Enhancing Aviation Safety: Expert Insights, Tips, and Updates from SMS-Pro

High Stakes

Passing aviation safety audits is absolutely critical for safety managers, not to mention the accountable executive who is ultimately responsible for aviation safety management systems (SMS) performance.

Aviation Safety Audits Are Not for Just Airlines

Aviation safety managers must be prepared for a never-ending chain of audits. This is a fact of life, whether you are working at:

• Airlines;
• Airports;
• Ground handling companies;

What Is an Internal Aviation SMS Audit

An internal aviation safety management system (SMS) audit is a process you use to verify that certain actions are taking place in your SMS.

Audits are a safety assurance activity that is most commonly used to broadly assess whether or not aviation service providers can demonstrate continuous improvement of the SMS.

That being said, you might have different auditing processes for assessing different aspects of your SMS, such as:

What Is an Internal Aviation SMS Audit

An internal aviation SMS audit is how you evaluate any part of your SMS.

On the one hand, you use such audits to ensure that certain actions are taking place in your SMS, such as SRM operations or continuous improvement.

Why Passing an Aviation SMS Audit Is Critical

Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS) form the foundation of safe operations, and passing SMS audits is critical for demonstrating compliance with global safety standards while reinforcing an organization’s commitment to safety.

For aviation safety managers, audits are not merely regulatory requirements but opportunities to refine safety practices and build trust with regulators, staff, and passengers.

Interesting Discussion on Audits vs. Inspections

The other day, I had a rather interesting discussion with a couple of seasoned aviation safety managers on the topic of aviation safety audits vs inspections.

It took a while to come to a consensus about the primary differences, as well as the ideological implications of each.

Why You Need to Monitor the Effectiveness of Control Measures

Control measures are the heart of your aviation safety management system’s (SMS) risk mitigation efforts. You may call your "control measures" either:

• Risk controls; or
• Simply "controls."

What Are Control Measures?

When you identify a hazard within your organization, the first step is to analyze the risk. If the risk is high, then you need a control measure to reduce risk to acceptable levels.

Any change made to the existing system to reduce risk is a control measure.

Why Definition of a Hazard Matters

Accuracy is extremely important.

Much of the bureaucracy of safety management systems depend on correct and specific understanding of safety concepts. Misunderstanding definitions in SMS is synonymous with misunderstanding what a safety element is and can compromise how that safety element is:

The SMS Auditors Are Coming!

Aviation SMS audits are necessary to ensure aviation service providers comply with established guidelines. These established guidelines may come from:

• Clients;
• FAA;
• Transport Canada;