SMS Book 1

SMS 1
SMS FOR AVIATIONA PRACTICAL GUIDE | 2ND EDITION
Safety management
system basics
SMS1 | Safety management system basics
Contents
Introduction
01
Why SMS?
01
Case study: a tale of two siblings
02
SMS whats in it for you?
04
Business benefits parallels between business,

safety and quality management
05
Safety culture where does your organisation sit?
05
ICAO framework components of an SMS
07
Safety policy and objectives
08
Safety risk management
09
Safety assurance
11
Safety promotion
15
The role of human factors in an SMS
16
Toolkit for safety management
17
Index of toolkit items
18
Jargon busters abbreviations, acronyms and definitions
19
References 25
2014 Civil Aviation Safety Authority. First published July 2012; fully revised December 2014 (2nd edition)
For further information visit www.casa.gov.au/sms
This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your
personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other
rights are reserved. Requests for further authorisation should be directed to: Safety Promotion, Civil Aviation Safety Authority, GPO Box 2005
Canberra ACT 2601, or email safetypromotion@casa.gov.au
This kit is for information purposes only. It should not be used as the sole source of information and should be used in the context of other
authoritative sources.
The case studies featuring Bush Aviation and Training and Outback Maintenance Services are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual
organisations and/or persons is purely coincidental.
01
Introduction
This resource kit contains advisory material for
aviation operators and organisations. It provides
guidance on, or best practice examples of, various
safety management system (SMS) elements for you
to consider when you are implementing or updating
your SMS.
This kit is designed for small to medium-sized air
operators certificate (AOC) holders involved in
regular public transport operations, as well as for
approved maintenance organisations, but other
aviation organisations may also find it useful.
The broad principles apply to all operators and
organisations. The structure and content of an
SMS will essentially be the same for them all.
However, the detail will need to reflect the size and
complexity of the specific organisation, as well as
the risks unique to its location and operation. SMS
is scalable, so your system needs to reflect what
you do, your specific risks, and what you are doing
about them. Above all, the way you manage safety
needs to be systematic.
There are eight booklets in the SMS for Aviation
a practical guide resource kit.
This booklet:
1. Safety management system basics
and booklets 28
2. Safety policy and objectives
3. Safety risk management
4. Safety assurance
5. Safety promotion
6. Human factors
7. SMS for small, non-complex organisations
8. SMS in practice.
A safety management system (SMS):

a businesslike approach to safetya
systematic, precise and proactive process
for managing safety risks.
Transport Canada
Booklets 25 follow the International Civil

Aviation Organization (ICAO) framework for SMS.
At the back of each of these are templates and
checklists to guide organisations in developing and
implementing their SMS.
Booklet 6 Human factors looks at the role human
factors play in safety management.
Booklet 7 SMS for small, non-complex
organisations is a short guide to the basics for
small organisations, and focuses on the how of
implementation.
Booklet 8 SMS in practiceworkbook.
Why SMS?
Dr Tony Barrell, a former CEO of the UK Health
and Safety Executives Offshore Safety Division,
(the offshore petroleum safety regulator), who led
the development of the regulatory response to the
1988 Piper Alpha disaster, in which 167 men died,
observed:
there is an awful sameness about

these incidents they are nearly always
characterised by lack of forethought
and lack of analysis and nearly always
the problem comes down to poor
management
Anybody with a passion for aviation knows that
safety is as important to the industry as oxygen is
to breathing. Poor or ineffective safety management
can be disastrous and lead to public outrage,
exhaustive inquiries and drawn out legal action.
The lack of forethought and analysis, and poor
management Dr Tony Barrell refers to above,
often go hand-in-glove with inefficiency and poor
business practices.
Safety management is not a dark art its central
concepts are simple. In fact, safety management
was succinctly described at an ICAO working group
as organised common sense.
The guidance provided by this resource kit, including the
checklists throughout the booklets, is not legal advice,
is not a substitute for individual advice, and may not be
applicable to everyones situation.
02
The following tale illustrates the benefits of a

structured approach to safety management:
Case study: a tale of two siblings

A father wants to give his two children a good start
to their working lives.
Both are qualified pilots and are keen to run an
aviation business together. However, they cannot
agree on where to base their business, as one
wants to live in Sydney and the other loves
Melbourne.
The father purchases two Metro III aircraft and
gives one to each child, who both apply for an air
operators certificate (AOC). On receiving an AOC,
the Sydney-based sibling secures some regular
contract work flying mining workers to and from
regional centres.
The Melbourne-based one is able to sign a
contract with the Victorian government for regular
scheduled services throughout the state. Over the
next few months both businesses grow and take
on more pilots, ground handling, engineering and
maintenance, and administration staff to cope
with additional passenger numbers and extra
services. Their fleet size also expands to meet these
demands.
While each business continues to be successful,
their proud father notices their approaches to safety
management are very different.
The Sydney-based sibling adopts a formal safety

management system (SMS) based on six simple
strategies:
1. Appointing one of the best line pilots as a
part-time safety officer
2. Regular staff meetings to identify safety risks to
the operation and controls to manage these
3. Establishing a confidential safety reporting
system for staff to report safety hazards
4. Weekly safety meetings to manage and resolve
identified safety issues
5. Central recording and capture of safety
information to identify emerging safety risks
6. Regular distribution of safety information to staff,
reinforcing a safety-first culture.
In contrast, the Melbourne-based operation relies
on less formal methods to manage safety. These
tend to be on the run.
Eight months later, the father asks an independent
auditor to have a look at each business. While both
businesses are financially sound, the auditor finds
evidence that the Sydney-based operation has a
stronger safety culture than the Melbourne-based
one, as in the results on the right:
03
Evaluation Criteria
Sydney
Melbourne
Staff views about

whether there is a
positive safety culture
in the business
Staff have confidence that safety is well

managed.
Staff do not think that enough is

being done to manage safety.
Staff are strongly motivated and willing to

report safety hazards and give consistent
feedback on safety performance.
There is a general reluctance

to report safety issues and
management provides little
information on safety action.
Staff are satisfied with the way management Staff have little confidence that
management are serious about
address safety issues.
safety.
Safety reporting culture A total of 48 safety hazard reports are
submitted over the eight-month period. This
suggests staff confidence and commitment
to safety.
Only nine safety hazard reports

are submitted, five times fewer
than the Sydney-based group.
Some of the reports are not
safety issues, but gripes about
management.
Staff perception about

aviation safety risks
Staff believe there is now less potential

(likelihood) for specific aviation safety
hazards to result in a significant accident.
Staff attitudes remain unchanged

about the potential (likelihood) for
specific aviation safety hazards to
result in a significant accident.
Positive action on
safety issues resulting
in some operational
cost savings
Strong action taken on long-standing

safety issues, which in some cases reduces
operational costs:
Staff believe that some safety

issues are difficult to resolve, and
there is little opportunity to identify
more efficient and safe practices.
Use of the maintenance release by pilots

