SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Time to Be Honest About Your Aviation SMS Implementation

Creating successful aviation safety management systems (SMS) requires a great deal of honesty on the part of:

• accountable executives;
• operational department heads;
• safety management teams; and
• front-line employees.

In many cases, managers and employees alike tend to wear rose-colored glasses when evaluating operational safety and the efficacy of their SMS implementation.

What Is Continuous Improvement in Aviation SMS

The purpose of aviation safety management systems (SMS) is to ensure aviation service providers have a structured, formal process to manage safety, thereby reducing risk to the "transportation system."

Aviation SMS implementations are designed to continuously improve safety performance by:

• Identifying and documenting safety hazards;
• Collecting and analyzing safety data;

Purpose of Safety Performance Assessment in Safety Assurance Pillar

If you cannot measure safety performance in your aviation safety management systems (SMS), then:

• How do you know whether your operations are as safe as can be reasonably expected?
• How can you set safety goals and objectives when you don't have actionable intelligence to assist in fact-based decision-making processes?
• How do you know your aviation SMS is driving operational performance improvements?

Aviation Safety Management Systems Are Defined by Interactions

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) need certain interactions or features within the system for it to be successful.

Interactions in aviation SMS always denote a relationship between two parts. These parts can be any aspect of the SMS implementation's moving parts, such as its:

• Employees;
• Managers;
• Interfaces (internal and external departments);

Why Aviation SMS Audits Are Important

The objective of Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS) is to:

• Proactively manage safety to reduce risk;
• Identify potential safety hazards;
• Determine operational risk, and
• Implement control measures mitigating identified risk.

What Is Safety Assurance for FAA

Safety Assurance is designed to ensure that aviation service providers have the ability to manage safety risks effectively using a structured, prescribed approach to managing identified safety concerns.

The purpose of aviation safety management systems (SMS) is to provide operators with a "systematic approach to managing safety. Yet there are no standards that every operator must follow, as the range of aviation industry segments is vast, just as the size and complexity of the thousands of service providers around the world.

The Glamour of Aviation SMS Consulting

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) are viewed as complex systems comprised of multiple, interdependent subsystems. These subsystems include, but are not limited to:

• Safety reporting system;
• Risk management system;
• SMS training management system;
• Safety communication system(s); and
• Safety performance monitoring systems.

FAA Part 5 Safety Policy Documentation Compliance

FAA Part 5 compliance for Safety Policy is largely the concern of new aviation SMS implementations for Part 121 operators.

An aviation safety management system (SMS) is logically broken up into components and elements. This logical arrangement makes it easier for safety professionals to organize multiple subsystems within a large, interrelated system of elements.

Safety Policy requirements are mainly fulfilled in the first phase of aviation SMS implementation and reviewed throughout the lifetime of the SMS.

What Is Safety Transparency in Safety Management Systems

Safety transparency is a big deal in aviation safety management systems (SMS). On one hand, employees need protection from managerial reprisals and negative peer pressure when self-reporting errors and mistakes. On the other hand, employees are genuinely interested in learning what dangers lurk in the workplace and how to avoid these dangers.

How much safety information should be shared?

Benefits of Aviation SMS for Flight Schools

Flight schools operate with many risky hazards every day.

Students are inexperienced, usually younger, and are new to technology and the hazards of flying.

Moreover, the pressure that students undergoing flight training feel to perform well naturally makes them less prepared to identify hazards early on.