Risk matrices are probably the inter-industry safety standard as the primary tool used in risk evaluation. In aviation safety management systems (SMS) they are ubiquitous.
Risk matrices are simplistic charts (though not necessarily “simple”) that use “probability” and “severity” to quantify the risk priority of a real or hypothetical safety scenario. The quantification is generally broken into 3 categories:
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
The primary objective of risk mitigation strategies in aviation SMS programs is usually detailed as being a plan to implement risk controls that reduce the likelihood/severity of each identified specific risk. However, this risk mitigation plan is limited in that it does not address the mitigation of hazard occurrence.
Despite the fact that oversight agencies generally stress risk mitigation as being accident centric, aviation SMS programs should include hazard-mitigation and risk-mitigation strategies.
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
The phrase “aviation risk management” gives the impression of being a single, solid idea – something to attain for – but in actual practice, it is a cyclical process.
Simply put, risk management is about identifying and placing controls (i.e., strengthening) weak points in an aviation safety management system (SMS).
The understanding that risk management is cyclical is an important fact because, while the phrase "risk management" has a strong flavor of top-down management styles,
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
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 provided guidance to 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:
Answering the question, what is a key performance indicator, is not exactly as straightforward as it may seem.
This is because key performance indicators, known commonly as KPIs, have multiple uses in aviation safety management systems (SMS).
Most obviously, as “performance” in the name implies, KPIs are data metrics (i.e. “Indicators”) used to track “performance” in aviation SMS.
Topics: Key Performance Indicators
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are data metrics used to track performance in aviation safety management systems (SMS). This “performance” was not intended to measure only safety, but also quality and financial performance as well.
Understanding what is a key performance indicator is an essential component of being able to identify signs of good KPIs.
Here are the 4 most important things you need to understand about what KPIs are (ideally),
Topics: Key Performance Indicators
Operation risk is a primary concern of airline safety management systems (SMS). Just as in traditional safety programs, modern SMS implementations will revolve around identifying hazards and controlling these safety events.
In a formal aviation SMS implementation, there are two inter-connected components:
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
Aviation safety managers and employees who understand the real difference between reactive, predictive, and proactive risk management activities gain considerable benefit for generating good safety performance.
The fact is that these three types of risk management strategies are often misunderstood and/or confused.
Can you describe the difference?
Each type of strategy has particular activities and behaviors that are useful in different situations.
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
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.
Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation
We run across this time and time again in aviation risk management programs: safety management teams confuse hazards and risks, and consequently also confuse risks and consequences.
To be frank, misunderstanding the difference between these three things can have far-reaching repercussions in your ability to practice risk management in your aviation safety management system (SMS).
These repercussions happen when safety management teams either:
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
These two on-demand videos offer:
