SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Why Department Head Charts are Particularly Important

Traditionally, department heads are the individuals responsible for managing corrective and preventive actions associated with reported issues.

Managing an issue involves making sure that corrective-preventative actions (CPAs) are implemented appropriately. Now, let’s not get hung up on the word “department head” - it can act as a placeholder for the role in your organization that manages issues.

What are Safety Benefits of SMS Software

The safety benefits of SMS software are probably the primary reason a company initially decides to adopt software.

The rational here is that the aid of technology can greatly improve the ability of all employees to practice safety operations, for many reasons.

Cloud-based SMS Programs May Make Sound Business Sense

Have you been considering the risks of moving your aviation safety management system (SMS) up to the cloud? In the past ten years, many aviation service providers have been moving their SMS program to the cloud for various reasons, but most make sound economic and business sense.

In this article, you will:

• Learn benefits of moving your SMS to the cloud; and
• See most common questions to ask when considering an SMS cloud provider.

How to Submit Hazard Reports with Custom forms

SMS Pro offers 12 pre-configured hazard reporting forms to fit most/all the data acquisition needs of aviation SMS programs.

These reporting forms are mobile responsive, which means that they look good on any sized screen, whether it’s an iPhone or a large desktop screen. These safety hazard reporting forms are:

Oversight Agencies Need Support Risk Management Software

Something we hear about all time is the general lack of support from oversight agencies regarding risk management software. Not that agencies like the FAA, Transport Canada, or EASA are against software by any means, but during audits and inspections they are often unwilling to explore the SMS program via the software. They still adhere to the old way of doing things:

FAA’s SRM Risk Assessment Element

The FAA’s SRM Risk Assessment element is the 4^th component in the Safety Risk Management Process. This process is outlined in the Advisory Circular and is based on the 4 Pillars of SMS.

The FAA's SRM Risk Assessment will naturally result from the SRM Risk Analysis component. Once a thorough risk analysis has been performed, responsible managers should have a good idea of the chances of a risk occurring, as well as potential damages/injuries.

SMS Trend Developing Aimed at Smaller Operations

Some countries (Australia and soon Canada) now require even the smaller aviation service providers to participate in safety management system (SMS) activities. This creates multiple challenges for these non-complex operators.

For starters, there is high resistance to change in the cultures of these non-complex operations, most of which never experienced severe losses, such as fatalities or complete loss of aircraft. By their very nature, when a smaller operation suffers a severe accident or incident, it typically obliterates the service provider's business.

Very small aviation service providers need basic, simple to use SMS tools and most of today's popular aviation SMS database solutions have become too complex and feature-rich for these smaller operations.

What is a Fishbone Diagram for Aviation Safety Programs

Fishbone diagrams are a lesser known but very effective risk management tool in aviation SMS programs. Fishbone diagrams get their name because of their fish like appearance, with several fins and a head. Each “fin” or “branch” of a fishbone diagram describes a different element of the safety issue, such as “Man” and “Machine.” The head describes the Top Event (also known as Risk Event, the point at which safety control is lost).

Aviation Risk Management Software Frightens You

One of the most frustrating and perhaps frightening aspects of learning sophisticated, full-featured risk management solutions is the complexity and understanding the workflow. How does it work?

• User reports an issue;
• Somebody gets notified by email;
• Another person looks at the report;
• Somebody does the risk assessment....

STOP! It doesn't make sense. Slow down and talk to me like I'm a fourth grader.

Alright, I'm here to help you understand some basics and hopefully make you a better consumer of aviation risk management software. And while you become a better consumer, I'm hoping you'll become a more effective safety manager.

Everyone Understands Hazard Reporting

Every aviation safety professional has heard of hazard reporting in regards to aviation safety management systems (SMS). The intent of hazard reporting goes beyond hazard identification in a true SMS program. Safety managers are constantly urging employees to report any:

• Accident;
• Incident; or 
• Irregularity (which is commonly a hazard).

Hazard reporting forms have evolved from paper-based to the almost ubiquitous online reporting form. From what I've seen, approximately 50% of online hazard reporting forms are directly tied to the aviation risk management database. This is a huge inefficiency, but we'll tackle this in another post.

I'm now assuming you know what a hazard reporting form is. Until recently, I assumed everyone intuitively understood what is an "offline hazard reporting form" and how it relates to their aviation SMS database.

I was wrong. Let's clarify this so you completely understand offline hazard reporting should the topic arise.