  If it is a company car and the employees are supposed to be running strictly business related errands then I can see why an employer would need to monitor if the employee is staying on task and not wasting gas.  In fact, many companies and organizations use the Trackstick to figure out routes to increase response time (like paramedics) or to stretch out their gas budget.

I’ve had a friend however whose parents put a GPS tracker in her car without her knowing about it.  And I know this girl, she doesn’t have a history of getting in any real trouble.   She just has parents that are super paranoid about everything.  I’m of the opinion that this should only be done when you are pretty sure your teen is a reckless driver, gets drunk, or both.  What do you think?