SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Good Aviation Safety Management Practices

A Safety Management System (SMS) is a system that is composed of various policies, processes, procedures, and practices adopted and implemented to improve the overall safety of an organization.

Management is responsible for implementing, maintaining, and making sure that SMS processes are carried out.

What Is ICAO?

The International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, was founded in 1944. It's a United Nations specialized agency that establishes international standards for civil aviation.

Of the 195 recognized countries in the world today, 192 are ICAO member states. These 192 'contracting states' abide by the Chicago Convention regulations.

ICAO defines aviation Standards and Recommended Practices, also known as SARPs. Nations (member states) adopt these rules and incorporate them into their national policies.

Pros and Cons of Technology in Aviation

Technology for a lot of organizations is a key asset, as it is seen as an advantage in the competitive environment; however, from a safety point of view technology is not only an advantage, it also bears possible negative aspects.

In a world where technology is more and more important, people make use of it in more and more aspects of daily life. Nowadays, a lot of tasks are accomplished with the aid of technology or are even done entirely by technology.

What Is a Risk Matrix

A risk matrix is a tool you will use to assess safety concerns. The matrix allows you to rank risk and provide visual cues on safety acceptability.

The risk matrix is a standard tool for assessing safety issues in aviation SMS and is recommended by ICAO and other regulatory authorities for assessing issues.

You should develop your risk matrix at the onset of managing reported issues. It involves:

Creating a System of Organization

Even smaller aviation safety management system (SMS) are still a leviathan of

• policies and procedures,
• SMS documents,
• reported safety concerns,
• investigations;
• SMS training materials; and so on.

What Is A Hazard Reporting System

A hazard reporting system encompasses the processes and resources your employees will use to report concerns.

The implication here is that your hazard reporting system is the primary means by which you will acquire feedback from operations (acquire data) and improve your SMS.

A hazard reporting system is a core part of driving your:

What Is a Gap Analysis?

As I researched SMS and what it means and how to implement one, the gap analysis kept coming up as something I needed more information on.

At first it seemed intimidating, but it's exactly what it sounds like; a tool to identify:

• What already exists
• What’s missing

Do I Have What It Takes to Be an Aviation Safety Manager?

One of the most difficult tasks for new and aspiring safety managers is to acquire their first job.

This is especially true for those fresh out of schools, such as Embry-Riddle or Florida's Institute of Technology. If you are on the other side of the Atlantic, you may have gone to Cranfield's safety program.

Do You Have the Aviation Safety Manager Job?

If you have been a safety manager for years now, do you remember when you first started? So many questions, such as: Where do I start?

It can be frightening to be suddenly assigned as the safety manager when you know very little about what the "safety manager" does every day. And now you have been assigned to implement a safety management system (SMS)? "What did I get myself into?" you may ask yourself.

Employees of all positions are being assigned as the safety manager, often without direct operational experience.

What Is This SMS Thing?

What’s the first thing you do when you want to answer a question? You Google it, right? Well, when you Google "aviation SMS", this is what the FAA will tell you:

SMS is the formal, top-down, organization-wide approach to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of safety risk controls. It includes systematic procedures, practices, and policies for the management of safety risk.

FAA Order 8000.369