SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

What Are Roles in Aviation Safety Management Systems

Roles in aviation SMS are used to categorize different responsibilities of employees in your safety program. Each role in your SMS will be responsible for different areas of your SMS, including different duties to fulfill those responsibilities. SMS roles are assigned to each of your employees.

Developing roles are among the first steps when implementing an SMS, especially when you are using an SMS database to manage safety issues and concerns.

What Is Safety Assurance Process in Aviation SMS

Safety Assurance in aviation SMS is a process that helps you ensure that your SMS is functioning as designed. Safety Assurance is most closely associated with Phase 4 of SMS implementation. Implementing Phase 4 largely involves implementing to:

• Monitor safety performance;
• Assess safety performance; and
• Practice continuous improvement.

Time Passes Quickly in the Aviation Safety Industry

Over a dozen years have passed since the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) required aviation safety management system (SMS) implementation by the following aviation service providers:

• Aircraft operators;
• Aircraft maintenance organizations (AMOs or MROs);
• Air navigation services providers;
• Helicopter operators;

Problems With Aviation Safety Departments vs Operations

Aviation service providers are in business to provide a service. While some providers are government-funded, most offer their services to achieve common strategic business objectives, namely:

• Increased market share;
• Increased financial or physical resources; or
• Innovation to create additional products or services.

Every aviation service provider works with finite resources to deliver their services to align with their business objectives.

Aviation Safety Managers Need SMS Management Tools

Safety managers are resourceful professionals. Their respective companies demand that they provide results on extremely limited budgets. Many times safety managers are appointed without adequate training. In these cases, safety managers are kicked into the deep end of the swimming pool.

Sink or swim, safety manager.

Most often, the accountable executive doesn't understand all the documentation requirements in an aviation safety management system (SMS).

What Aviation SMS Needs for Successful Hazard Reporting

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) needs input from three levels of your organization to be successful. Without the total involvement of your company, hazard reporting will fail.

The three levels of your company and their corresponding responsibility for setting up a successful hazard reporting program are:

• Administrative – providing resources (financial, policy)
• Managerial – appropriate action on reported issues

How to Use Key Performance Indicator Statistics?

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) revolve around the four ICAO pillars:

• Safety Policy;
• Risk Management;
• Safety Assurance; and
• Safety Promotion.

KPI statistics can be effectively used in each of these four pillars to monitor SMS performance.

What Is a Management System

The idea of a safety management system (SMS) is something those of us in the aviation risk management industry use as if an SMS were one solid “thing.” But a safety management system is actually made up of multiple ideas, packaged into a single, functioning effort for better aviation safety.

These different ideas are found in its name:

• Aviation;
• Safety;
• Management; and

Why Monitor Aviation Safety Key Performance Indicators?

Safety assurance is the third ICAO pillar or component of aviation safety management systems (SMS). While practicing safety assurance, aviation service providers focus on safety performance monitoring and measurement. Monitoring activities include constantly reviewing the effectiveness of established safety risk controls.

Safety risk controls are established under the safety risk management process and typically performed during proactive hazard analysis when safety teams perform safety risk assessments.

Aviation Safety Reporting Database Required - Spreadsheets Equal Noncompliance

Empirical evidence and results from historical aviation accident investigations have shown that accidents are often preceded by safety-related incidents that reveal the presence of untreated hazards.

These "leading indicators" are commonly known to employees and are usually not formally reported in an aviation safety management system (SMS) database.

Leading indicators can take one of several forms:

• Accidents;
• Incidents; and