SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

6 Types of Safety Culture in Aviation Safety Management System

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jun 14, 2023 5:45:00 AM

Relationship between Aviation Safety Management Systems and Safety Culture

I have recently seen a great rise in the interest and emphasis placed on safety culture in aviation safety management systems (SMS).

Until the last number of years, safety culture has been treated like an appendage or “bonus” to having a performant, successful aviation SMS implementation. Now, however, I see safety culture starting to pop up all over the place.

By definition, aviation safety culture is described as reflecting the real commitment to safety, or how people act when no one is watching.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

4 Pillars | What Safety Assurance Really Means in Aviation SMS

Posted by Tyler Britton on May 3, 2023 5:59:00 AM

Definition of Aviation SMS Safety Assurance

In November 2006, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) mandated that all member states implement formal aviation safety management systems (SMS). To facilitate compliance, ICAO guided regulatory authorities and aviation service providers with the publication of the Safety Management Manual (SMM), now in the fourth edition as of 2019.

An aviation SMS implementation covers considerable territory, including, but not limited to:

  • Safety accountabilities;
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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance, Quality-Safety Management

How to Justify Severity of Risk Assessments - Best Practices

Posted by Christopher Howell on Feb 22, 2023 5:33:00 AM

What Are Components of Risk Matrix

During the issue management life-cycle, safety managers commonly conduct initial and residual risk assessments on reported issues. In most cases, the risk is a combination of both:

  • Probability (frequency), and
  • Severity (consequences).

Occasionally, you will see organizations that also include "exposure" as a third dimension to their risk assessment.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

Six Steps How to Perform Trend Analysis in Aviation SMS

Posted by Tyler Britton on Feb 8, 2023 6:17:00 AM

What Is Trend Analysis in Aviation SMS

Simply put, trend analysis in aviation SMS is an activity that is used to target patterns in your safety program that might otherwise be “lost in the noise” of your safety data.

Patterns can be related to behavior, occurrences, or other aspects of your safety program. Patterns are identified within your chosen time period.

You may identify trends that are:

  • Weekly;
  • Monthly;
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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

How Mistakes Improve Aviation SMS Processes - Lessons Learned Library

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jan 4, 2023 6:00:00 AM

Mistakes Are an Opportunity

In any industry, there are bound to be mistaken. Mistakes can be either willful or unintentional, but are equally dangerous to aviation safety.

In aviation, unintentional mistakes can lead to devastating accidents, an outcome that we hope to prevent by implementing Safety Management Systems (SMS) in our organizations.

Aviation SMS implementations are expected to reduce both direct and indirect costs associated with accidents and minor incidents.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

What Is Management of Change in Aviation SMS

Posted by Tyler Britton on Dec 28, 2022 5:48:00 AM

What Is Management of Change in Aviation SMS

Management of change in aviation SMS is a formal process for facilitating changes in safety programs. In general, the change management process is evoked when larger, system-level changes are needed in the SMS.

Small changes are handled with corrective actions.

The basic tenants of management of change in aviation SMS are:

  • Airlines, airports, and other aviation service providers establish a formal, repeatable process for change;
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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance, 2-Safety Risk Management

4 Ways to Mitigate Risk in Aviation Safety Management Systems

Posted by Tyler Britton on Dec 7, 2022 5:52:00 AM

What Does It Mean to Mitigate Risk?

The term “mitigate risk” and “risk mitigation” is slightly misleading. This is because the meaning of the term “risk” changes depending on the context in which it is used.

Confusion also exists because different safety experts have different understandings of what “risk” means.

Risk can mean:

  • The composite likelihood and severity of something happening, as in “The risk of…”;
  • A specific occurrence that is bad/undesirable, as in a “risk occurrence.”
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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

Safety Chart: How Top Reporters Improve Aviation SMS' Safety Culture

Posted by Tyler Britton on Oct 5, 2022 6:00:00 AM

What Is Safety Culture Really?

"Safety culture" in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot and in many types of SMS conversations.

Yet “safety culture” is also a phrase that rarely receives a concise definition, and is often used to convey “a general sense of safety.”

This definition is not good enough. What does safety culture mean to you? Has your perception of safety culture changed within the past five years? Has your definition remained constant? Is there a "best in class" safety culture type?

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

4 Management Failures That Kill Aviation SMS Implementations

Posted by Tyler Britton on Sep 7, 2022 6:00:00 AM

More Insidious Than Confrontational

Formal aviation safety management systems (SMS) have been continually being implemented across the world for over a dozen years now. Some are successful, while many are not. Failed or under-performing aviation SMS is a concern for account executives and the safety team.

How can management increase the chance of a successful SMS implementation?

How do safety managers remain alert to risks to their SMS implementation?

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

What You Need to Know about ISAGO Ground Operations in Aviation Risk Management

Posted by Tyler Britton on Aug 31, 2022 6:00:00 AM

Ground Handling Accidents in Aviation Risk Management

A couple of months ago I was sitting on a Boeing 737 jet waiting for the rest of the passengers to board the plane.

My seat was near the front of the aircraft, and I had a central view of ground handling operations. Since I boarded nice and early, I had nothing better to do than sit and observe the bustling of workers, bags, and carts below me.

As I was watching, I saw one of the ground handlers come flying in on one of his carts, narrowly passing between a piece of ground equipment and another vehicle, and then come to an abrupt stop near the 737. Moreover, his route to the 737 could hardly be called standard operating procedure.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

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