Better understanding of in-flight
turbulence procedures
Better control over pedestrian traffic on
the tarmac
Reduced flight crew workload during
passenger loading/unloading.
Based on a study conducted at the Sydney and Melbourne operational bases of Kendall Airlines by Edkins, G.D. (1998).
The INDICATE safety program: A method to proactively improve airline safety performance. Safety Science, 30: 275-295.
This story shows the vital role safety culture plays in the safety and operational
success of an organisation.
A small to medium-sized operator on a limited budget does not have to spend large
amounts of money to improve its safety culture.
In fact, implementing safety management programs will help to improve
operational safety, reducing inefficiencies and leading to reduced operating costs.
04
SMS whats in it for you?

The business benefits of an SMS
Those in business know that a structured
approach to safety management is something that
complements and supports good management,
engineering and human factors practices. Some of
the generally accepted benefits of an SMS include:
Reduction in the direct cost of incidents, aircraft
and component damage, aircraft recovery and
lost time injuries
Reduction in indirect costs such as insurance,
business reputation etc.
What does an SMS cost?

Yes, setting up and maintaining an SMS will cost
depending on the size and complexity of your
organisation, but an accident will cost far more
potentially your business. History shows that
organisations which have had fatal accidents often
do not survive.
The cost of developing an SMS is estimated at
about A$20,000 to $30,000 for small and mediumsized airlines with ongoing annual operating
expenditures of between $15,000 and $17,000.
These costs would be much less if an operator
already has a functioning SMS.
You have to weigh these costs against the direct
and indirect costs of accidents and incidents.
For a small maintenance organisation, this figure is
likely to be halved.
The other positive about a good SMS

is that if you take the word safety out
of it, its a good management system.
It improves the way you do business.
Lindsay Evans, founder of Network Aviation
Direct costs
There are obvious, easily measured, on-the-spot
costs. These mostly relate to physical damage,
and include things such as rectifying or replacing
equipment, or compensating for property damage
or injuries.
For example, the direct cost of damage from a
propeller strike on a light twin aircraft may range
from A$15,000 to $20,000 for overhaul and
engine strips. Recovery and clean-up costs for a
20-seat regional turbo prop aircraft are estimated
at $200,000 per aircraft.
Indirect costs
Indirect costs are usually higher than direct costs,
but are sometimes not as obvious and are often
delayed. Even a minor incident will incur a range
of indirect costs. These costs include:
Loss of business and damage to the reputation
of an organisation
Legal and damage claims
Increased insurance premiums
Loss of staff productivity
Recovery and clean-up
Cost of internal investigations
Loss of use of equipment
Cost of short-term replacement equipment.
As well as the direct costs of $15-20,000 in the
propeller strike on a light twin aircraft example
mentioned previously, indirect costs for aircraft
cross hire, rescue and ferry activities could add a
further $20,000.
The above figures suggest that an SMS is likely
to produce a number of business benefits, the
most obvious being a reduction in accidents
and incidents, and in the longer term a reduced
insurance rate. An effective SMS will also help
to create a more positive working environment,
resulting in better productivity and morale.
05
Business benefits parallels

between business, safety
and quality management
Business and safety management both involve goal
setting, establishment of policies, measurement of
performance and continuous improvement.
However, an SMS goes beyond a business/quality
management system (QMS) because it focuses on
how people contribute to the safety outcomes of a
business. In other words, it focuses on protection;
while a QMS focuses on the products and services
of an organisation on production. This people
focus underlines the importance of integrating
human factors in all parts of an SMS.
Safety culture where does your

organisation sit?
A safety culture within an organisation is generally
thought to be a set of beliefs, norms, attitudes or
practices which reduce the exposure of all people
in and around the organisation to conditions
considered dangerous or hazardous.
According to ICAO (1993), the characteristics of a
safe culture, which should guide decision-makers
in modelling corporate safety culture, include the
following:
Senior management places strong
emphasis on safety as part of the strategy
of controlling risks
Decision makers and operational personnel
hold a realistic view of the short- and long-term
hazards involved in the organisations activities
Those in senior positions do not use their
influence to force their views on other levels
of the organisation, or to avoid criticism
Those in senior positions foster a climate in which

there is a positive attitude towards criticism,
comments and feedback from lower levels of the
organisation
There is an awareness of the importance of
communicating relevant safety information to
all levels of the organisation (and with outside
entities)
There is promotion of appropriate, realistic and
workable rules relating to hazards, to safety and
to potential sources of damage, with such rules
being supported and endorsed throughout the
organisation
Personnel are well trained, and fully understand
the consequences of unsafe acts.
Safe organisations generally:
Pursue safety as an organisational objective
and regard it as a major contributor to achieving
production goals
Have appropriate risk management structures,
which allow for an appropriate balance between
production and risk management
Enjoy an open and healthy corporate
safety culture
Possess a structure which has been designed
with a suitable degree of complexity
Have standardised procedures and centralised
decision-making consistent with organisational
objectives and the surrounding environment
Rely on internal responsibility, rather than
regulatory compliance, to achieve safety
objectives
Put long-term measures in place to mitigate
latent safety risks, as well as acting short term to
mitigate active failures.
If you are convinced that your

organisation has a good safety
culture, you are almost certainly
mistaken. A safety culture is strived
for, but rarely attained. The process
is more important than the product.
James Reason
06
The five key ingredients of

an effective safety culture
James Reasons model
FLEXIBLE CULTURE
An organisation can
adapt in the face of hightempo operations or certain
kinds of danger - often shifting
from the conventional
hierarchical mode to a
flatter mode.
LEARNING
CULTURE
An organisation must
possess the willingness and
the competence to draw the
right conclusions from its safety
information system and
be willing to implement
major reforms.
JUST CULTURE
There is an
atmosphere of trust.
People are encouraged
(even rewarded) for providing
essential safety-related information,
but they are also clear about
where the line must be drawn
between acceptable
and unacceptable
behaviour.
Other benefits of an effective safety

