SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Mistakes Are an Opportunity

In any industry, there are bound to be mistaken. Mistakes can be either willful or unintentional, but are equally dangerous to aviation safety.

In aviation, unintentional mistakes can lead to devastating accidents, an outcome that we hope to prevent by implementing Safety Management Systems (SMS) in our organizations.

Aviation SMS implementations are expected to reduce both direct and indirect costs associated with accidents and minor incidents.

What Is Management of Change in Aviation SMS

Management of change in aviation SMS is a formal process for facilitating changes in safety programs. In general, the change management process is evoked when larger, system-level changes are needed in the SMS.

Small changes are handled with corrective actions.

The basic tenants of management of change in aviation SMS are:

• Airlines, airports, and other aviation service providers establish a formal, repeatable process for change;

What Does It Mean to Mitigate Risk?

The term “mitigate risk” and “risk mitigation” is slightly misleading. This is because the meaning of the term “risk” changes depending on the context in which it is used.

Confusion also exists because different safety experts have different understandings of what “risk” means.

Risk can mean:

• The composite likelihood and severity of something happening, as in “The risk of…”;
• A specific occurrence that is bad/undesirable, as in a “risk occurrence.”

What Is Safety Culture Really?

"Safety culture" in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot and in many types of SMS conversations.

Yet “safety culture” is also a phrase that rarely receives a concise definition, and is often used to convey “a general sense of safety.”

This definition is not good enough. What does safety culture mean to you? Has your perception of safety culture changed within the past five years? Has your definition remained constant? Is there a "best-in-class" safety culture type?

More Insidious than Confrontational

Formal aviation safety management systems (SMS) are continually being implemented across the world for over a dozen years now. Some are successful, while many are not. Failed or under-performing aviation SMS are a concern for account executives and the safety team.

How can management increase the chance of a successful SMS implementation?

How do safety managers remain alert to risks to their SMS implementation?

Ground Handling Accidents in Aviation Risk Management

A couple of months ago I was sitting on a Boeing 737 jet waiting for the rest of the passengers to board the plane.

My seat was near the front of the aircraft, and I had a central view of ground handling operations. Since I boarded nice and early, I had nothing better to do than sit and observe the bustling of workers, bags, and carts below me.

As I was watching, I saw one of the ground handlers come flying in on one of his carts, narrowly passing between a piece of ground equipment and another vehicle, and then come to an abrupt stop near the 737. Moreover, his route to the 737 could hardly be called standard operating procedure.

Audit Performance Is 90% Aviation Safety Audit Preparation

Okay, I made up the “90%” figure, but aviation safety audit preparation undoubtedly plays a huge role in how you perform on aviation SMS audits. Considering that jobs may depend on audit performance, passing them is extremely critical. But you already know this.

Nonetheless when aviation SMS auditors are coming – and the stress level rises – it’s not always easy to prioritize getting prepared.

So much of audit preparation is going depend simply on your ability to know how to prepare.

Too Complex for One Person

The long and short of is this: don’t fool yourself. You’re just one person. One component in the clock that makes your aviation safety management system (SMS) tick.

Don’t get me wrong, as an aviation safety manager, inspector, executive, etc. you may be central in keeping the word safety in your SMS program. The basic fact remains that the weight and complexity inherent in all SMS programs – even small programs – are quickly outstripping anyone’s ability to be in the know of everything.

Aviation SMS Training Resistance More than Just “Boring”

I hardly need to point out how critical aviation SMS training is for the ongoing success of any aviation safety program.

Operators with well-developed safety training strategies often reap the benefits of a resilient, high functioning aviation safety management system (SMS).

Effective SMS training can mean the difference between obligatory aviation risk management performance and willing, highly active SMS participation by all employees.

Too bad so many employees can’t stand training.

Most Important Questions to Monitor Safety Performance in SMS

Monitoring safety performance in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is undoubtedly one of the most important tasks you will undertake in your SMS. Regulatory requirements turn to monitoring the performance of the SMS from a "nice-to-have program" for reducing risk and avoiding accidents to a "must have and must demonstrate proof" to comply with SMS regulatory requirements.

Safety performance monitoring is integral for maintaining Safety Assurance and the integrity of your SMS program.