SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

What Is an SMS Risk Control Process?

The risk control process offers a step of repeatable tasks to bring risk to ALARP (as low as reasonably practical). These risk management tasks may not always be sequential, meaning that some tasks may be worked on simultaneously or some tasks may have to be repeated.

What follows are some best practices to consider when developing or reviewing your aviation safety management systems risk control processes and optimizing the information flow to the rest of the organization.

Safety Manager Communicates with Upper Management

That is right, aviation safety managers are a different species than upper management.

It is not by accident that one of the first steps in implementing an aviation safety management system (SMS) is to acquire top management support. This has repeatedly been proven as a critical step in every successful SMS! Your SMS program will not survive without it.

In this post, we'll explore some tips to earn or maintain support for your SMS and perhaps increase your aviation safety budget.

Good Aviation Safety Management Practices

A Safety Management System (SMS) is a system that is composed of various policies, processes, procedures, and practices adopted and implemented to improve the overall safety of an organization.

Management is responsible for implementing, maintaining and making sure that SMS processes are carried out. I believe a good aviation safety management practice works hand-in-hand with the ethical standards of an organization.

Having good ethical standards helps promote unity among workers, helping them to focus on a common goal, improving communication and reducing ignorance at work place.

It has been statistically proven that most accidents or incident that occurred in an aviation industry was as a result of workers ignorance to rules, cutting corners, and goofing off.

Four Pillars or Components Make a Tough Topic More Digestible

When the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) required a formal safety management system (SMS) implementation by aviation service providers in 2006, they didn't simply pass a ruling. ICAO offered guidance material for SMS implementation in Document 9859, now in the third edition.

All aviation safety management professionals should read Document 9859 at least once. It is surprisingly easy to read.

The best part about this "Safety Management Manual" is that the authors took a very broad and complex topic and broke it down into four components or pillars of an SMS. These four pillars were then broken up into twelve elements.

In this blog article, we'll review the four pillars and most of their elements. We'll also sprinkle in some free downloads, such as templates and checklists to help new safety managers.

What is ICAO?

The International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, was founded in 1944. It's a United Nations specialized agency that establishes international standards for civil aviation.

Of the 195 recognized countries in the world today, 192 are ICAO member states. These 192 'contracting states' abide by the Chicago Convention regulations.

ICAO defines aviation Standards and Recommended Practices, also known as SARPs. Nations (member states) adopt these rules and incorporate them into their national policies.

This standardization offers us a global aviation network. This allows civil aviation to function across international borders without affecting individual member state sovereignty.

What is a Risk Matrix

A risk matrix is a tool you will use to assess safety concerns. The matrix allows you to rank risk and provide visual cues on safety acceptability.

The risk matrix is a standard tool for assessing safety issues in aviation SMS and is recommended by ICAO and other regulatory authorities for assessing issues.

Or How to Create an Aviation SMS in 7 Simple Steps

You’re probably familiar with the 4 Phases of SMS implementation outlined by ICAO 9859. Here, I’ll break them down another way, into 7 steps.

For a deep dive into how to use the 4 Phases of SMS implementation, start with How to Complete Phase 1 of Aviation SMS Implementation.

If, for whatever reason, the four phases don’t resonate with you, here is another way to look at building an SMS for aviation service providers. Much like the 4 phases, these are not steps that must be taken in order.

It’s more like learning the seven steps of a line dance. Sometimes you’ll go forward, and sometimes you’ll go back.

What Is an SMS Implementation Plan?

As a safety manager, the implementation plan is your road-map to success, but finding guidance on how to create one is difficult at best.

The FAA doesn't provide an implementation plan for the latest Part 5 regulations, but there is an implementation plan suggested by ICAO 9859.

ICAO recommends a 5-year plan with 4 phases of implementation, but this plan may not work well for small organizations, or those with many elements already in place.

RELATED: How to Implement SMS in Small Organizations

The 4 phase plan can be pretty overwhelming at first. Remind yourself that a complete SMS implementation may take years; you're planning a long-term project. Your implementation plan is the document that guides your organization through this process.

The Importance of an Aviation SMS Manual

ICAO requires an SMS manual for many aviation organizations required to abide by their SMS mandate. It is very tempting to gloss over your manual...to get it out of the way and never look at it again.

Manuals aren't sexy, and most of the time, they're boring at best. I've read a lot of manuals that were downright painful.

So, how do you make your SMS manual a tool that supports your SMS? Here are three best practices to put your manual to work today.

RELATED: How to Create Your Aviation SMS Manual

What Is A Hazard Reporting System

A hazard reporting system encompasses the processes and resources your employees will use to reporting concerns.

The implication here is that your hazard reporting system is the primary means by which you will acquire feedback from operations (acquire data) and improve your SMS.