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

What Is Confidentiality in Aviation SMS

Confidentiality in aviation SMS is how much personal information is included in available safety reports and concerns. When safety issues are reported, employees may or may not have access to details about the reported issue.

Paperwork Is More Than Tedious

Let’s be real – documentation is really just a fancy word for paperwork (digital or hard copy). It can be extremely tedious.

Introduction: The Foundation of Risk Analysis in Aviation SMS

Risk analysis is a vital component of aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS), enabling safety managers to systematically identify, assess, and mitigate issues that could compromise safety.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, unaddressed risks contribute to 70% of aviation incidents, resulting in $1.2 billion in annual losses industry-wide, as reported by IATA.

Quality Leadership Stimulates Teamwork

A mature, effective aviation safety management system (SMS) will always incorporate imaginative ways to stimulate teamwork and good communication between employees.

It’s a tricky area though because teamwork and communication are beset by:

It Only Takes One

You know the old expression: it only takes one to poison the well.

We end up writing a lot about resistance to change in aviation safety management systems (SMS) because it’s something many aviation safety managers consistently deal with.

What Are Best Practices for Risk Mitigation in Aviation Safety Management

The term risk mitigation, broadly speaking, means to try and prevent danger. You might think of it as “reducing exposure.” In general, there are four best practices employed in aviation SMS to mitigate risk, and they include:

What Are Risk Management Tools

Risk management tools in aviation SMS is simply a vague term that refers to resources that can help you manage risk. Often, the most beneficial resources tend to be simple, inexpensive, and helpful for both providing guidance and helping you organize your time.

Definition of Risk Tolerance

Risk tolerance is simply how much risk you are willing to accept. High-risk tolerance is generally not a good idea because it means that you are willing to “tolerate” or “accept” a high degree of risk for performing tasks.

Hazards Are Dynamic

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) have the objective to:

• proactively manage safety,
• identify potential hazards,
• determine risk, and
• implement measures that mitigate the risk.

Furthermore, an aviation SMS affords operators more opportunities to identify safety issues and spot trends before they result in "The Accident."

What Is Fatigue Risk Management

Fatigue is one of the most important factors in overall operational safety. It’s so important that most aviation safety management systems adopt additional and specific measures to combat fatigue.