SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Aviation SMS Implementations Are Result of Many Small Actions

The process of aviation safety management systems (SMS), simply put, is the conglomeration of many small actions on the part of safety management teams, operational managers and employees.

The Method of Talking about a Safety Management System

In another post about safety management systems for the layman, I discussed some of the groundwork for what an aviation safety management system (SMS) is and who uses it.

But as a good friend of mine who is a safety inspector told me – and this is true, “I don’t tell people what I do. I just tell people I’m a Civil Engineer because that’s

What Is Risk Assessment?

In November 2006, ICAO mandated that all member states implement formal aviation safety management systems (SMS). One objective was to provide aviation service providers with a standardized approach to managing safety.

During the aviation SMS implementation, operators must create and maintain a formal process of risk analysis and risk assessment in order to keep safety performance at an acceptable level of safety (ALoS). This process is “formal” in the sense that this process needs to be documented and reviewed.

Performing risk assessments in aviation SMS may start with hazard identification and the subsequent hazard reporting activity. Alternatively, a management of change project may have initiated a system review that identified either existing hazards or new hazards.

Why You Need to Know Difference between Reactive, Predictive, and Proactive Risk Management

Aviation safety managers and employees who understand the real difference between reactive, predictive, and proactive risk management activities gain considerable benefit for generating good safety performance.

The fact is that these three types of risk management strategies are often misunderstood and/or confused.

Can you describe the difference?

Safety Management Systems Not Just for Large Operators

When we think of safety management systems (SMS), it’s easy to think of big operations such as major airlines and large international airports.

General aviation pilots and smaller aviation service providers need their own safety management systems as well, albeit not as complex as those maintained by larger operators.

Aviation Risk Management Skills Always Need Refining

Pilots have to be committed to safety.

At the end of the day, safety is the most important thing in aviation.

Whenever aviation service providers take risks with safety, they are possibly risking their own life and the lives of others.

An aviation professional who is successful in risk management is a person who is:

• detail oriented;
• excellent at prioritizing;
• focused on continuing to sharpen skills;
• interested in learning new risk management tools; and
• staying current with rules, techniques, and practices within their field.

What Is an Aviation Safety Manger in an SMS Program?

The aviation safety manager (SM) is the individual charged with developing, monitoring, and improving the safety management system (SMS) of the service provider.

The safety manager acts as the primary reference point for safety management issues in the organization. Safety professionals must understand risk management processes and much more.

Appointing a safety manager is a crucial step in establishing the SMS' organizational structure and planning for the aviation SMS' implementation. The appointed SM may be:

• Designated as a full time manager of safety, such as in larger organizations whose safety needs are robust enough for a full time SM; however
• In most organizations the manager of safety is appointed to an individual who has other safety duties.

Manage Safety Is Managing Risk

Ultimately, managing safety is about managing risk – a core value that can easily be overshadowed in large aviation safety management systems' (SMS) implementations.

In many ways, smaller organizations have a natural benefit for managing risk simply because:

• The scale is smaller;
• There are fewer variables to account for;
• Regulatory scrutiny is not as severe; and
• There is a tighter-knit community, therefore influencing safety cultures becomes easier.

What is Reactive Risk Management

Reactive risk management usually gets a bad rap. It’s often perceived as the “lowest” form of risk management, and that aviation service providers should be moving from reactive risk management towards more “advanced” forms to manage risk.

It’s extremely important that all employees understand that reactive risk management is extremely valuable to all aviation safety management systems (SMS) implementations.

Reactive risk management simply involves the ability to respond quickly to safety events.

What Is Task Delegation in Aviation Risk Management

Proper task delegation in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is critical for the efficiency and success of aviation risk management processes. An SMS implementation revolves around:

• Designing risk management processes;
• Implementing processes;
• Monitoring processes; and
• Reacting to exceptions discovered during system monitoring processes.