SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Poor Safety Reporting Cultures Invite Opportunities for Loss

Safety reports from aviation service providers' employees are important resources for the detection and prevention of potential safety hazards. One of the biggest challenges for aviation safety managers is to obtain safety reports from employees.

Obstacles that contribute to this challenge are common:

• Difficult reporting processes;
• No hazard identification training;
• Lack of recurring encouragement;
• Inconsistent educational messages;
• Supervisors discouraging hazard reporting;
• Fear of reprisal;
• Fear of drawing attention to their area of operations;
• Apathy or distrust of management; and
• Management neglecting the feedback loop.

Safety Policy Is the Architecture of Aviation SMS

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) are supported by the safety policy which is endorsed by the organization's accountable executive. The safety policy communicates management's commitment to the SMS while also affording employees protection from self-reporting errors or mistakes.

Aviation SMS' safety policy statements are the framework around employees'

• roles,
• obligations, and
• guidance in all safety-related circumstances.

How Well Do You Understand Risk Management in Your SMS?

Aviation safety managers are tasked with managing all aspects of fully implemented aviation safety management systems (SMS). Naturally, most laypersons imagine safety managers reacting to accidents, incidents, and irregularities (issues or events) as their primary job function.

It is also probable that most managers outside the safety department believe safety managers have nothing better to do than sit around waiting for "safety issues" to surface.

What are Responsibility, Confidentiality, and Privacy in Aviation Safety Management

In aviation safety management, responsibility, confidentiality, and privacy are the triad that affect how you handle reported safety information. Whether your organization is large or small, your leadership team needs to discuss these factors and decide how to handle them.

Aviation Safety Software Prioritizes Safety

Most of us have experienced the following: sitting on the runway for over an hour wondering why the plane isn’t moving. The pilot has already apologized and given the “reason” for the delay: the daunting and nebulous “technical difficulties.”

For passengers, this type of situation is frustrating at best, and at worst unnerving, even scary.

Yet even when sitting on the tarmac, frustrated and confused, passengers should take comfort in the fact that the aviation industry takes countless precautions to keep passengers safe.

The fact is that above all else, our top priority is safety and safety managers have an excellent opportunity to not only contribute to safety, and SMS requirements, but also to the financial bottom line.

Aviation Safety Audits: Here to Stay

At this point, many aviation safety managers' collars start to feel a little tight around the neck. The first thing is: relax.

What is Safety Posture in Aviation SMS

Aviation service providers should be aware what is level of risk is and isn’t acceptable. In other words, when you perform a risk assessment on a safety concern, what amount of risk requires mitigating actions, and what amount of risk required no actions? What amount of risk is acceptable.

What Are the Best Practices for Establishing Safety Accountabilities?

One of the first steps in implementing an aviation safety management system (SMS) is to complete the documentation elements in the Safety Policy and Objectives component of an ICAO compliant SMS.

Please note that I said "one of the first steps." Before tackling these documentation elements, we recommend that you first:

Why Do We Measure Aviation Safety Performance?

Why Review Safety Policy & Objectives in Aviation SMS Programs?

Aviation safety managers share many common traits, including:

• detail oriented;
• hard driven;
• professional;
• self-starters (high initiative); and
• good communicators.

Safety managers are results driven.