SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Weigh Aviation SMS Consulting Pros and Cons

Aviation SMS consulting is for professionals who choose to independently contract custom SMS solutions for clients.

SMS consultants have differing roles in their clients’ SMS, depending on the needs of each organization they partner with.

Consultants generally have many years of aviation SMS experience and are equipped with the network and knowledge to provide solutions to diverse needs.

Risk Attitude Is the Informal 13^th Human Factor

When analyzing the types of actions and behavior to address during implementing an aviation safety management system (SMS), you have to consider the risk management attitudes of:

• individuals,
• groups (e.g., departments),

Building on Basic Human Factors Training

Lack of preparedness is a serious concern for aviation safety.

Uninformed actions can quickly result in devastating safety and financial consequences.

Considering human action accounts for approximately 90% of incidents, preparedness in aviation safety is a matter of preparing humans to identify and understand their own actions.

Too Complex for One Person

The long and short of is this: don’t fool yourself. You’re just one person. One component in the clock that makes your aviation safety management system (SMS) tick.

Don’t get me wrong, as an aviation safety manager, inspector, executive, etc. you may be central in keeping the word safety in your SMS program. The basic fact remains that the weight and complexity inherent in all SMS programs – even small programs – are quickly outstripping anyone’s ability to be in the know of everything.

Responsibility for Aviation Risk Management

Aviation risk management is the backbone and general goal of modern aviation safety management systems (SMS).

Developing the maturity of an aviation SMS program is tantamount to cultivating more sophisticated, accurate, and proactive risk management strategies.

Responsibility in aviation risk management is kind of a messy word. Historically and structurally, aviation SMS programs are depicted as being top-down.

The clean answer as far as "who has responsibility for risk management" is that management does.

Proactive Aviation Safety Managers: Diverse Skills

There are many ways to describe what an aviation safety manager does. They are associated with phrases such as “plate spinners,” “wear many hats,” and “task jugglers.” For good reason too.

Aviation safety is a complex beast that requires diverse expertise to properly spearhead.

Aviation SMS Training Resistance More Than Just “Boring”

I hardly need to point out how critical aviation SMS training is for the ongoing success of any aviation safety program.

Operators with well-developed safety training strategies often reap the benefits of a resilient, high-functioning aviation safety management system (SMS).

“Aviation Risk Management” Is a Vague Phrase

It occurred to me recently that the phrase “aviation risk management” gets thrown around in many different contexts, both by myself and anyone else who writes about aviation safety management systems (SMS). While “aviation risk management” gives the impression of being a single, solid idea – something to attain for – in reality, it is a phrase that means many different things depending on the context.

Getting (Back) to the Basics of Aviation SMS

It’s easy to get absorbed in the gritty details of complex systems – this is especially true of aviation safety management systems (SMS).

For newcomers to the world of aviation SMS, it can seem overwhelming and daunting.

Importance for Visualizing Management's Risk Management Performance

Aviation safety charts gather and present aviation safety management system (SMS) information to stakeholders, who can then use this information to make informed, fact-based decisions. Safety charts can also influence safety culture, either for the better or for the worst.

We started creating performance monitoring dashboards for managers approximately ten years ago. By far, the most talked about safety chart in the SMS database is the on-time task performance chart. When all employees and management have transparent visibility into the aviation SMS, management is held to a higher level of accountability.