SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Definition of Aviation SMS Safety Assurance

In November 2006, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) mandated that all member states implement formal aviation safety management systems (SMS). To facilitate compliance, ICAO guided regulatory authorities and aviation service providers with the publication of the Safety Management Manual (SMM), now in the fourth edition as of 2019.

An aviation SMS implementation covers considerable territory, including, but not limited to:

• Safety accountabilities;

What Is a Key Performance Indicator?

Answering the question, what is a key performance indicator, is not exactly as straightforward as it may seem.

This is because key performance indicators, known commonly as KPIs, have multiple uses in aviation safety management systems (SMS).

What Is a Key Performance Indicator in Aviation SMS?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are data metrics used to track performance in aviation safety management systems (SMS). This “performance” was not intended to measure only safety, but also quality and financial performance as well.

Understanding what is a key performance indicator is an essential component of being able to identify signs of good KPIs.

What Is Operational Risk for Airline SMS

Operation risk is a primary concern of airline safety management systems (SMS). Just as in traditional safety programs, modern SMS implementations will revolve around identifying hazards and controlling these safety events.

In a formal aviation SMS implementation, there are two inter-connected components:

Most Common Misunderstanding in Aviation Risk Management

We run across this time and time again in aviation risk management programs: safety management teams confuse hazards and risks, and consequently also confuse risks and consequences.

To be frank, misunderstanding the difference between these three things can have far-reaching repercussions on your ability to practice risk management in your aviation safety management system (SMS).

Why Safety Management Gets Safety Objectives Wrong

Somewhat surprisingly, in aviation safety management systems (SMS), safety objectives are often quite misunderstood. Experienced safety management may have a slightly misguided understanding of safety objectives.

New safety management will simply ask, what are safety objectives?

Goal of Risk Assessment Questions

Before making risk assessments, there are several important questions to ask about the issue in question. These questions are extremely significant, as they affect how you will rank the issue and how you will respond to it.

What Is Trend Analysis in Aviation SMS

Simply put, trend analysis in aviation SMS is an activity that is used to target patterns in your safety program that might otherwise be “lost in the noise” of your safety data.

Patterns can be related to behavior, occurrences, or other aspects of your safety program. Patterns are identified within your chosen time period.

What Is Aviation Safety Policy

An Aviation Safety Policy is a document in aviation safety management systems (SMS) that outlines:

• What your organization’s safety value are;
• Expectations from employees and stakeholders;
• What safety commitments your organization is willing to make, as directed by the accountable executive; and

Inadequate Safety Performance Compels Aviation SMS Implementation

The level of measurable aviation safety performance is not the same across the world, country-to-country, or airline-to-airline. Some countries are notorious for having substandard aviation safety records and some do not follow international standards, including Bangladesh, Haiti, Honduras, and more.