SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Oversight Agencies Need to Support Risk Management Software

Something we hear about all the time is the general lack of support from regulatory oversight agencies during inspections and audits. This lack of support that safety managers complain about regards the usage of risk management software in audits that aviation service providers use daily to manage their required safety management systems (SMS).

I don't mean to imply that agencies like the FAA, Transport Canada, or EASA are against operators using risk management software by any means,

What Are the Safety Management System Databases?

In early 2007, when we started designing and developing SMS Pro, I was mildly surprised that many aviation safety managers called a Web application to manage aviation safety events a "safety management system" (SMS) database.

I'm an IT guy, and when I think of a database, I'm thinking about Oracle, SQL Server, MS Access, etc.

I believe the confusion comes from pilots who are used to dealing with MS Access databases.

The Importance of an Aviation SMS Manual

ICAO requires an SMS manual for many aviation organizations required to abide by their SMS mandate. It is very tempting to gloss over your manual... to get it out of the way and never look at it again.

Manuals aren't sexy, and most of the time, they're boring at best. I've read a lot of manuals that were downright painful.

Safety Managers Suffer Common Problem Selecting Valuable KPIs

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) measures how effectively aviation service providers are achieving key business or safety objectives. Civil aviation authorities also use KPIs to evaluate their success at reaching safety targets.

When focusing on safety, there is a tendency of some safety professionals to use the term "safety performance indicator" (SPI) to differentiate pure business metrics from safety metrics.

Aviation Risk Management Requires a Safety Mindset

Aviation risk management is a vital part of being a well-rounded pilot. The safety mindset works best every time flying.

Although all components are important, perhaps the most vital of them all is understanding the importance of "aviation risk management."

The textbook definition of risk management is a decision-making process that relies on

• situational awareness,
• problem recognition, and
• good judgment

Seeking Out Mistakes in Aviation SMS Implementations

Being honest about mistakes is hard.

It’s even harder to try and seek out mistakes you are making that you do not know you are making.

In aviation safety management systems (SMS), safety managers are tasked with actively exploring, understanding, and seeking out failures in the program to improve them. Even unknown failures are holes in the safety structure of the SMS.

How to Conduct Root Cause Analysis

Every aviation safety management system (SMS) contains a subsystem to manage risk associated with reported safety issues and audit findings. This subsystem can be called the SMS' risk management system as this system provides the logical workflow necessary to efficiently:

• Conduct and document investigations;
• Assign and track corrective actions and preventive actions;
• Perform risk assessments; and

Aviation SMS Structure Is the Backbone of a Safety Program

The management of aviation safety is a shared responsibility among all levels (i.e., stakeholders) of an organization.

Top management has to set the basis for establishing

• safety culture,
• safety policy,
• protections to employees, and
• the structure for controlling risk.

Understanding What Safety Performance in Aviation SMS Is

Safety performance in aviation safety management systems (SMS) can be difficult to fully comprehend because it involves so many moving parts. In general, we understand safety performance as involving the:

• Ability to comply with regulations of oversight agencies;
• Ability to monitor operational safety performance;
• Risk management processes to mitigate risk and monitor risk controls;

Communication Critical to Aviation Safety Managers Role

Aviation safety managers need to give feedback – both praise and criticism – to employees and management regularly. It’s an essential part of their role as a leader in driving the performance of their aviation safety management system (SMS).

Safety managers who communicate well with employees and other managers tend to be significantly more successful in all areas of their aviation SMS, such as: