What is a safety management system (SMS)?
Safety management systems are crucial in the aviation industry and are regulated by various organizations such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and national civil aviation authorities (CAA). In addition, safety management is required for all sectors in aviation.
The components of a safety management system
A safety management system consists of four main components: safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance and safety promotion which provide a systematic approach to achieve an acceptable level of safety.
The safety policy provides clear objectives for safety and defines the methods and structures to ensure these objectives.
The second pillar, safety risk management, aims to identify the potential hazards and assesses the risks.
Safety assurance evaluates the effectiveness of the risk control system in place and is therefore crucial for identifying potential new hazards. It is heavily data-driven and depends on audits and assessments.
Safety promotion includes all training activities to strengthen a positive safety culture in the company.
Safety risk management and safety assurance are the key processes of SMS and are highly interdependent.
SMS in the airline industry
Safety management systems have become mandatory worldwide for flight operations in March 2006. The whole concept of safety management systems has evolved from guidelines and prototypes that were pioneered in the airline industry in the early 1990s.
The implementation of a safety management system is of paramount importance for any flight operation as it guarantees the survival of the company. Only with a watertight SMS can safety performance be continuously improved. A significant role in enforcing and promoting the safety management system is played by aviation consulting and compliance management.
There are various bodies worldwide that have developed SMS requirements over the years: