SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Nichole Kruger

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Best Practices: Reviewing Aviation SMS Manuals

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Aug 28, 2024 2:11:00 AM

When Should I Review Our SMS Manual?

It's very important to review SMS Manuals.

The most common audit finding is that the operator is not conducting operations as stated in their SMS manual.

Furthermore, your manual is only as useful as the information it contains. If the information is out of date, employees will lose trust in it. This undermines the safety culture you've worked to build.

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Topics: 1-Safety Policy

SMS First Steps - How to Create an SMS Implementation Plan

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Aug 21, 2024 5:00:00 AM

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.

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation

How to Effectively Pitch Aviation SMS to Management - Beginners SMS Series

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Aug 14, 2024 5:30:00 AM

4 Tips to Sell SMS to Top Management

ICAO and civil aviation authorities require SMS for many organizations. Even so, it's important to have buy-in from top management to make your SMS effective.

Lack of top management support remains among the top reasons an aviation SMS may fail.

Here are four, common-sense tips to help you earn top management support.

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Topics: 1-Safety Policy

How to Create Your Aviation SMS Manual

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Aug 7, 2024 7:30:00 AM

Why Create an Aviation SMS Manual?

ICAO 9859 calls for aviation organizations to document their SMS. This can be a simple document referencing the policies and procedures or a detailed manual.

If you run a small operation, or many processes are already in place, a simple document might be all you need.

Most organizations will need a detailed manual. An SMS manual shares much in common with your quality manual if you conveniently have one.

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Topics: 1-Safety Policy

5 Ways to Constantly Improve Safety Culture

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Jul 31, 2024 6:15:00 AM

Why Is Safety Culture So Important?

In many of today's articles about aviation safety management systems, there is something about safety culture. Why? Safety culture ties into every part of your SMS, feeding it as your SMS nurtures your safety culture in return.

It’s a symbiotic relationship, like honeybees and flowers. Each one needs the other to grow and thrive. When your safety culture thrives, your SMS is easier to build and maintain.

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Topics: Safety Culture

7 Steps to Put Aviation Safety Management Systems into Action

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Jul 10, 2024 7:00:00 AM

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.

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation

Distinguishing Between Responsibility, Authority, and Accountability in Your Aviation SMS

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Jun 26, 2024 7:00:00 AM

What Is Responsibility?

Responsibility n. the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. (Oxford Dictionary)

Most of us learned about responsibility as children. Our parents gave us responsibilities like walking the dog or loading the dishwasher. As adults, we’re responsible for paying our bills, finishing our tasks at work, and doing the laundry.

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Topics: Quality-Safety Management

Human Factors: Lack of Teamwork

Posted by Nichole Kruger on May 1, 2024 2:31:00 AM

Why Is Teamwork Important?

Teamwork is a word used often in the workplace. We’ve all heard that it’s important to work together. Why cover the same ground again?

Lack of teamwork can have serious safety consequences. In aviation, our jobs affect others. Even when we seem to be working on our own, our work ties into other parts of the operation.

Safety is part of being a good teammate and teamwork plays a key role in safety. As such, we all take on responsibility for being good teammates and keeping each other safe.

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Topics: 4-Safety Promotion

3 Best Practices for Your Aviation SMS Manual

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Aug 5, 2021 4:26:00 AM

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?

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation, 1-Safety Policy

What Is ICAO's Role in Aviation Safety Management Systems?

Posted by Nichole Kruger on Oct 30, 2018 4:39:00 AM

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.

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation

Site content provided by Northwest Data Solutions is meant for informational purposes only. Opinions presented here are not provided by any civil aviation authority or standards body.

 

 

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