In aviation, where safety is paramount, a robust Safety Management System (SMS) is the cornerstone of risk management. For aviation safety managers and accountable executives—senior leaders responsible for SMS oversight—promoting SMS across an organization can be challenging, especially when training staff on complex concepts.
New safety managers often struggle to engage employees and foster a safety-first culture, while executives need practical ways to demonstrate leadership and compliance with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and national authorities like the FAA or EASA.
A “Safety Champion Program” is an effective strategy to promote SMS by recognizing and empowering employees who exemplify safety behaviors. This initiative not only boosts engagement but also strengthens the SMS pillar of safety promotion, encouraging hazard reporting, compliance, and continuous improvement.
This blog article provides a step-by-step guide to launching a Safety Champion Program, complete with examples and actionable tips. Whether you’re a safety manager training staff or an executive driving compliance, this guide will help you build a safety culture that endures.
A Safety Management System is a structured framework for identifying hazards, assessing risks, and implementing controls to prevent incidents in aviation operations. The SMS pillar of safety promotion focuses on fostering a safety culture through training, communication, and engagement. A Safety Champion Program supports this pillar by identifying employees who actively contribute to SMS—such as reporting hazards or suggesting improvements—and recognizing them as role models.
For accountable executives, the program demonstrates visible leadership and resource commitment, key elements of regulatory compliance. For safety managers, it simplifies training by showcasing real-world examples of SMS in action, making concepts more relatable for staff. By celebrating safety champions, organizations reinforce a just culture, encourage participation, and enhance safety performance.
A successful Safety Champion Program starts with clear objectives aligned with SMS goals. These objectives guide the program’s structure and ensure it supports safety promotion.
Encourage Hazard Reporting: Motivate employees to report hazards or near-misses, strengthening safety risk management.
Promote SMS Awareness: Increase understanding of SMS pillars—safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion—among staff.
Foster a Just Culture: Reinforce that reporting safety issues is valued, not punished, unless gross negligence is involved.
Recognize Contributions: Highlight employees who drive safety improvements, boosting morale and engagement.
Support Compliance: Demonstrate to regulators the organization’s commitment to safety promotion.
“Our Safety Champion Program aims to recognize employees who actively report hazards, suggest safety improvements, and promote SMS principles, fostering a just culture and ensuring compliance with FAA Part 5 and ICAO Annex 19.”
Actionable Tip: Draft a one-page program charter outlining objectives, eligibility, and benefits. Share it with the accountable executive for approval to ensure leadership buy-in.
Clear criteria define who qualifies as a safety champion, ensuring fairness and transparency. Criteria should reflect behaviors that support SMS pillars and encourage participation from all levels—pilots, ground crew, maintenance staff, and office personnel.
Hazard Reporting: Submitting detailed, actionable hazard or near-miss reports via the SMS reporting system.
Safety Suggestions: Proposing process improvements, such as updated procedures or equipment upgrades, that reduce risks.
Leadership in Safety: Leading by example, such as training peers on SMS concepts or promoting a just culture.
Training Completion: Completing SMS training modules and applying knowledge in daily work.
Team Collaboration: Working with colleagues to address safety issues, such as coordinating a runway inspection.
Submit at least two verified hazard reports per quarter that lead to risk mitigation.
Propose a safety improvement adopted by the safety team, e.g., a new checklist reducing maintenance errors.
Complete annual SMS training with a score of 90% or higher and mentor a colleague on reporting procedures.
Actionable Tip: Create a simple checklist of criteria and distribute it to employees via email or posters in crew rooms. Ensure criteria are inclusive to encourage participation from all departments.
Recognition is the heart of the Safety Champion Program, motivating employees to participate and reinforcing safety behaviors. The process should be consistent, visible, and meaningful.
Certificates or Awards: Present certificates, plaques, or badges at company events.
Public Acknowledgment: Feature champions in newsletters, town halls, or social media (with permission).
Tangible Rewards: Offer small incentives, like gift cards, branded merchandise, or extra time off, within budget constraints.
Leadership Involvement: Have the accountable executive personally congratulate champions to highlight senior-level commitment.
A regional airline recognizes safety champions quarterly:
Selection: The safety team reviews hazard reports and nominations, selecting three champions based on criteria.
Awards: Champions receive a $50 gift card, a “Safety Champion” certificate, and a feature in the company newsletter.
Event: The accountable executive presents awards at a virtual town hall, streamed to 400 employees, sharing how each champion’s actions improved safety.
Outcome: Hazard reporting increases by 35% within six months, and employee engagement surveys show a 20% improvement in safety culture perception.
Actionable Tip: Budget $2,000–$5,000 annually for rewards and events, presenting the proposal to the accountable executive as a compliance-enhancing investment.
A Safety Champion Program requires financial, human, and technological resources to succeed. These investments support the SMS pillar of safety promotion and demonstrate compliance to regulators.
Financial: Budgets for rewards, promotional materials (e.g., posters, certificates), and event costs (e.g., catering or streaming platforms).
Human: Safety managers to administer the program, trainers to educate staff, and the accountable executive’s time for events.
Technological: Hazard reporting systems to track submissions, e-learning platforms for training, and communication tools like intranets or apps. SMS Pro includes all these tools within one web-based system.
An airport operator allocates:
Financial: $4,000 for gift cards, certificates, and a quarterly safety event ($1,000 per event).
Human: Two safety analysts spend 10 hours monthly reviewing nominations, and the safety manager trains 150 staff on program criteria.
Technological: $10,000 for a hazard reporting app upgrade, enabling real-time submissions, and $2,000 for an intranet to share champion stories.
Outcome: The program identifies 12 champions in its first year, leading to a 25% increase in hazard reports and a successful FAA audit.
Actionable Tip: Create a resource plan detailing costs and benefits, emphasizing how the program supports safety promotion. Present it to the accountable executive during a budget review. Use SMS Pro to nominate candidates for the award based on employees' exceptional safety reporting habits and completing assigned safety tasks.
A successful launch generates excitement and encourages participation. Promotion should be ongoing to maintain momentum and embed the program in the safety culture.
Kickoff Event: Host a company-wide event, in-person or virtual, where the accountable executive introduces the program and its objectives.
Communication Campaign: Use newsletters, posters, emails, and briefings to explain criteria, rewards, and how to participate.
Training Integration: Incorporate program details into SMS training, showing how champions support hazard reporting and risk management.
Executive Endorsement: Feature the accountable executive in promotional materials, such as a video message, to signal leadership commitment.
A maintenance organization launches its Safety Champion Program:
Event: The accountable executive hosts a kickoff webinar, streamed to 250 employees, explaining the program and sharing a success story of a hazard report that prevented an incident.
Campaign: The safety team distributes posters in hangars and sends a weekly email series outlining criteria and rewards.
Training: SMS training includes a 10-minute module on the program, with a quiz to ensure understanding.
Outcome: 80% of staff report awareness of the program within one month, and 15 hazard reports are submitted in the first quarter.
Actionable Tip: Produce a short video (2–3 minutes) featuring the accountable executive explaining the program’s purpose and inviting participation. Host it on the company intranet for easy access.
To ensure the program’s success and compliance impact, monitor its performance and make adjustments as needed. This aligns with the SMS pillar of safety assurance, which emphasizes continuous improvement.
Track Participation: Monitor the number of hazard reports, nominations, and champions selected.
Measure Outcomes: Assess improvements in safety metrics, such as increased reporting or reduced incident rates.
Gather Feedback: Survey employees on the program’s clarity, fairness, and impact on safety culture.
Report to Regulators: Include program results in SMS audits or resource allocation reports to demonstrate compliance.
A cargo airline evaluates its Safety Champion Program after one year:
Participation: 60 hazard reports submitted, with 10 champions recognized.
Outcomes: Near-miss reporting rises by 40%, and an audit identifies fewer compliance gaps.
Feedback: A survey shows 85% of employees feel motivated to report hazards due to the program.
Regulatory Impact: The program is highlighted in an EASA inspection, earning praise for safety promotion efforts.
Actionable Tip: Create a quarterly program dashboard tracking participation, outcomes, and feedback. Share it with the accountable executive and safety team to guide improvements.
Sharing success stories reinforces the program’s value and inspires others to participate. These stories highlight how champions support SMS pillars and improve safety.
Champion: Sarah, a ground crew member at an airport.
Action: Sarah reported a recurring issue with loose runway gravel, submitting three detailed reports via the hazard reporting app.
Impact: The safety team conducted a risk assessment, and the accountable executive approved $15,000 for runway repairs, reducing foreign object debris incidents by 30%.
Recognition: Sarah received a certificate and a $100 gift card at a town hall, with her story featured in the company newsletter.
Outcome: Her example inspired 10 colleagues to submit reports, strengthening safety risk management.
Actionable Tip: Publish one success story per quarter in a safety bulletin, linking the champion’s actions to specific SMS pillars. Share it with regulators during inspections.
New safety managers often struggle to train staff on SMS and engage busy executives. Here’s how to address these challenges with a Safety Champion Program:
Simplify SMS Concepts: Use champions’ stories to illustrate SMS pillars, making training relatable. For example, explain safety risk management through Sarah’s gravel report.
Engage Executives: Schedule brief, focused meetings to review program progress, emphasizing its compliance benefits.
Encourage Participation: Offer group nominations to involve teams, reducing pressure on individuals to self-nominate.
Actionable Tip: Create a one-page program flyer summarizing objectives, criteria, and success stories. Distribute it during training to spark interest.
A Safety Champion Program is a powerful tool for promoting aviation SMS, engaging employees, and demonstrating compliance. By recognizing staff who embody safety behaviors, safety managers and accountable executives can strengthen the SMS pillar of safety promotion, foster a just culture, and enhance safety performance. This guide provides a roadmap to launch a program that resonates with staff and impresses regulators.
Start by defining objectives and criteria, then secure resources and launch with a strong campaign. Use success stories to sustain momentum and evaluate progress to ensure long-term impact. With a Safety Champion Program, you’ll not only meet regulatory requirements but also create a safety culture that protects lives and assets for years to come.
Call to Action: Ready to promote your SMS? Draft a Safety Champion Program plan today and share it with your accountable executive. Distribute this article to your team to inspire action and training.