There is still no widespread agreement on exactly what constitutes an SMS despite the information currently available.
A quick review shows us that safety is defined as "acceptable risks that enable an organization to succeed in its mission". It used to be said that safety always came first, but this idea has been modified to recognize that a company's mission, its ultimate business goal, must be the primary focus. The company would not exist if it failed in that mission.
At its most fundamental level, a safety management system helps organizations identify and manage risk. It does not wait for something to happen. It doesn't rely on anecdotal information. It is based on hard data. Safety management systems help us manage risk far better than we have so far because it's a disciplined and standardized approach to managing risk.
Lack of proper reporting and release of data may be the single greatest obstacle to implementation of SMS.
Both mandatory incident reporting and voluntary reporting of observed safety lapses within a corporate just culture are crucial to a healthy SMS2.Without an SMS operators may be surprised to know that you already do quite a lot of risk identification & hazard reduction work. The preparation of aerodrome performance tables, for example, is actually an assessment of the risk involved in operating to and from a runway. The performance limitations that are applied due to runway length, runway slope, ambient temperature or equipment deficiency are the hazard reduction elements. How to get people to do all of the required work; is the key to being able to integrate these tasks into the process of planning an operation, if possible, getting the work done without staff really noticing it. Some form of system needs to be defined so that it can be approved by the authority. At the same time, the system must be accepted into daily use by people other than those in the safety department.
The idea behind SMS is that everyone can contribute to causing an accident as a result of which everyone can also contribute to preventing one.
Relationship of Trust.
"The basis on a relationship of trust between the organization and the employee is the development of an effective safety culture; the employee and the regulator; and the regulator and the industry," according to Transport Canada 3."In some cases, this may already exist; in most cases it will take some time to establish a foundation that fosters the development of this relationship.Some of the tools that will promote this growth are reporting policies that are, to the extent possible, on-punitive and effective communications at all levels."
‘Part Of Their Business'
In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) underlined to the CEOs of the country's aviation organizations that they must consider safety management "as part of their business-not just a technical add-on."
In a booklet distributed to the CEOs, CASA discussed development of SMS and other key aspects of safety management, including a positive safety culture and human factors issues.
CASA said,"Internationally, it is now recognized that a structured SMS is an essential feature of an aviation business." Although many CEOs in industry have operated SMS for years, CASAs CEO said, "It is clear that others need some help".
Citing guidance material produced by ICAO and CASA, among others, he said one of the most meaningful actions a CEO can take to advance safety is to preside over the operations "top" meetings on safety. This ensures that everyone in the company knows that SMS is considered a vital part of the business.
That approach is in place at Continental Airlines, where the CEO chairs quarterly meetings of the corporate safety review board, whose members are the airlines senior executives, said Capt. Don Gunther, senior director for safety and regulatory compliance.
"That's ….the top –down approach," Gunther said, and it sends a message company wide that the SMS is important to senior leadership."
Gunther began work in 2005 on Continentals SMS implementation plans .In January 2008, Continentals program was "pretty far along" but still not 100 percent implemented, he said. In addition to the corporate safety review board, safety action groups (SAG) are a crucial component. They represent the organizations employees within a particular geographic location or with a specific type of job or concern. The safety action groups are the "heart and soul of the safety management program".
‘Involvement of Middle Managers'
Accountable executives are increasingly showing their support by verbal and visible measures. They produce strong safety policies and are instrumental in the development of a proactive and predictive program.
Safety personnel are receiving formal safety training and education in the mechanics and implementation of SMS.ICAO is working towards making states self sufficient in imparting safety training. The AviAssist Foundation is one of the sources providing complementary action under its Training Centre Capacity building program (TCCP) in East and Southern Africa. The benefits of SMS are shown by increased productivity with less risk to the organization.
The safety department is responsible for establishing an SMS,but the success of such a program rests on the shoulders of management personnel. A review with more than 400 safety professionals reveals that one of the major stumbling blocks of the implementation of an effective and dynamic SMS program is middle management. The reasons are many, but two of the most important are lack of understanding of their role and the belief that safety programs are solely the responsibility of the safety department.
In his article in Aero safety World in February 2010, Barr asks us not to forget that safety is a corporate staff function that advises but has little if any authority to direct actions. The engine that drives SMS is line management; they are accountable for implementing SMS. Plus, they ensure that company personnel comply with SMS policies and procedures. Without the active support of the middle management, SMS is doomed to fail, Barr points out.
