SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

What Is a Hazard

A hazard in aviation risk management is a condition that poses danger to your organization and can lead to safety incidents if not mitigated. Hazards are central to the entire risk management process. Often, hazards are either confused with risks (i.e., accidents) or hazardous sources. In this article, we will explore what hazardous sources are and how they differ from hazards.

First, let’s distinguish what a hazard is. A hazard is a term that satisfies ALL the following real-life conditions:

Aviation Safety Policy Influences Safety Assurance

Our global economy relies heavily on aviation SMS safety assurance activities to be carried out dutifully by aviation service providers.

The aviation industry is responsible for safely transporting goods and people all over the world.

Why Policies Involved In Issues Charts Matter for Your Aviation SMS

Operational #policies and procedures are the bureaucratic backbones to the success of every organization. The policies and procedures are the recipes or secret sauce that your company uses to deliver its product or service.

The purpose of every aviation safety management system (SMS), besides obviously improving levels of system safety, is to improve operational processes to a point where risk is mitigated as low as reasonably practical (ALARP).

SMS Implementation Guidance Still Needed

Over a dozen years (Nov 2006) have passed since ICAO issued its first mandate requiring member states to implement formal, structured aviation safety management systems (SMS).

By now, I would like to believe there is considerable guidance available for aviation service providers to implement their aviation SMS. However, approximately ten percent of the people I encounter in my work as a provider of aviation SMS software request guidance on setting up their aviation SMS.

What Information You Need to Analyze Risk

In aviation SMS, you analyze risk in order to identify how a particular issue affects safety. Based on your analysis, you can assess the safety issue, thereby ranking the level of risk and understanding what, if any, actions you need to take on the issue.

When you analyze the risk of an issue, you should be looking out for specific parts of the issue, such as:

What Does Ideal Safety Culture Look Like in Aviation SMS

I have written before that one of the biggest problems with safety culture in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is the way most of us understand what safety culture is. The problem confounds itself when one considers the other related organizational performance topics, such as:

• Just culture;
• Learning culture;
• Flexible culture;
• Reporting culture; and
• Informed culture.

What Are Leading Indicators in Aviation SMS?

Leading indicators is a current hot topic in safety programs.

I’ve noticed that there also seems to be differing and even conflicting information about exactly what are leading indicators in aviation safety management systems (SMS).

I’ve seen lagging indicators equated with

1. predictive risk management,
2. root causes, and
3. – most commonly – leading indicator examples.

Aviation Safety Promotion Activities Don't Have to Cost Much

Every aviation safety program is on a budget, and incorporating safety programs can sometimes be costly, but there are some ways to keep safety as a priority without spending a dime, such as

• Developing a training program with integrated safety training;
• Encouraging an environment of positive peer influence; and
• Providing an outlet for anonymous reporting of incidents.

Which Safety Charts Help Accountable Executives the Most?

In aviation safety management systems (SMS), the accountable executive is responsible for ensuring their SMS is both:

• implemented according to regulatory standards; and
• performing in all areas of the organization.

To ensure the SMS is performing as designed, accountable executives should be regularly reviewing organizational safety performance.

Why Change Management in Aviation SMS Is Important

Management of change in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is a complex undertaking because so often it involves performing in-depth risk analysis and risk assessments on current and hypothetical

• hazards,
• equipment;
• processes and procedures;
• environments, and
• one-off situations.