SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Why Managers Struggle with Safety Promotion

Safety Promotion is definitely the least appreciated of the 4 Pillars of SMS.

Almost without fail, promoting safety takes the “back seat” in most aviation safety programs because civil aviation authorities and auditors are significantly more interested in seeing that you comply with:

• Safety Policy,
• Safety Risk Management, and
• Safety Assurance.

How to Use Hazard Reporting Forms

It’s hard to underestimate the value that high-quality hazard reporting forms provide your aviation SMS.

Hazard reporting quite literally provides the underpinning for your risk management activities. No hazard reports...nothing for you to manage.

Hazard reporting forms provide incentive, organization, and guidance for employees when they detect irregularities in the operational environment. Having specific questions for specific types of issues makes reporting easier and faster than having vague or general questions.

Most Important Items for Starting SMS Implementation

If you are reading this article, chances are that you either already have started implementing an aviation safety management system (SMS), or you are considering an SMS implementation.

Starting an aviation SMS implementation from ground zero may be confusing and difficult for any safety professional, much less a layperson who may be tasked to implement an aviation SMS. There so much to do, such as

• gap analysis;
• implementation plan;

What Are Safety Benefits of SMS Software

The safety benefits of SMS software are not the primary reason a company initially decides to adopt the special, built-to-purpose software. If this were true, these companies would have acquired advanced SMS database solutions long before aviation safety management systems (SMS) became a regulatory requirement.

The reason aviation companies acquire SMS software is because their spreadsheets and in-house systems are inadequate manage all the expected SMS documentation requirements imposed by their regulatory authorities.

Defining Good Safety Culture in Aviation SMS

Safety culture will be the last thing to develop in your SMS.

Once you fully implement your SMS design (Phase 3 of SMS implementation), you will need to monitor your SMS to ensure it is functioning as designed. Aviation safety programs with good safety cultures usually operate as designed.

Having good safety culture helps you complete Phase 4 of SMS implementation. Broadly speaking, a good safety culture is one that is characterized by:

What Is Safety Policy in Aviation SMS

Your Safety Policy is the canon of your aviation safety program. It outlines all of the essential information anyone in your company would want to know regarding safety. It is one of the first components of your SMS that you will develop. It will be the document that you:

• Reference in response to employee questions;
• Demonstrate to auditors; and
• Use to outline essential facets of your SMS.

Oversight Agencies Need to Support Risk Management Software

Something we hear about all time is the general lack of support from regulatory oversight agencies during inspections and audits. This lack of support that safety managers complain about regards the usage of risk management software in audits that aviation service providers use daily to manage their required safety management systems (SMS).

I don't mean to imply that agencies like the FAA, Transport Canada, or EASA are against operators using risk management software by any means,

Seeking Out Mistakes in Aviation SMS Implementations

Being honest about mistakes is hard.

It’s even harder to try and seek out mistakes you are making that you do not know you are making.

In aviation safety management systems (SMS), safety managers are tasked with actively exploring, understanding, and seeking out failures in the program in order to improve them. Even unknown failures are holes in the safety structure of the SMS.

In many significant ways, the success of aviation SMS implementations depends on how honestly and thoroughly such failures are addressed.

How to Conduct Root Cause Analysis

Every aviation safety management system (SMS) contains a subsystem to manage risk associated with reported safety issues and audit findings. This subsystem can be called the SMS' risk management system as this system provides the logical workflow necessary to efficiently:

• Conduct and document investigations;
• Assign and track corrective actions and preventive actions;
• Perform risk assessments; and

Aviation SMS Structure Is the Backbone of a Safety Program

The management of aviation safety is a shared responsibility among all levels (i.e., stakeholders) of an organization.

Top management has to set the basis for establishing

• safety culture,
• safety policy,
• protections to employees, and
• the structure for controlling risk.