An internal aviation SMS audit is how you evaluate any part of your SMS.
On the one hand, you use such audits to ensure that certain actions are taking place in your SMS, such as SRM operations or continuous improvement.
Safety programs with good audit processes have multiple processes. Each audit process will audit a different aspect of your aviation safety program, such as:
Topics: 3-Safety Assurance
We recently analyzed the key performance indicators (KPIs) of hundreds of aviation service providers around the globe, and used our data to assess what the most common KPI concerns are for the aviation industry.
The top 5 KPIs in aviation safety based on our data are KPIs related to:
Topics: Key Performance Indicators
Simple safety charts often speak volumes.
A group of simple, yet related, safety charts evolves nicely into a performance monitoring dashboard. For aviation service providers, a secure, easily accessible dashboard allows management to remain updated as to the performance of their aviation safety management system (SMS).
A simple risk management chart embedded within a dashboard may communicate many things, including:
Topics: Risk Management Software
The other day, I had a rather interesting discussion with a couple of seasoned aviation safety managers on the topic of aviation safety audits vs inspections.
It took a while to come to a consensus about the primary differences, as well as the ideological implications of each. The discussion got me thinking, and I did some further research.
More than simply understanding the practical difference between the two, it's important to understand the ideological differences between safety audits and safety inspections as well.
Topics: 3-Safety Assurance
You can’t really overestimate the value and usefulness of having high-quality hazard reporting forms.
Hazard reporting underpins your ability to acquire data, which is the basis of most of the continuous improvement changes you make to your aviation SMS.
Good hazard reporting forms provide:
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
Fishbone diagrams are perhaps the best risk management tool in aviation safety management systems (SMS) for gaining a comprehensive understanding of root causes of safety incidents.
A fishbone diagram derives its name from its fishlike appearance, with a head of several fins.
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
One of the most ubiquitous problems in aviation risk management is the misuse of commonly used words, in particular “hazard” and “risk.” Often, these two items are either:
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
Control measures are the heart of your aviation safety management system’s (SMS) risk mitigation efforts. You may call your "control measures" either:
Topics: 3-Safety Assurance
Repeat safety incidents are extremely indicative of management’s safety performance in mitigating safety concerns.
Having repeat safety incidents is clear evidence that management is “missing” or “overlooking” something when they are correcting reported safety concerns.
Topics: Quality-Safety Management
If you put 10 safety managers in a room and asked them what root cause analysis was, they would have ten different answers.
Safety professionals all say that they perform root cause analysis at some time during their risk management process. In their minds, that’s probably true.
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
These two on-demand videos offer:
