SMS Should not be a Mystery

It’s interesting to note that aviation safety regulators are legislating to require Safety Management Systems (SMS) for most air operators’, aerodromes, air traffic services and support services. Australia legislated for aerodromes in 2003 and followed with air traffic service providers and eventually air operators.

In this country the SMS concept is not new. The recommendation for passenger carrying AOC holders to implement a safety management system was published in a public report “Systems for Safety”. This report resulted from the “Safety Systems Assessment Project for Passenger Carrying Operators” (SSAPCO) which the then Director of Aviation Safety, Leroy Keith, established after the Seaview disaster.

The project was the first to include industry people as full members as well as some very capable Authority Managers, almost all of whom have since left the agency. I was the Project Manager. This was the first real attempt to fully include capable industry people, rather than just collaborate or consult with industry and it was very successful.

The SMS recommendation was implemented through another project and CASA then, over a number of years, encouraged and guided industry about safety management systems. At one time, CASA was a world leader in our promotion of SMS and willingly provided material and expertise to a number of other leading aviation countries. I note from a recent article in the CASA publication, Flight Safety Australia that our country is still influential and has a very capable representative on the ICAO SMS working group.

I was also pleased to note a more pragmatic approach to SMS in the article. I have been concerned over the last few years, and had seen some evidence to suggest that SMS was being hi-jacked by people who made it mysterious. I even wrote a book called; “Safety Management without the Mumbo Jumbo” to make it clear that safety management does not have to be a mystery. Rather than enhancing safety, any mystery may have a detrimental effect by diverting funds from key safety initiatives. See www.rdcollins.com.au to purchase the book.

Robert Collins | Wednesday, January 18, 2012 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink