Enhancing Aviation Safety: Expert Insights, Tips, and Updates from SMS-Pro

Safety Manager Dilemma: Deciding Which SMS Software Solution?

Aviation safety is non-negotiable. Aviation safety managers and accountable executives bear the critical responsibility of ensuring

• compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards,
• mitigating risks, and
• fostering a proactive safety culture.

A robust Safety Management System (SMS) software is the backbone of these efforts, streamlining hazard identification, incident reporting, risk management, and compliance tracking. But with a crowded market of SMS solutions, how do you choose the best aviation SMS software for your organization?

Understanding Vendor Safety Assessments in Aviation SMS

Vendors and contractors play a large role in today's aviation industry. It is common for aviation service providers to employ the services of a dozen or more vendors to help the operator fulfill their mission. There are some companies with literally hundreds of suppliers.

Origin of Formal Aviation SMS Requirements

Aviation safety is not a new concept. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past dozen years, you will know that the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) mandated formal aviation safety management systems in November 2006.

At a minimum, these aviation safety management systems (SMS) required that the system:

Transparency, a Hot Topic:

In recent years, managerial concerns surrounding organizational transparency have become extremely important at all levels of industry and government. So important in fact, that most sensational news stories in recent years - namely Edward Snowden, Wikileaks, the Sony Hack, Bradley Manning - are issues of organizational transparency.

Extending Risk Management Education to Upper Management

Safety managers are tasked with "safety management" which can be considered "risk management." As they practice risk management activities, safety managers are expected to actively "react" to reported safety issues or audit findings.

This activity of "putting out fires" is part of the reactive risk management process that your company is probably pretty good at performing.

Safety Managers Get Into Trouble Due to Verbal Skills

Aviation safety managers are among the most articulate group of all aviation professionals. I don't have all the answers to why this group is so:

• Detailed;
• Verbally adept with writing; and
• Equally skilled at speaking.

Perhaps this is due to the similarity between truck drivers and pilots. Of course, I'm smiling as I write this, but have you ever noticed how both pilots and truck drivers have the gift of gab?

Common Dilemma About Aviation Safety Budgets

We have heard it time and again. Upper management has allocated insufficient funds for the safety department. This is a universal challenge for all aviation safety managers.

"Do more with less" seems to be a worn-out phrase that safety departments continue to hear.

Do We Need an Aviation Safety Database Yet?

Not every aviation safety manager has a budget. Let's face it. Some safety managers don't know how to ask for a budget.

Many safety managers are part-time safety managers. These are line employees with full-time duties in the position they were formally hired to fill.

Practicing vs Verifying SMS Continuous Improvement

It’s important to make the distinction between the

• practicing of continuous improvement and
• verifying that continuous improvement is happening.

Being ICAO compliant with continuous improvement is a systematic review to continuous improvement verification.

If the Shoe Fits, Wear It - Which Cronies Do You See?

This is a delicate topic, yet must be approached. After reading this article, if you have any solutions or even part solutions that I'm unable to address, please comment. Your help will be appreciated. I know of at least five safety managers who need some advice on this topic.

In most countries, aviation safety officers don't have a sense of entitlement.