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

Stu Martin

Stu Martin is an accomplished aerospace safety engineer with over 25 years of experience in the aviation industry. Beginning his career on the ramp, Stu developed a hands-on understanding of aircraft operations, maintenance, and safety protocols. His journey from ground operations to engineering has equipped him with a unique perspective on aviation safety, blending practical expertise with technical rigor. Stu has contributed to numerous safety initiatives, including the development of risk assessment frameworks and incident investigation protocols, earning recognition for his commitment to enhancing operational safety. A respected voice in the field, he continues to advocate for robust safety cultures within aviation organizations worldwide.
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Recent Posts

How Safety Management and Quality Assurance Work in Management Systems

Posted by Stu Martin on Dec 13, 2023 5:28:00 AM

What Is a Management System

This article is originally inspired by a rather insightful video discussing the interplay between safety management and quality assurance.

A management system is a set of processes used to manage “findings” during operations.

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Topics: Quality-Safety Management

What Is a Hazard in Safety Management Systems

Posted by Stu Martin on Nov 29, 2023 5:45:00 AM

Why Definition of a Hazard Matters

Accuracy is extremely important.

Much of the bureaucracy of safety management systems depend on correct and specific understanding of safety concepts. Misunderstanding definitions in SMS is synonymous with misunderstanding what a safety element is and can compromise how that safety element is:

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

5 Characteristics of Effective Aviation Safety Cultures - With Free Survey

Posted by Stu Martin on Nov 1, 2023 11:42:00 AM

Understanding What Aviation Safety Culture Is

“Safety culture” is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in aviation safety management systems (SMS) as a vague reference to different aspects of safety.

Understanding the meaning of aviation safety culture is less practiced in philosophy as it is recognition of what it looks like in actual practice for:

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Topics: 4-Safety Promotion

5 Indicators of Reactive or Proactive Safety Culture in Your Aviation SMS

Posted by Stu Martin on Oct 18, 2023 10:00:00 AM

Not So Obvious

The line between reactive and proactive safety workplaces is unfortunately not as concrete as anyone would like. If it were so obvious, many organizations would be far less reactive.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

4 Ways to Know You Are Qualified to Be an Aviation Safety Officer

Posted by Stu Martin on Sep 27, 2023 3:48:00 PM

Certification vs. Qualification

Last year my wife went to the dentist to have a filling put into one of her teeth. She had severe pain for several days, went back to the dentist, and found out that he had put the filling in backward.

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Topics: 4-Safety Promotion

How to Define Acceptable Level of Safety (ALoS) in Aviation SMS

Posted by Stu Martin on Sep 13, 2023 6:10:00 AM

What Is an Acceptable Level of Safety (ALoS)

The objective of aviation safety management systems (SMS) is to

  1. Proactively manage safety,
  2. Identify and report potential safety hazards,
  3. Determine risk to operational safety; and
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Topics: Quality-Safety Management

4 Pillars | What Is Hazard Identification in Aviation SMS

Posted by Stu Martin on Sep 6, 2023 6:05:00 AM

Definition of Hazard Identification

Hazard identification in aviation SMS is the baseline performance needed for a successful safety program. It is the first element of the Safety Risk Management component of the 4 Pillars of aviation safety.

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Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management

Audit Checklist: 10 Things to Prepare for Aviation SMS Audits

Posted by Stu Martin on Aug 30, 2023 6:05:00 AM

Things to Prepare for Aviation SMS Audits

There are many aviation audit checklists available online.

While these checklists offer many specific tasks you need to perform, few checklists offer a broad overview of things that airports, airlines,

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance, Quality-Safety Management

43 Benefits of Aviation Safety Management Systems (Proven)

Posted by Stu Martin on Aug 23, 2023 6:11:00 AM

Safety Benefits of Aviation Safety Management Systems

The most obvious benefits of implementing an aviation safety management system (SMS) are the marked improvements in safety.

Just to give you an idea of exactly how successful aviation SMS implementations have been,

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation

5 Safety Management Systems Questions You Need Answers to

Posted by Stu Martin on Aug 16, 2023 6:00:00 AM

Questions Come First in Safety Management

The unfortunate fact is that many managers in aviation safety management systems (SMS) don’t start asking serious questions until their SMS is either “stuck” or in trouble.

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Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management

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