Your Safety Management System (SMS) is an aviation regulatory requirement to keep our skies safe. Communication is key to designing and implementing an SMS and continues to remain essential if the SMS is to be effective.
Putting your Safety Management System into practice
Your implementation plan must be organisation wide. This will consider:
- ongoing staff training
- regular safety committee meetings
- risk assessments
- staff reporting hazards in their workplace
- implementing and monitoring safety controls
- communicating your SMS and safety issues with staff and encouraging feedback.
Reviewing your Safety Management System
Your SMS is a living document that will change and evolve with your organisation. This means it should be regularly reviewed. This review can include:
- safety objectives and targets
- processes and procedures including IT software package
- staff training
- communication of safety risks.
Using your Safety Management System in your organisation
It's your responsibility to ensure that your SMS is used throughout your organisation. You must also ensure that staff feel comfortable to report hazards and their concerns.
To help drive your SMS in your workplace toward effectiveness, you can:
- hold regular emergency response drills
- survey staff about safety concerns
- measure and monitor safety performance indicators and safety targets
- conduct regular internal and external safety audits
- continuously improve your SMS's performance.
Communicating your Safety Management System with external providers
As well as communicating your SMS with your staff you need to think about:
- your interactions with external providers
- how external providers may impact your SMS.
You should inform your providers about your SMS, and how it impacts their interactions with your organisation.
16 Dec 2022