culture
An effective safety culture not only helps to meet
your moral and legal obligations (such as providing
a safe work environment for employees), but also
has other benefits, including:
Return on investment: A positive safety culture
provides a much greater control over losses. In
turn, this allows your organisation to operate in
inherently risky environments where the return on
investment is the greatest.
Trust: A positive safety culture will generate
trust on the part of other customers and other
aviation organisations, potentially generating more
business though alliances.
Improved audits: A positive safety culture
will welcome audits as an important source of
external information and/or confirmation about
how well your organisation is performing.
INFORMED
CULTURE
Those who manage
and operate the system
have current knowledge
about the human, technical,
organisational and
environmental factors that
determine the safety of
the system
as a whole.
REPORTING CULTURE
An organisational climate
in which people are prepared
to report their errors and
near-misses.
There is a strong relationship between safety

culture and a safety management system. A safety
management system consists of a number of defined
minimum standards. However, standards are just
words on paper. As Professor Patrick Hudson says:
Sound systems, practices and procedures

are not adequate if merely practised
mechanically. They require an effective
safety culture to flourish. Improvements in
safety culture are needed to move off the
plateau of performance.
While safety culture can be considered to be the
oil that lubricates the engine parts (elements of the
SMS), ultimately, safety culture is the link between
behaviour (errors and violations) and the effectiveness
of the SMS. An SMS will not be effective unless there
is a positive safety culture, which in turn determines
how your people will contribute to the SMS and what
they think about it.
07
ICAO framework
components of
an SMS
There are four major components of the required

ICAO SMS:
There are now significant community expectations

that aviation organisations must not only take safety
seriously, but also demonstrate that they are doing
this by having a formal safety management system.
Safety assurance
Globally, ICAO sets the standard for aviation

safety management. ICAO member states such
as Australia must ensure operators implement an
acceptable safety management system.
There is also a requirement for human factors
and non-technical skills (NTS) for maintenance
personnel, flight crew, cabin crew and other safetycritical personnel.
In Australia, CASA reflects these through Civil
Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) Part 119
(AC119-1), requiring air transport operators to
implement a safety management system (SMS) in
their organisations and integrate human factors (HF)
into their SMS processes.
Under CASR Part 145 approved maintenance
organisations must introduce and maintain safety
management, human factors and quality assurance
systems. AC139-16 lists SMS requirements for
aerodromes, and there are existing requirements for
high-and low-capacity RPT operators.
Therefore, aviation organisations, both large and
small, must be able to demonstrate an effective
approach to safety management.
Having an SMS just because the

regulations say you have to is the
worst reason for doing it.
Senior management need to be committed to
safety, and need to pursue SMS improvement
in the same way they strive for increased profits.
Organisations must develop and implement
systems to ensure risks are managed to a
level considered to be as low as reasonably
practicable (ALARP).
Safety policy and objectives

Safety risk management
Safety promotion.
As an ICAO member of the international state
safety program, Australia has added a number of
elements to the fundamental ICAO framework.
These include:
Managing contractors (third-party interfaces).
See booklet 2, page 10
The SMS implementation plan
See booklet 2, pages 30-31
Internal safety investigation
See booklet 4, pages 2-3
Flight data analysis program (if required).
The two key words here are safety and
management.
Safety: is the state in which the probability of harm
to persons or property is reduced to, and maintained
at, a level which is as low as reasonably practicable
(ALARP) through a continuing process of hazard
identification and reduction.
Management: requires planning, resourcing,
directing and controlling.
So, safety management involves managing

your business activities in a systematic,
coordinated way so that risk is minimised.
System: a coordinated plan of procedure.
08
According to ICAO, a safety management system

is an organised approach to managing safety,
including the necessary organisational structures,
accountabilities, policies and procedures. As with
all management systems, it involves goal setting,
planning, documentation and the measuring of
performance goals. It also involves:
adopting scientifically based, risk-management
methods
systematic monitoring of safety performance
creating a non-punitive work environment which
encourages hazard and error reporting
senior management commitment to pursue safety
as vigorously as financial results
1. Safety policy and objectives

Safety policy
A safety policy outlines what your organisation will
do to manage safety. Your policy is a reminder of
how we do business around here.
Safety policy statements typically include:
The overall safety objectives of the organisation
The commitment of senior management to
provide the resources necessary for effective
safety management
A statement about responsibility and
accountability for safety at all levels of the
organisation
adopting safe practices and safety lessons

learned
Managements explicit support of a positive

safety culture, as part of the overall safety culture
of the organisation.
stringent use of checklists and briefings to ensure

consistent application of standard operating
procedures (SOPs)
Safety objectives
integrating human factors in safety training to

improve error management skills.
The safety objectives should state an intended

safety outcomewhat you are going to do. These
objectives may be expressed in terms of short-,
medium- and long-term safety goals.
To be able to measure the effectiveness of
operational safety objectives, they should be
SMART (specific, measurable, achievable and
realistic; and have a specified timeframe within
which they are to be achieved).
09
SMS implementation
2. Safety risk management
SMS implementation involves spelling out all

aspects of developing and implementing the
SMS. It is expected that the SMS program will
mature over time through a process of continuous
improvement.
Risk management is a key component of an SMS

and involves two fundamental safety activities:
Organisations should conduct a gap analysis to

determine which parts of their safety management
system are currently in place, and which parts need
to be added to, or modified, to meet their own, as
well as regulatory, requirements.
The chief executive officer (CEO) of the organisation
should demonstrate a commitment to safety by:
recruiting a management team appropriate to the
size and complexity of the organisation
developing and disseminating a safety policy
and safety objectives
establishing a safety strategy and safety goals
creating and adequately resourcing the
SMS program
specifying the roles, responsibilities and
accountabilities of the management team
in relation to aviation safety.
For more information about

safety policy and objectives,
see booklet 2 in this kit.
1. Identifying hazards
2. Assessing risks and mitigating their potential to
cause harm.
To determine what controls you use to mitigate
risk, you apply the ALARP (as low as reasonably
practicable) principle. In other words, you mitigate
the risk to the point where the cost grossly
outweighs the benefit. However, while it has been
used for some time in risk mitigation, there are
limitations to the ALARP principle.
Risk management is simply a careful examination
of what could cause harm, so that you can weigh
up whether you have taken enough precautions, or
should do more to prevent harm.
Identifying hazards
A hazard is anything which may cause harm
to people, or damage to aircraft, equipment or
structures. Examples of aviation hazards are: bad
weather, mountainous terrain, wildlife activity near
an aerodrome, FOD, contaminated fuel, poor
workshop lighting and fatigue. You have to identify
and manage organisational hazards so they do not
compromise the safety of your operation.
Generally, the hazard exists now: while the risk
associated with that hazard might occur in the
future. A large number of white ibis at the landfill
centre adjacent to the aerodrome is a present
hazardthey are sizable birds. The future risk is
that if they are involved in a bird strike, they could
cause engine failure and an aircraft crash.
10
Risk assessment
Risk is the chance (likelihood), high or low, that
somebody could be harmed by various hazards,
together with an indication of how serious
(consequence) the harm could be.
Dont overcomplicate the process. Many aviation
organisations know their hazards well and the
necessary control measures are easy to apply. If
you run a small organisation and you are confident
you understand what is involved, you can do the
assessment yourself.
Poor meal choice
Risk management is fundamental to safety

management and involves five essential steps:
Equipment, procedures,
organisation, eg.
Hazard
Identification
Analyse the likelihood

of the consequence
occurring
Risk analysis
probability
Evaluate the seriousness

of the consequence if it
does occur
Risk analysis
severity
Is the assessed risk(s)

acceptable and within
the organisations safety
performance criteria?
Risk assessment
and tolerability
Yes, accept No, take action

to reduce the
the risk/s
risk/s to an
acceptable level
Risk control/
mitigation

safety risk management,
Monitor and review
Communicate and consult
safety risk management
Mike, a captain working for a small Essendon

airport-based charter operation, meets some
friends at a seafood restaurant. He chooses the
curried prawns and does not drink any alcohol.
As the night wears on, Mike starts to feel unwell
and leaves, going to bed early. However, he is
up for most of the night with food poisoning and
manages to get only two hours sleep. He arrives
at work early the next morning dehydrated and
fatigued, and does not pay enough attention
to the NOTAMs forecasting low cloud and
thunderstorms en route. Mike is forced to divert
around the unexpected weather and with the
extra miles tracked, nearly runs out of fuel before
reaching his destination airport.
Mike made a number of errors (unsafe acts).
He chose to come to work knowing he was not
fit for duty (mistake) and he paid little attention
to the NOTAMs (slip). His errors resulted from
fatigue (workplace condition).
However, as with most incidents, there is more
to it than that. During investigation, we discover
that Mikes fellow pilots also admit to coming to
work not fit for duty, and not declaring it, because
of management pressure not to call in sick
because of a shortage of pilots. So its not just
Mike. His not declaring he was unfit for duty can
now be considered as a routine violation (cultural
practice).
This operators fitness-for-duty policy is
ineffective. It is an example of an absent/failed
defence. The pressure management imposes on
pilots demonstrates a poor safety culture
(organisational factor).
11
3. Safety assurance
Safety assurance involves establishing a
systematic process for assessing and recording an
organisations safety performance. This includes
activities such as internal safety investigation,
management of change, monitoring, analysis and
continuous improvement.
Safety investigation and SMS

Investigating incidents and accidents in a structured
way is fundamental to an effective SMS. If you
do not investigate incidents thoroughly, you
cannot learn from them, and therefore will miss
opportunities to identify risks to your operation.
These multiple contributing factors arose from

failures in these broad areas:
Organisational factor
Poor safety culture
Workplace condition
Fatigue
Unsafe act
Fails to report in sick,
misses NOTAM
Defences
James Reason has formulated one of the most

widely accepted and respected theories of how
and why accidents happen. Reason says accidents
have multiple causes and involve many people
operating at different levels of an organisation.
After Reasons ground-breaking work, it is now
generally accepted that accidents do not result from
a single cause, but are due to multiple contributing
factors.
The scenario on page 10 opposite, illustrates
how even a simple meal choice involves multiple
contributing risk factors.
Ineffective fitnessfor-duty policy

Nearly runs out of fuel
There are many factors you might like to take

into considerationthe following pages detail
these.
The only real mistake is the one from

which we learn nothing.
John Powell
For more information

about safety assurance,
12
1. Organisational factors the organisation

establishes the work practices environment.
Organisational processes can affect safety through:
robust, clear work procedures
providing appropriate time and resources
to do the job
providing adequate and appropriate
supervision or training
positive organisational culture.
Example: Poor pilot induction training can result in
inadequate knowledge of company procedures.
2. Workplace conditions task, equipment,
environment or human limitations that increase the
likelihood of human error. These error-producing
conditions can include:
inappropriate, poor or faulty, equipment
high workload
unfamiliar tasks
fatigue
excessive noise or temperature
inclement weather
use of prescribed medications or alcohol
and other drugs (AOD)
personal or financial stress
lack of proficiency.
Example: An airport closed due to fog means the
flight crew must make a decision about the best
alternate airport.
3. Unsafe acts actual errors or violations made

by those doing the job. Unsafe acts are usually the
last elements of the chain of accident causation and
include:
operating equipment outside limitations
forgetting a crucial step in a procedure
misdiagnosing a problem
wilfully breaking a work-related rule or procedure.
Example: The flight crew incorrectly calculate
the fuel required to divert to the chosen alternate
airport.
As well as these three elements, there is a critical
fourth area: defences.
4. Defences are barriers or safeguards against
errors, and can range from hard-engineered safety
devices (seatbelts, electronic warning and detection
systems) to soft defences, such as standard
operating procedures (SOPs), or raising staff
awareness through education or training programs.
There are usually multiple defences within any
system.
Example: The flight operations policy of loading
additional fuel ensures that the incorrect fuel
calculation does not result in fuel starvation during
aircraft diversion.
On their own, each of the four types of failures
will not usually result in an accident. However,
a breakdown at each failure level can create
opportunity for an accident to occur.
Flawed defences: Swiss cheese

James Reasons approach to accident causation is
often referred to as the Swiss cheese model. The
model illustrates that an organisations defences
(slices of Swiss cheese) move around constantly,
but if their holes align a hazard can pass through
multiple layers of defences (or slices of cheese).
13
Hazards
Accident
According to the Swiss cheese model, some of the
holes in defences are due to errors (active failures)
made by employees who are typically on the
front line.
Other holes in the defences are caused by
organisational factors (latent conditions), or other
error-producing conditions in the workplace.
The Swiss cheese example suggests that no
defences are perfect. However, the critical task
in maintaining safety is to find the holes in the
defences, and build stronger and better layers of
defence.
The following airline safety incident illustrates the
Swiss cheese model:
What life raft?

