Aviation safety management systems (SMS) have many required components that must be monitored and documented regularly. Much of this gathered data assists in enhancing operational processes by providing managers with actionable, decision-making value.
To assist with this onerous task, aviation SMS risk management tools are fantastic additions to every SMS repertoire – if you use them.
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
Aviation Incident and Accident Reporting Software are specialized software systems that facilitate the collection, analysis, and reporting of aviation incidents and accidents. Safety reporting systems are crucial for enhancing aviation safety by providing a structured, repeatable process to document, analyze, and learn from occurrences within the aviation industry.
Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management
It's very important to review SMS Manuals.
The most common audit finding is that the operator is not conducting operations as stated in their SMS manual.
Furthermore, your manual is only as useful as the information it contains. If the information is out of date, employees will lose trust in it. This undermines the safety culture you've worked to build.
Review your manual at regular intervals. Annual reviews are best practice, but some operators go as long as 3 years between reviews.
Topics: 1-Safety Policy
As a safety manager, the implementation plan is your road map to success, but finding guidance on how to create one is difficult at best.
The FAA doesn't provide an implementation plan for the latest Part 5 regulations, but there is an implementation plan suggested by ICAO 9859.
ICAO recommends a 5-year plan with 4 phases of implementation, but this plan may not work well for small organizations or those with many elements already in place.
Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation
Securing top management support is critical for a successful aviation Safety Management System (SMS), ensuring compliance with FAA Part 5 and ICAO Annex 19 while enhancing safety for airlines, airports, MROs, and flight schools. These four actionable tips, leveraging SMS Pro tools, help safety managers pitch SMS effectively, overcoming resistance and driving organizational buy-in, as discussed in our management support guide.
Topics: 1-Safety Policy
In aviation, where safety is paramount, a Safety Management System (SMS) is the foundation for managing risks and ensuring operational excellence.
At the core of any SMS lies the SMS manual—a critical document that outlines an organization’s safety policies, procedures, and processes. For aviation safety managers, crafting a comprehensive SMS manual is essential for meeting regulatory requirements, passing audits, and fostering a culture where safety is everyone’s priority.
Topics: 1-Safety Policy
In many of today's articles about aviation safety management systems, there is something about safety culture. Why? Safety culture ties into every part of your SMS, feeding it as your SMS nurtures your safety culture in return.
It’s a symbiotic relationship, like honeybees and flowers. Each one needs the other to grow and thrive. When your safety culture thrives, your SMS is easier to build and maintain.
Topics: Safety Culture
You’re probably familiar with the 4 Phases of SMS implementation outlined by ICAO 9859. Here, I’ll break them down another way, into 7 steps.
For a deep dive into how to use the 4 Phases of SMS implementation, start with How to Complete Phase 1 of Aviation SMS Implementation.
If, for whatever reason, the four phases don’t resonate with you, here is another way to look at building an SMS for aviation service providers. Much like the 4 phases, these are not steps that must be taken in order.
Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation
Internal SMS audits are an extremely important element in verifying the performance of every aviation safety management system (SMS). They’re also a neglected process in a surprisingly large number of smaller operators' SMS risk management schedules.
Just ask yourself, when was the last time you performed an internal audit on your aviation SMS implementation? Let’s also be clear about what we mean when we say “audit”, as this word is thrown around loosely.
Topics: Quality-Safety Management
Responsibility n. the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. (Oxford Dictionary)
Most of us learned about responsibility as children. Our parents gave us responsibilities like walking the dog or loading the dishwasher. As adults, we’re responsible for paying our bills, finishing our tasks at work, and doing the laundry.
Topics: Quality-Safety Management
These two on-demand videos offer:
