SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Aviation Safety Promotion Activities Don't Have to Cost Much

Every aviation safety program is on a budget, and incorporating safety programs can sometimes be costly, but there are some ways to keep safety as a priority without spending a dime, such as

• Developing a training program with integrated safety training;
• Encouraging an environment of positive peer influence; and
• Providing an outlet for anonymous reporting of incidents.

Safety Management Systems Bore Most Employees

Unlike those who study and create safety management systems (SMS), to the average employee these programs can be boring.

It’s not that the average employees don’t value safety, it’s just that they need to see how these programs are beneficial to them personally.

So how can we change our safety culture and encourage participation in aviation safety management systems? Below are six ideas on how to get people involved:

Benefits of Showing Employees That Your SMS Is Effective

Showing employees that your SMS is effective is simply building your case for the SMS. That being said, there are several prerequisites for being able to show employees that your SMS is effective:

• Your SMS has actually demonstrated safety improvement;
• Employees are actually reporting issues;
• Your SMS has a good or improving reputation in the company; and
• Risk controls are actually improving risk in the operational environment.

Aviation Safety Leadership Is NOT Safety Management

Aviation safety managers and departments heads are tasked with delivering aviation safety management AND safety leadership capabilities.

“Leadership” and “management” are often used interchangeably both in speech and action, but contrary to common practice they are NOT the same thing.

A vanilla definition of aviation safety management is that it is the oversight of how risk is bureaucratically processed in safety management systems (SMS).

The Goal of Good Safety Newsletters

The first and foremost goal of an aviation safety newsletter is safety promotion for an organization's aviation safety management system (SMS). Which, put more simply, means creating an interest and awareness in anything safety.

More broadly, safety promotion is a method of shifting focus towards aviation safety to encourage and train employees to identify hazards and report safety issues.

What Are Responsibility, Confidentiality, and Privacy in Aviation Safety Management

In aviation safety management, responsibility, confidentiality, and privacy are the triad that affects how you handle reported safety information. Whether your organization is large or small, your leadership team needs to discuss these factors and decide how to handle them.

Your organization may decide that it doesn’t need to pay particular attention to this triad, or it may draft several pieces of formal documentation and policies about them. Either way, what is important is that as an aviation service provider:

Quality Leadership Stimulates Teamwork

A mature, effective aviation safety management system (SMS) will always incorporate imaginative ways to stimulate teamwork and good communication between employees.

It’s a tricky area though because teamwork and communication are beset by:

• Poor interpersonal relationships;
• Different teamwork needs;
• Cultural differences; and
• Separate problem-solving strategies

Managers Drive Employee Actions toward Aviation SMS

I am guessing that every accountable executive you speak to will honestly profess to support their aviation safety management system (SMS). After all, the alternative would be that top management only cares about making money and not doing everything reasonably practical to improve safety.

Signs that top management doesn't support their SMS include:

• Withholding budgets from safety departments;

ICAO Requirements for Training and Education

ICAO’s requirements for training and education are largely focused on ensuring that you train and document all employees in your organization on core SMS and safety information. It is specific in its guidance documentation that role-based training is important. It also recommends that you have specific training for different tiers in your organization.

The requirements are listed as such:

What Aviation SMS Needs for Successful Hazard Reporting

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) needs input from three levels of your organization to be successful. Without the total involvement of your company, hazard reporting will fail.

The three levels of your company and their corresponding responsibility for setting up a successful hazard reporting program are:

• Administrative – providing resources (financial, policy)
• Managerial – appropriate action on reported issues