In August 1998, a Boeing B737-300 aircraft
was diverted to Adelaide due to poor weather at
Melbourne Airport. During the overnight service
in Adelaide, the engineering and maintenance
staff performed an over-water-return check on
the aircraft, which should have included the
removal of only one life raft. However, due to
high workload and the unfamiliarity of Adelaide
engineering staff with the permanent life raft
modification program, all three life rafts on the
aircraft were removed instead.
The aircraft then operated to Sydney, via
Melbourne, where another over-water
preparation check was made before the aircraft
flew the Sydney to Wellington service. This
check normally included an inspection of the
two permanent life rafts and the loading of one
additional life raft. However, while the usual
process of fitting the additional life raft took
place, the engineering staff did not check to see
if the two permanent life rafts were fitted, as they
assumed that the permanent life raft installation
program had been completed.
Before departure, the captain completed
his pre-flight walk around, which included
checking to ensure that all life raft equipment
was on board. This involved looking through a
narrow inspection or viewing hole. Shortly after
boarding, the customer service manager (CSM)
received a report from two flight attendants that
the emergency equipment, including life rafts,
had been checked. The aircraft subsequently
flew over water to Wellington without the legally
required life rafts.
This Boeing 737-300 incident is significant if you
consider the implications of a trans-Tasman Sea
ditching without sufficient life rafts.
14
If we apply the four elements of the Swiss cheese

model, we can quickly see that the incident involved
more than just a series of errors by aircrew:
Absent/failed defences life raft removal and
maintenance was usually carried out in either
Melbourne or Sydney. Because the aircraft was
diverted to Adelaide, the engineers were not familiar
with the procedure. The wording of the engineering
instruction: remove all over-water equipment was
also misleading. The engineering system was not
flexible enough to cope with a change in normal
procedures and so this defence failed. The aircraft
technical log also did not indicate that the life rafts
had been removed.
Unsafe acts the captain, the cabin crew and the
engineer in Adelaide all made errors. The captain
said he had inspected the life rafts, but for some
reason, missed that they had been removed. The
CSM relied on the information provided by two
cabin crew members that they had checked the
life raft equipment correctly. The Adelaide engineer
misunderstood the engineering instructions, relying
on how the procedure used to be done, and as
a result, removed all three life rafts instead of the
required one.
Workplace conditions fog in Melbourne, and
the subsequent diversion to Adelaide, set up the
incident to occur. High workload is a common
workplace factor, often increasing the likelihood of
human error. Engineering staff in Adelaide faced a
high workload with unscheduled maintenance on
several aircraft diverted from Melbourne. The cabin
crew bus was 15 minutes late, meaning they were
under time pressure to complete all their checks
before passengers boarded. A misleading placard
located adjacent to the raft inspection hole also
stated: life rafts permanently fitted. This might have
created an expectation among the crew that the life
rafts were never removed. To complicate matters
further, the design of the raft inspection hole was
poor. It was very narrow, and crew members had
to position themselves directly beneath the hole to
view the contents of the overhead bin clearly.
Organisational factors the investigation revealed

a number of deficiencies in crew training on how
to check emergency equipment, as well as the
checking procedures themselves. For example, the
technical crew manual indicates how many life rafts
are required on a B737, but does not lay down a set
procedure for checking them. The crew also reported
vast differences in their emergency equipment check
training. Senior managements decision to modify
the life raft equipment on the B737 over an extended
period increased the opportunity for error.
The life raft incident clearly illustrates breakdowns at
each failure level; but had just one of those failures
not occurred, the outcome might have been different.
For example, despite engineering staff in Adelaide
misinterpreting the life raft removal procedures, the
operating crew in Sydney had the opportunity to
identify the lack of life rafts.
The life raft incident shows that one person alone
usually does not cause an accident. Rather, an
accident is the result of a combination of failures, not
just by crew, but throughout the entire company and
beyond. While you may have limited control over the
actions of others, there are many things you can do
to prevent the holes in the Swiss cheese lining up.
Reference
What life raft? Edkins, G. (2001).
Swiss cheese model for the life raft incident

Organisational factors
Training deficiencies in life raft
checking procedures
Protracted life raft modification
process
Workplace conditions
Poor weather at Melbourne
Time pressure on aircrew and engineers
Placard read: life raft permanently fitted
Unsafe acts errors & violations
Captain missed the life raft removal
Cabin crew missed the life raft removal
Adelaide engineer misunderstood the
job task card
Defence failures
Adelaide engineering staff unfamiliar
with over-water return procedure
Ambiguous wording of entry into
service (EIS) instruction
15
4. Safety promotion
Under the ICAO SMS structure, safety promotion
is divided into two elements: safety communication
and safety training.
Effective safety promotion and training foster
awareness and understanding of the SMS
throughout the organisation, helping to create a
positive safety culture.
Safety training provides skills and knowledge, as
well as raising awareness of risk issues.
Safety communication sets the tone for individual
behaviour, giving a sense of purpose to safety
efforts. You need strong lines of communication at
all stages of your SMS implementation. Maintaining
your SMS requires ongoing communicationfrom
reporting to raising awareness of safety issues.
Both activities help the organisation to adopt a
culture that goes beyond merely avoiding accidents
or reducing the number of incidents. It becomes
more about doing the right thing at the right
time in response to both normal and emergency
situations. Safety communications and training
help to foster safety best practice.
Mishaps are like knives that either

serve us or cut us, as we grasp them
by the blade or the handle.
James Russell Lowell
For more information

about safety promotion,
16
The role of human

factors in an SMS
Human factors: all the people issues

we need to consider to assure the
lifelong safety and effectiveness of a
system or organisation.
What are human factors?
British Rail Safety and Standards Board
The study of human factors is about understanding

human behaviour; integrating HF principles is critical
to an effective SMS.
The SHELL model emphasises that the whole system

shapes how individuals behave. Any breakdown or
mismatch between two or more components can
lead to human performance problems.
Human factors (HF) is a broad term referring to the

study of peoples performance in their work and
non-work environments.
Human factors aim to optimise the fit between
people and the system in which they work, to
improve both safety and efficiency. Regulation and
safety management systems are merely mechanical
unless the safety behaviour of people, through
human factors principles, is clearly understood.
Organisations should avoid a stand-alone human
factors policy that sits gathering cobwebs on a
shelf. Human factors is as much a part of SMS
activities as are issues such as cost, risk and
resources.
However, the human contribution to an accident
must be understood in context to avoid an oversimplistic label of operator error.
Errors are as normal as breathing oxygen, and
about as certain as death and taxes.
For a more detailed discussion of human factors,

human performance and the SHELL model, see
booklet six in this kit.
A key strategy in managing human error is to provide
operational staff with human factors training to
enhance their non-technical (e.g. decision-making
and social) skills.
As a minimum, you should integrate human factors
principles into the following areas of your SMS:
identifying hazards and reducing risk to be ALARP
managing change
designing systems and equipment
designing jobs and tasks
training of operational staff
safety reporting and data analysis
investigating incidents.
The SHELL model

