AIR CARRIER MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS BEST PRACTICE
SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (SMS)
Safety Management Systems are the product of a continuing evolution in aviation safety. The goal of the SMS process is to assist the operator in moving from a Reactive response to a safety issue, on to a Proactive, and then ultimately Predictive action that identifies safety risks that might occur in the future, and implement effective mitigations.
A Safety Management System is Based on Four Components:
Management Commitment and Responsibility - Safety Compliance Group works with Senior Management to develop a policy statement of commitment by senior management, to the safety of the air operation. This must include a statement of accountabilities that clearly defines the safety responsibilities of managers and employees at different levels in the organization. This statement must also indicate the assignment of responsibilities for operationally critical areas, when principle office holders are absent. The Accountable Executive, in most organizations will delegate the daily oversight functions of the SMS to the Safety Manager, who is responsible for ensuring that all Safety Management activities are appropriately documented and made available to all employees.
SAFETY POLICY & OBJECTIVES
SAFETY RISK MANAGEMENT
Hazard Identification/Risk Assessment/Mitigation - Safety Compliance Group's SMS consultants will assist operations personnel in developing processes that ensure operational hazards are identified, analyzed, consequences are assessed and communicated throughout the organization, and mitigation actions are developed for those hazards presenting unacceptable risk.
SAFETY ASSURANCE
Safety Performance Monitoring and Measurement - Safety Assurance activities focus on assessing the health of the organization, and its SMS, with the emphasis on safety. Safety Compliance Group can assist senior managers in setting specific goals for improvement in all areas of the operation. Our consultants and auditors will assist personnel in developing policies, processes and procedures for gathering and analyzing collected data which provides operations personnel and senior management with a snapshot of the current effectiveness of the operator's SMS and the mitigations implemented for identified hazards.
​
Change Management- External or internal changes may introduce new hazards to operational activities. Safety Compliance Group can provide operators with the development and implementation of the processes necessary to manage organizational responses to regulatory changes, major changes in operational procedures, addition of new fleet types and new airport destinations. SCG can assist in developing safety reporting systems that have established processes to identify new risks and monitor the new areas of operation.
​
Continuous Improvement of the SMS - Safety Compliance Group's SMS consultants have the expertise to assist the operator with identifying and using quality processes such as internal evaluations, independent audits, or LOSAs to assess organizational health from a safety prospective. SCG can illustrate the benefits of recurring onsite assessments of operational management systems that provide opportunities for continuous improvement of processes and procedures for each functional area of the airline.
SAFETY PROMOTION
Training/Education - Safety Compliance Group fully supports and promotes effective training in all areas of the organization. Safety Compliance Group will assist the organization in identifying the safety training requirements for each level of management and for each employee group. Safety training for operational personnel should address safety responsibilities, including complying with all operating and safety procedures, recognizing and reporting hazards, and ultimately ensuring that employees have the knowledge and skills to safely complete their work activities.
​
Safety Communication - Communication of safety information is a key responsibility for the Safety Manager. Continuous improvement and learning is accomplished through the sharing of lessons learned from investigations, hazard report analysis and operational assessments. SCG will work with safety personnel in the analysis of this critical information, that becomes feedback to operational personnel, such as examples of procedural improvements as a result of safety reports, which is an essential feature of safety communications.
Safety Compliance Group embraces and promotes FAA 14 CFR Part 5 SMS regulatory guidance for U.S. operators, and the ICAO SMS requirements for international operators found in ICAO Annex 19, pertinent to each organization's structures and operations.
SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (SMS)
Safety Compliance Group assists organizations in building a positive safety culture based upon the Four Components of SMS: Safety Policy and Objectives, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance and Safety Promotion. SCG's aviation safety credentialed staff work with clients to develop scalable and customized programs for the development, implementation and auditing of Safety Management and Operational Control systems. Safety Compliance Group's extensive suite of services include:
Development of a Safety Management System (SMS)
Initial development, implementation or upgrade of an SMS, customized and scalable to the operator's scope of operations.
​
SMS Training
Initial and recurrent SMS training for all levels of the aviation organization.
​
SMS Gap Analysis
Pre-audit analysis of an existing SMS in preparation for International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) and/or other required audits.
Consulting with Senior Management
Introductory, explanatory meetings with senior management to enhance the understanding of the role of management within the safety management process. Assistance with the proper selection of an accountable executive, who must have corporate-budgetary decision making authority within the SMS.
Setting of Safety Policy, Goals and Priorities
Assistance with defining the organization's safety policy, goals and priorities.
Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Mitigation Processes
Assistance with the identification of hazards, development of risk assessment tools for identifying risks and creation of mitigation strategies for reducing or eliminating hazards, to included non-punitive employee safety reporting systems.
Safety Assurance Processes
Development and implementation of processes that collect, analyze and track safety hazards and the success of their mitigations.
​
Safety Promotion
The continuous education of all employee groups for the understanding, utilization and communication of the successes that come from SMS implemented mitigations and changes.
Emergency Response Planning (ERP)
Creation of aviation organization emergency response plans.
Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS)
Development of policies and guidelines to mitigate the risks associated with fatigue.
IBAC Accredited Auditing for IS-BAO Registration
International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) audits for operators requesting Stage I, II and III, IS-BAO operator registration.
SCG Auditing
Auditing services for non-ISBAO Aviation Organizations.
Additional Services
SCG's professionals are able to provide on-going compliance and safety support services
that include but are not limited to:
-
​External Safety Officers - Credentialed professionals provide support on a contract basis
-
24/7 support
-
Manual updating
-
Operations (Flight, Dispatch, Training and Network Operations Control)
-
SMS
-
Emergency Response
-
International
-
-
Gap Analysis / Pre-Audit Support
-
Data Import
-
Training (Advanced Safety Programs)