SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Why Safety Management Gets Safety Objectives Wrong

Somewhat surprisingly, in aviation safety management systems (SMS), safety objectives are often quite misunderstood. Experienced safety management may have a slightly misguided understanding of safety objectives.

New safety management will simply ask, what are safety objectives? Do you know how to properly describe safety objectives?

Some of the most common errors made with safety objectives are:

What Is Aviation Safety Policy

An Aviation Safety Policy is a document in aviation safety management systems (SMS) that outlines:

• What your organization’s safety value are;
• Expectations from employees and stakeholders;
• What safety commitments your organization is willing to make, as directed by the accountable executive; and
• Which resources employees can use to fulfill their SMS duties and responsibilities (policies, procedures, accountabilities, tools)?

What Are Safety Objectives in Aviation SMS

Safety objectives in aviation SMS are the markers your safety program uses to assess whether or not your safety goals are being achieved. Your safety objectives will be the basis for how you measure safety performance.

Creating safety objectives is one of the most important tasks for setting yourself up to make good safety decisions and to monitor the performance of the SMS.

Important elements to point out when discussing what safety objectives are in aviation SMS are:

What Is Safety Policy in Aviation SMS

Your Safety Policy is the canon of your aviation safety program. It outlines all of the essential information anyone in your company would want to know regarding safety. It is one of the first components of your SMS that you will develop. It will be the document that you:

• Reference in response to employee questions;
• Demonstrate to auditors; and
• Use to outline essential facets of your SMS.

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.

So, how do you make your SMS manual a tool that supports your SMS? Here are three best practices to put your manual to work today.

Be Aware of Your Aviation Safety Management Myths

Awareness is a great weapon for overcoming problems in aviation safety management systems (SMS). When aviation safety managers try and implement an aviation SMS while at the same time clinging to myths:

• People get hurt;
• The company loses money; and
• The SMS makes no progress.

Myths plague aviation SMS implementation – we’ve all been guilty at one time or another of clinging to false beliefs. It’s part of the learning curve.

1 - What Are Aviation SMS Human Factors

Human Factors in aviation SMS identify the motivating factors behind common human behaviors that pose risk.

For example, Fatigue is a common Human Factor that hinders one’s ability to make good decisions, perform common tasks, and identify hazards – all of which pose risk to a program.

When reported safety issues are being managed, management will usually associate the issue with types of hazards, root causes, and if applicable, Human Factors.

Safety Management Systems Originated Long Ago

The earliest piece of SMS legislation in recorded history is probably the Hammurabi code, a Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia which dates back to 1754 BC.

It was Babylonian king Hammurabi who enacted the code, which consists of 282 laws with scaled punishments in accordance with the ‘an eye for an eye’ adage. The latter is probably the most famous part of the Hammurabi code, which is still renowned today.

The Hammurabi code regulated several contractual matters,

What Is an Organizational Chart's Purpose in Aviation SMS?

A professional, task-driven safety manager has been assigned to implement an airline or airport's safety program. Under "safety policy" one section of the safety manual requires an Organizational Chart.

Most professionals know an org chart when they see it, but what goes into the org chart for the safety program? What is the easiest way to create this org chart? Why do we have an org chart in the safety management program?

Goals of an Aviation SMS

We know that aviation safety management is a system of safety management activities.

Policies, processes, and procedures are created to systematically approach

• hazard identification,
• risk monitoring, and
• prevention of accidents and serious incidents.