ICAO uses the SHELL model to represent the main
components of human factors. The letters SHELL
stand for:
S = software: the procedures and other aspects
of work design
H = hardware: the equipment, tools and
technology used in work
E = environment: the environmental conditions
in which work occurs, including the organizational
and national cultures influencing interaction
L = liveware: the human aspects of the system
of work
L = liveware: the interrelationships between
humans at work.

human factors and aviation,
Toolkit
Jargon busters abbreviations,
acronyms and definitions
References
18
Appendix A Workflow process for applying the

healthy safety culture procedure
This is your safety toolkit with some best-practice tips

and practical tools that can be adapted to meet your
organisations needs. We hope you find them useful,
whether you are further developing your SMS, starting
an SMS from scratch, or simply looking for some
ideas to improve your existing SMS.
Appendix B Bush Aviation and Training

counselling/discipline decision chart.
This list summarises the checklists/templates you will

find at the back of each of the respective booklets.
This is not an exhaustive list of resources.
NB: There are many systems and products across
various industries, so this toolkit can only include
a very small sample of practices and/or tools for
information.
Inclusion of materials does not imply endorsement or
recommendation. Each organisation must select the
most appropriate products for its individual and
specific needs.
Booklet 1 Basics
Booklet 3 - Safety risk

management tools
Error prevention strategies for organisations
Risk register
Sample hazard ID
Guidance on job and task design
A six-step method for involving staff in safety
hazard identification
Hazard reporting form.
Booklet 4 - Safety assurance

tools
Generic issues to be considered when monitoring
and measuring safety performance
Audit scope planner
Jargon busters
Basic audit checklist
References.
Information relevant to a safety investigation
Booklet 2 - Safety policy

and objectives tools
Event notification and investigation report

Aviation safety incident investigation report
SMS organisation checklist
Corrective/preventative action plan
Safety policy statement

Safety managers job description
Checklist for assessing institutional resilience

against accidents (CAIR)
Role of the safety committee
Practical safety culture improvement strategy
SMS implementation plan
Safety culture index.
Ten steps to implementing an SMS
Booklet 5 - Safety promotion

tools
SMS gap analysis checklist

An effective emergency response plan (ERP)
Language and layout of procedures/documentation
Document register
Sample safety leadership rules
Aviation safety lifesavers policy
Healthy safety culture procedure
How to do a training needs analysis

Sample safety information bulletin
on safety reporting
How to give a safety briefing/toolbox talk
Aviation safety toolbox talk
Safety briefing/toolbox meeting attendance form.
19
Jargon bustersabbreviations,
acronyms and definitions
Abbreviations
A
AC
Advisory circular
ALAR
Approach-and-landing accident
reduction
DEEWR Department of Education, Employment

and Workplace Relations
ALARP
As low as reasonably practicable
ERP
Emergency response plan
ALoS
Acceptable level of safety

(used in conjunction with ICAO member
states state safety program)
ESB
Effective safety behaviours
AME
Aircraft maintenance engineer
AOC
Air operators certificate
AQF
Australian Qualification Framework
AS/NZS Australian/New Zealand Standard

ATSB
Australian Transport Safety Bureau
B
BITRE
Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and

Regional Economics
F
FAA
Federal Aviation Administration

(United States)
FDA
Flight data analysis
FDAP
Flight data analysis program
FMAQ
Flight management attitudes

questionnaire
FRMS
Fatigue risk management system
FTO
Flight training organisation
G
GAPAN Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
CAAP
Civil Aviation Advisory Publication
CAIR
Checklist for assessing institutional

resilience against accidents
CAO
Civil Aviation Order
CAP
Civil Aviation Publication

(United Kingdom)
CASA
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
CASR
Civil Aviation Safety Regulation
ICAM
Incident cause analysis method
CDM
Critical decision method
ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
CEO
Chief executive officer
IFR
Instrument flight rules
CRM
Crew resource management
IRM
Immediately reportable matter
CRMI
Crew resource management instructor
IRS
Internal reporting system
CRMIE
Crew resource management instructor

examiner
ISO
International Organization for

Standardization
GIHRE
Group interaction in high-risk

environments
H
HF
Human factors
HMI
Human-machine interface
20
JAR-OPS Joint Aviation Requirements - Operations
RPT
Regular public transport
RRM
Routinely reportable matter
LAME
Licensed aircraft maintenance engineer
LOE
Line operational evaluation
SAG
Safety action group
LOFT
Line-oriented flight training
SLA
Service level agreement
LOS
Line operational simulation
SM
Safety manager
LOSA
Line operations safety audit
SMM
Safety management manual
SMS
Safety management system
SSAA
Safety-sensitive aviaition activity (used

in relation to alcohol and other drugs
regulation CASR Part 99)
SOP
Standard operating procedure
SRB
Safety review board
SSP
State Safety Program
SWI
Safe work instruction/s
M
MEDA
Maintenance error decision aid
MOS
Manual of standards
MOSA
Maintenance operations safety audit
MoU
Memorandum of understanding
N
NTS
Non-technical skills, see also Human

factors
O
OH&S
Occupational health & safety. See WHS
P
POH
Pilots operating handbook
Q
QA
Quality assurance
QMS
Quality management system
T
TEM
Threat and error management
TNA
Training needs analysis
U
UT
University of Texas
V
VFR
Visual flight rules
W
WHS
Workplace Health and Safety