Middle management cannot be expected to support such radical new concept if they do not know its principles and potential benefits to the organizations mission.
Middle managers are responsible for the job safety training of their personnel as well as a workplace hazard analysis. The first line manager is the most important influence on individual safety behavior.
A blame culture and open reporting culture cannot coexist. It is up to middle management to openly support a strong reporting system and ensure that supervisors follow the just policy of reporting.
Finally, employees should have a method to report hazards that they observe in the operation. They should be free to report without fear of reprisal. The safety office should take all reports very seriously and evaluate cited hazards in a timely manner. Middle managers often discourage these reports.Then, after an incident, investigators find that the organization was aware of a hazard that led to the mishap but that institutional mechanisms failed to correct it or at least report it so that it could be fixed.
The Safety Action Group (SAG) plays a vital role in an SMS.The group is made up of managers who will review the data that has been provided by the safety office. They will look at audits, mishap investigations, hazard reports, goals and objectives, future activities and other areas of concern. It is their duty to review the data and make recommendations to senior managenet.Another reason for the importance of the SAG is the possible reduction of direct communication between the safety manager and the accountable executive. Paragraph 8.6.5 of the ICAO Safety Management Manual (SMM), Document 9859, second edition, says the following concerning those communications:
"Normal: Safety communicates through the (SAG) and/or the Safety Review Board (SRB).
"Exceptional/special circumstance: Safety must have direct emergency access to the accountable executive. The ‘backdoor' communication should rarely be used and properly justified and documented
"The Safety Manager will likely be more often than not the bearer of bad news, safety wise".
Further ICAO Action on Safety Management
ICAO is developing a new Annex to the Chicago Convention-annex 19.The annex will specifically address safety management. That will include state safety programs as well as Safety Management Systems and the interaction between both of them.
ICAO wants to take the opportunity of this new annex to provide the world with the best feasible material for all areas of aviation, especially for the smaller companies. It is these operators that have the most problems to understand and implement the SMS.
However an operator chooses to implement its SMS, crucial is that it must be understood & accepted into daily use by people other than just those in the safety department.
A quick review shows us that safety is defined as "acceptable risks that enable an organization to succeed in its mission". It used to be said that safety always came first, but this idea has been modified to recognize that a company's mission, its ultimate business goal, must be the primary focus. The company would not exist if it failed in that mission.
At its most fundamental level, a safety management system helps organizations identify and manage risk. It does not wait for something to happen. It doesn't rely on anecdotal information. It is based on hard data. Safety management systems help us manage risk far better than we have so far because it's a disciplined and standardized approach to managing risk.
Lack of proper reporting and release of data may be the single greatest obstacle to implementation of SMS.
Both mandatory incident reporting and voluntary reporting of observed safety lapses within a corporate just culture are crucial to a healthy SMS2.Without an SMS operators may be surprised to know that you already do quite a lot of risk identification & hazard reduction work. The preparation of aerodrome performance tables, for example, is actually an assessment of the risk involved in operating to and from a runway. The performance limitations that are applied due to runway length, runway slope, ambient temperature or equipment deficiency are the hazard reduction elements. How to get people to do all of the required work; is the key to being able to integrate these tasks into the process of planning an operation, if possible, getting the work done without staff really noticing it. Some form of system needs to be defined so that it can be approved by the authority. At the same time, the system must be accepted into daily use by people other than those in the safety department.
The idea behind SMS is that everyone can contribute to causing an accident as a result of which everyone can also contribute to preventing one.
Relationship of Trust.
"The basis on a relationship of trust between the organization and the employee is the development of an effective safety culture; the employee and the regulator; and the regulator and the industry," according to Transport Canada 3."In some cases, this may already exist; in most cases it will take some time to establish a foundation that fosters the development of this relationship.Some of the tools that will promote this growth are reporting policies that are, to the extent possible, on-punitive and effective communications at all levels."
‘Part Of Their Business'
In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) underlined to the CEOs of the country's aviation organizations that they must consider safety management "as part of their business-not just a technical add-on."
In a booklet distributed to the CEOs, CASA discussed development of SMS and other key aspects of safety management, including a positive safety culture and human factors issues.
