SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

What Is an Aviation Safety Database for SMS Implementations?

Posted by Tyler Britton on Apr 6, 2021 5:55:00 AM

Aviation Safety Database Saves Considerable Resources

An aviation safety database is not simply an improvement over spreadsheets. The database completely overhauls the way you interact with safety information in an aviation safety management system (SMS). An SMS database is a proper technology to manage an aviation SMS for operators with:

  • more than 50 employees; or
  • high employee turnover; or
  • VIP operations that must have the highest level of safety.
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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

What Is Advanced Aviation SMS? → Safety Management Systems

Posted by Christopher Howell on Mar 1, 2021 6:00:00 AM

What Is Advanced Aviation SMS Series?

Aviation SMS Must Be Business First—Safety Second

Does your aviation SMS make money? Probably not.

Why not? Most aviation SMS failures result from operators consistently neglecting to follow the prescribed aviation SMS recipe as originally designed. Other operators treat SMS as a "check-the-box" obligation to satisfy as expeditiously as possible, thereby consciously neglecting the "presumable benefits."

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation, 3-Safety Assurance

FAA Part 5 - Monitor Safety Risk Controls in Aviation SMS

Posted by Christopher Howell on Nov 11, 2020 6:00:00 AM

Do You Really Understand Safety Risk Controls?

FAA Part 5 - Safety Management Systems has a subtle, but important requirement stuck in subsection 5.25 Designation and responsibilities of required safety management personnel. There is a subsection that packs a dynamite punch that should leave most of you reeling with uncertainty.

This requirement is buried in the subsection 5.25 (c) Designation of management personnel and deals with monitoring the effectiveness of safety risk controls.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

FAA Part 5 Compliance | Safety Assurance Continuous Improvement

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jan 6, 2020 6:15:00 AM

Purpose of Continuous Improvement in Safety Assurance Pillar

In every aviation safety management system (SMS), the accountable executive is responsible for ensuring the SMS is properly implemented and performing in all areas of the organization. The intent is not for the aviation SMS to reach some ideal "plateau of safety" and then maintain the "ideal safety level." Far from it!

The purpose of the aviation SMS is to demonstrate that the organization can proactively manage safety year after year, audit after audit.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance, FAA Compliance

FAA Part 5 Compliance | Safety Assurance Analysis of Data Component

Posted by Tyler Britton on Dec 30, 2019 5:55:00 AM

What Is Safety Assurance in Aviation SMS

For an aviation safety management system (SMS) to be effective, the SMS must be monitored to assure managers and regulatory authorities that the SMS is both

  • implemented correctly, and
  • working as designed.

An ICAO-compliant SMS is structured around four main components, which are also known as the Four Pillars. The third aviation SMS component is Safety Assurance (SA).

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance, FAA Compliance

How to Set Up Classifications in Aviation SMS Implementations

Posted by Tyler Britton on Dec 25, 2019 6:12:00 AM

Why Classifications Are Important in Risk Management Activities

The objective of aviation safety management systems (SMS) is proactively manage safety using structured risk management processes.

Once operators have these processes in place, it is the civil aviation authorities (CAA) expectation for aviation service providers to able to use all four SMS components (also known as pillars) to enhance their capability to identify safety issues and spot trends before they result in a

  • near-miss,
  • incident, or
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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

What Is Importance of Data Mining in Aviation SMS Implementations

Posted by Tyler Britton on Dec 23, 2019 5:54:00 AM

What Is Data Mining in Aviation SMS?

Data mining is a critical, intermittent risk management activity safety managers need to perform in their aviation safety management systems (SMS) to organize, understand, and process collected safety data acquired during the organization's risk management processes.

Data mining techniques can be performed with a modest, home-grown aviation safety database and simple tools, or with complex software and professional, commercially available aviation safety databases.

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Topics: Aviation SMS Database, 3-Safety Assurance

What Are Hazard Risk Assessment and Hazard Risk Analysis in Aviation SMS

Posted by Tyler Britton on Dec 20, 2019 5:56:00 AM

Why It’s Important to Understand the Difference between Assessment and Analysis

In aviation safety management systems (SMS), one of the main activities that senior managers and safety teams will undertake will be to

  1. identify hazards;
  2. evaluate risk associated with these hazards; and
  3. determine whether existing risk controls are adequate.
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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

4 Ways to Significantly Improve Safety Performance Using Aviation SMS

Posted by Tyler Britton on Dec 18, 2019 6:00:00 AM

Time to Be Honest About Your Aviation SMS Implementation

Creating successful aviation safety management systems (SMS) requires a great deal of honesty on the part of:

  • accountable executives;
  • operational department heads;
  • safety management teams; and
  • front-line employees.

In many cases, managers and employees alike tend to wear rose-colored glasses when evaluating operational safety and the efficacy of their SMS implementation.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

How to Demonstrate Continuous Improvement in Aviation SMS

Posted by Christopher Howell on Dec 16, 2019 6:15:00 AM

What Is Continuous Improvement in Aviation SMS

The purpose of aviation safety management systems (SMS) is to ensure aviation service providers have a structured, formal process to manage safety, thereby reducing risk to the "transportation system."

Aviation SMS implementations are designed to continuously improve safety performance by:

  • Identifying and documenting safety hazards;
  • Collecting and analyzing safety data;
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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

Site content provided by Northwest Data Solutions is meant for informational purposes only. Opinions presented here are not provided by any civil aviation authority or standards body.

 

 

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