[New term for OH&S]
21
Definitions
Accident: an occurrence associated with the
operation of an aircraft which takes place between
the time any person boards the aircraft with
intention of flight until such time as all such persons
have disembarked, in which:
a person is fatally or seriously injured1 as a
result of:
-- being in the aircraft, or
ALARP: as low as reasonably practicable, means a

risk is low enough that attempting to make it lower,
or the cost of assessing the improvement gained
in an attempted risk reduction, would actually be
more costly than any cost likely to come from the
risk itself.
ALoS: acceptable level of safety. Used in reference
to ICAO member states state safety programs
-- direct contact with any part of the aircraft,

including parts which have become detached
from the aircraft, or
Assessment: process of observing, recording, and

interpreting individual knowledge and performance
against a required standard.
-- direct exposure to jet blast, except when the

injuries are from natural causes, self-inflicted
by other persons, or when the injuries are to
stowaways hiding outside the areas normally
available to the passengers and crew,
the aircraft sustains damage or structural
failure which
Behavioural marker: a single non-technical skill

or competency within a work environment that
contributes to effective or ineffective performance.
-- adversely affects the structural strength,

performance or flight characteristics of the
aircraft, and
-- would normally require major repair or
replacement of the affected component,
except for engine failure or damage when the
damage is limited to the engine, its cowlings
or accessories; or for damage limited to
propellers, wing tips, antennas, tyres, brakes,
fairings, small dents or puncture holes in
the aircraft skin; the aircraft is missing or is
completely inaccessible2.
Notes
1. For statistical uniformity only, an injury resulting in death within
thirty days of the date of the accident is classified as a fatal injury
by ICAO
2. An aircraft is considered to be missing when the official search
has been terminated and wreckage has not been located.
Change management: a systematic approach to

controlling changes to any aspect of processes,
procedures, products or services, both from the
perspective of an organisation and of individuals.
Its objective is to ensure that safety risks resulting
from change are reduced to as low as reasonably
practicable.
Competency: a combination of skills, knowledge
and attitudes required to perform a task to the
prescribed standard.
Competency-based training: develops the
skills, knowledge and behaviour required to meet
competency standards.
Competency assessment: The process of
collecting evidence and making judgements as to
whether trainees are competent.
Complex organisation: an organisation with more
than 20 employees performing safety-sensitive
aviation acitivities. Such organisations can discuss
their assessment as non-complex with CASA if
they feel they meet all other criteria other than the
number of employees performing SSAA. (See also
Small, non-complex organisations.)
22
Contract: an arrangement or agreement between

two or more parties enforceable by law. A contract
is a legal document which describes commercial
terms and conditions.
Note: The term contract is also taken to mean the
following:
leasing arrangements
service level agreement (SLA).
Contractors: parties bound by contract to provide
certain services.
Consequence: outcome or impact of an event.
There can be more than one consequence of one
event.
Consequences can be positive or negative.
Consequences can be expressed qualitatively or
quantitatively.
Consequences are considered in relation to the
achievement of objectives.
Crew resource management (CRM): a team
training and operational philosophy designed to
ensure the effective use of all available resources to
achieve safe and efficient flight operations.
Dispatch includes any personnel whose
responsibilities involve services, data and or
instructions directly affecting the operation or
performance characteristics of the aircraft, such as
flight planning or fuel quantity calculations. These
include:
flight planners, crewing officers - schedulers
ops controllers flight following; management of
aircraft movements including disruption; people
responsible for distribution of MET data or fuel
carriage advice
load controllers anyone involved in producing
final load sheets, pilots, load masters.
Facilitator: person who enables learning in
a student-centred environment by guiding
participants through discussions, interactions,
structured exercises and experiences.
Error: an action or inaction leading to deviations

from an organisations or individuals intentions or
expectations.
Error management: the process of detecting
and responding to errors with countermeasures
to reduce or eliminate their consequences and
diminish the probability of further errors.
Flight data analysis: a process for analysing
recorded flight data in order to improve the safety of
flight operations.
Hazard: a source of potential harm.
Human factors (HF): the minimisation of human
error and its consequences by optimising the
relationships between people, activities, equipment
and systems.
Incident: an occurrence, other than an accident,
associated with the operation of an aircraft which
affects, or could affect, the safety of operation.
Inter-rater reliability: the extent to which two
or more coders or raters agree, helping to ensure
consistency of a rating system.
Just culture: an organisational perspective that
discourages blaming the individual for an honest
mistake that has contributed to an accident or
incident. Sanctions are only applied when there is
evidence of a conscious violation, or intentional,
reckless, or negligent behaviour.
Likelihood: a general description of probability or
frequency that can be expressed qualitatively or
quantitatively.
Line-oriented flight training (LOFT): aircrew
training which involves a full mission simulation
of line operations, with special emphasis on
communications, management and leadership.
Line operational simulation: widely used to
provide opportunities for crews to practise CRM
concepts in realistic and challenging simulated flight
situations.
Line operations safety audit (LOSA): behavioural
observation data-gathering technique to assess
the performance of flight crews during normal
operations. (See also MOSA)
23
Management: planning, organising, resourcing,

leading or directing, and controlling an organisation
(a group of one or more people or entities) or effort
for the purpose of accomplishing a goal.
Maintenance operations safety audit (MOSA):
behavioural observation data-gathering technique to
assess the performance of maintenance engineers
during normal operations.
Non-technical skills (NTS): Specific HF
competencies such as critical decision making,
team communication, situational awareness and
workload management.
Operational safety-critical personnel: perform
or are responsible for safety-related work, including
being in direct contact with the physical operation
of the aircraft, or having operational contact with
personnel who operate the aircraft.
Operational safety-related work: safety-related
activity in one or more of the following work areas:
maintenance
flying an aircraft
cabin crew operations
dispatch of aircraft or crew
development, design, implementation and
management of flight operations, safety-related
processes (including safety investigations)
any other duties prescribed by an AOC holder as
flight operations safety-related work.
Quality management system (QMS): a set of
policies, processes and procedures required for
planning and execution (production/development/
service) in the core business areas of an
organisation.
Risk: the chance of something happening that will
have an impact on objectives.
A risk is often specified in terms of an event or
circumstance and any consequence that might
flow from it.
Risk is measured in terms of a combination of the
consequences of an event, and its likelihood.
Risk can have a positive or negative impact.
Risk assessment: the overall process of risk

identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation.
Risk identification: the process of determining
what, where, when, why and how something could
happen.
Risk management: the culture, processes and
structures directed towards realising potential
opportunities whilst managing adverse effects.
Safety: the state in which the probability of
harm to persons or property is reduced to, and
maintained at, a level which is as low as reasonably
practicable through a continuing process of hazard
identification and risk management.
Safety culture: an enduring set of beliefs, norms,
attitudes, and practices within an organisation
concerned with minimising exposure of the
workforce and the general public to dangerous or
hazardous conditions. A positive safety culture is
one which promotes concern for, commitment to,
and accountability for, safety.
Safety manager (SM): person responsible for
managing all aspects of an organisations safety
management system.
Safety management system (SMS): a
systematic approach to managing safety,
including the necessary organisational structures,
accountabilities, policies and procedures.
Safety-sensitive aviation activity: any aviation
activities in an aerodrome testing area
Service level agreement: see Contractors
Small, non-complex organisations:
Organisations with 10 or fewer employees
performing safety-sensitive aviation activities (SSAA)
are automatically considered to be small and noncomplex. Organisations with more than 10, but
fewer than 20 SSAA employees, and which do not
exceed any of the other criteria for non-complex
organisations, may also be considered small and
non-complex.
24
Stakeholders: those people and

organisations who may affect, be affected by,
or perceive themselves to be affected by, a
decision, activity or risk.
Training needs analysis (TNA): identification of

training needs at an employee, departmental, or
organisational level, so the organisation performs
effectively.
State safety program: an integrated set of

regulations and activities aimed at improving
international and national aviation safety
Unit of competency: under Australian national

standards, a defined group of competencies
required for effective performance in the workplace.
A competency specifies the required knowledge
and skill for, and applies that knowledge and skill
at an industry level to, the standard of performance
required in employment.
Systemic: relating to or affecting an entire

system.
System safety: the application of engineering
and management principles, criteria and
techniques to optimise safety by identifying
safety-related risks, and eliminating or
controlling them (by design and/or procedures),
based on acceptable system safety
precedents.
Third-party interface: see contractors
Threat: events or errors beyond the influence
of an operational person, which increase
operational complexity and should be managed
to maintain the safety margin.
Threat and error management (TEM):
the process of detecting and responding to
threats with countermeasures to reduce or
eliminate their consequences, and mitigate the
probability of errors.
Training: the process of bringing a person to
an agreed standard of proficiency by practice
and instruction.
Usability: the effectiveness, efficiency and

satisfaction with which users can achieve tasks
in a particular environment of a product, equipment
or system.
Violation: intended or deliberate deviations
from rules, regulations or operating procedures.
A person committing a violation does so
deliberately. Violations can be:
routinecommon violations promoted by an
indifferent environment, we do it this way all the
time
optimisingcorner-cutting based on the path of
least resistance, I know an easier/quicker way of
doing this
exceptional or situationalone-off breaches
of standards/regulations dictated by unusual
circumstances that are not covered in
procedures, we cant do this any other way
acts of sabotageacts of harmful intent to life,
property or equipment.
25
References
CASA regulations and advisory
material
Civil Aviation Advisory Publication (CAAP) SMS-1(0)
2009 .
Civil Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) Part 99
alcohol and other drugs.
Safety Behaviours: Human Factors for Pilots.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Australia. (2009).
Safety Behaviours: Human Factors for Engineers.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Australia.
(2013).
ICAO publications
Human factors, management and organization.
Human Factors Digest No. 10 ICAO, Montreal,
Canada. (1993).
ICAO Annex 19 Safety Management 1st edition.
ICAO Safety Management Manual (Document 9859)
3rd edition 2013.
Further reading
The INDICATE safety program: A method to
proactively improve airline safety performance.
Edkins, G.D. Safety Science, 30: pp 275-295. (1998).
What life raft? Edkins, G. D. Qantas Flight Safety,
Issue 2: Spring, pp5-9. Qantas Airways. Sydney,
(2001).
Safety at the Sharp End: a Guide to
Non-technical skills. Flin, R; OConnor,
P & Crichton, M. Ashgate (2008).
Culture at Work in Aviation and Medicine: National,
Organizational and Professional Influences.
Helmreich, R.L and Merritt, AC. Ashgate (1998).
Safety culture and human error in the aviation
industry: In search of perfection. Hudson, P.T.W.
in B. Hayward & A. Lowe (eds.) Aviation Resource
Management. Ashgate, UK. (2000).
Human Error. Reason, J. Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge (1992).
Managing the Risks of Organisational Accidents.
Reason, J. Ashgate, Aldershot, UK. (1997).
Managing Maintenance Error: a Practical Guide.
Reason, J & Hobbs, A. Ashgate (2003).
A Human Error Approach To Aviation Accident
Analysis: The Human Factors Analysis &
Classification System. Wiegmann, DA & Shappell,
SA. Ashgate (2003).
Follow CASA on
CASAbriefing
@CASAbriefing
www.casa.gov.au/sms

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SMS 1

SMS FOR AVIATIONA PRACTICAL GUIDE | 2ND EDITION

SMS1 | Safety management system basics

Case study: a tale of two siblings

SMS whats in it for you?

Business benefits parallels between business,

Safety culture where does your organisation sit?

ICAO framework components of an SMS

Safety policy and objectives

Safety risk management

The role of human factors in an SMS

Toolkit for safety management

Index of toolkit items

Jargon busters abbreviations, acronyms and definitions

A safety management system (SMS):

Booklets 25 follow the International Civil

there is an awful sameness about

The following tale illustrates the benefits of a

Case study: a tale of two siblings

The Sydney-based sibling adopts a formal safety

Staff views about

Staff have confidence that safety is well

Staff do not think that enough is

Staff are strongly motivated and willing to

There is a general reluctance

Only nine safety hazard reports

Staff perception about

Staff believe there is now less potential

Staff attitudes remain unchanged

Strong action taken on long-standing

Staff believe that some safety

Use of the maintenance release by pilots

SMS whats in it for you?

What does an SMS cost?

The other positive about a good SMS

Business benefits parallels

Safety culture where does your

Those in senior positions foster a climate in which

If you are convinced that your

The five key ingredients of

Other benefits of an effective safety

There is a strong relationship between safety

Sound systems, practices and procedures

There are four major components of the required

There are now significant community expectations

Globally, ICAO sets the standard for aviation

Having an SMS just because the

Safety policy and objectives

So, safety management involves managing

According to ICAO, a safety management system

1. Safety policy and objectives

adopting safe practices and safety lessons

Managements explicit support of a positive

stringent use of checklists and briefings to ensure

integrating human factors in safety training to

The safety objectives should state an intended

2. Safety risk management

SMS implementation involves spelling out all

Risk management is a key component of an SMS