CASA said,"Internationally, it is now recognized that a structured SMS is an essential feature of an aviation business." Although many CEOs in industry have operated SMS for years, CASAs CEO said, "It is clear that others need some help".
Citing guidance material produced by ICAO and CASA, among others, he said one of the most meaningful actions a CEO can take to advance safety is to preside over the operations "top" meetings on safety. This ensures that everyone in the company knows that SMS is considered a vital part of the business.
That approach is in place at Continental Airlines, where the CEO chairs quarterly meetings of the corporate safety review board, whose members are the airlines senior executives, said Capt. Don Gunther, senior director for safety and regulatory compliance.
"That's ….the top –down approach," Gunther said, and it sends a message company wide that the SMS is important to senior leadership."
Gunther began work in 2005 on Continentals SMS implementation plans .In January 2008, Continentals program was "pretty far along" but still not 100 percent implemented, he said. In addition to the corporate safety review board, safety action groups (SAG) are a crucial component. They represent the organizations employees within a particular geographic location or with a specific type of job or concern. The safety action groups are the "heart and soul of the safety management program".
‘Involvement of Middle Managers'
Accountable executives are increasingly showing their support by verbal and visible measures. They produce strong safety policies and are instrumental in the development of a proactive and predictive program.
Safety personnel are receiving formal safety training and education in the mechanics and implementation of SMS.ICAO is working towards making states self sufficient in imparting safety training. The AviAssist Foundation is one of the sources providing complementary action under its Training Centre Capacity building program (TCCP) in East and Southern Africa. The benefits of SMS are shown by increased productivity with less risk to the organization.
The safety department is responsible for establishing an SMS,but the success of such a program rests on the shoulders of management personnel. A review with more than 400 safety professionals reveals that one of the major stumbling blocks of the implementation of an effective and dynamic SMS program is middle management. The reasons are many, but two of the most important are lack of understanding of their role and the belief that safety programs are solely the responsibility of the safety department.
In his article in Aero safety World in February 2010, Barr asks us not to forget that safety is a corporate staff function that advises but has little if any authority to direct actions. The engine that drives SMS is line management; they are accountable for implementing SMS. Plus, they ensure that company personnel comply with SMS policies and procedures. Without the active support of the middle management, SMS is doomed to fail, Barr points out.
Middle management cannot be expected to support such radical new concept if they do not know its principles and potential benefits to the organizations mission.
Middle managers are responsible for the job safety training of their personnel as well as a workplace hazard analysis. The first line manager is the most important influence on individual safety behavior.
A blame culture and open reporting culture cannot coexist. It is up to middle management to openly support a strong reporting system and ensure that supervisors follow the just policy of reporting.
Finally, employees should have a method to report hazards that they observe in the operation. They should be free to report without fear of reprisal. The safety office should take all reports very seriously and evaluate cited hazards in a timely manner. Middle managers often discourage these reports.Then, after an incident, investigators find that the organization was aware of a hazard that led to the mishap but that institutional mechanisms failed to correct it or at least report it so that it could be fixed.
The Safety Action Group (SAG) plays a vital role in an SMS.The group is made up of managers who will review the data that has been provided by the safety office. They will look at audits, mishap investigations, hazard reports, goals and objectives, future activities and other areas of concern. It is their duty to review the data and make recommendations to senior managenet.Another reason for the importance of the SAG is the possible reduction of direct communication between the safety manager and the accountable executive. Paragraph 8.6.5 of the ICAO Safety Management Manual (SMM), Document 9859, second edition, says the following concerning those communications:
"Normal: Safety communicates through the (SAG) and/or the Safety Review Board (SRB).
"Exceptional/special circumstance: Safety must have direct emergency access to the accountable executive. The ‘backdoor' communication should rarely be used and properly justified and documented
"The Safety Manager will likely be more often than not the bearer of bad news, safety wise".
Further ICAO Action on Safety Management
ICAO is developing a new Annex to the Chicago Convention-annex 19.The annex will specifically address safety management. That will include state safety programs as well as Safety Management Systems and the interaction between both of them.
ICAO wants to take the opportunity of this new annex to provide the world with the best feasible material for all areas of aviation, especially for the smaller companies. It is these operators that have the most problems to understand and implement the SMS.
However an operator chooses to implement its SMS, crucial is that it must be understood & accepted into daily use by people other than just those in the safety department.
0 comments:
Post a Comment