Where to start?
Regardless of your regulatory environment or type of business, ICAO is the primary source of information and guidelines. An increasing number of aviation authorities also publish their own, with mixed results, but only ICAO sets the tone for the entire industry. The 4 SMS components and its 12 elements, the staged implementation, the sample policies, etc. can all be found in the ICAO Safety Management Manual (i.e., Doc 9859) or in the ICAO Annex 19 (due to enter force on 14 November 2013).
What's our added value?
Implementing, integrating or simply running an SMS may seem daunting. There's no reason to sweat though: it's not that difficult, but some steps are indeed critical to ensure you're on the right track. And we're there to make it simpler, faster and more efficient for your company. In parallel to short-term, precisely delimited services on specific issues, we also assist full-scale, long-term SMS implementation projects.
What if I'm just looking for SMS training?
Whatever your regulatory environment, all staff must receive SMS training commensurate with their level of accountability within the organisation. This implies that only in-house courses can generate the return on investment you rightfully expect from your investment in SMS. On the other hand, classroom training remains the most time- and cost-effective method of acquiring the required knowledge, gaining precious feedback and obtaining meaningful solutions to your specific issues. Far from the "tick-the-box-and-forget" seminars (or the "tick-the-box-and-do-something-else" e-learning courses), we rather propose partnerships to develop an effective training programme that will educate and empower staff to preserve the resources of their employer.
The only purpose of an SMS is to preserve the vital resources of your company.
For some people who obviously need to go (back) to a business school, working hard to achieve ultra-safety is perceived as an expensive, illusive and never-ending obligation with unclear returns on the investment. That argument has no teeth in the real world but let’s not lose sight of the core issue. Accidents, incidents, and occurrences hurt your customers, your staff, your profit line, your reputation and the morale within the company.
Preserve the vital resources of your company to maximise mission efficiency.
Safety Management is about finding the perfect balance between the production of your services and products, and the protection of your human, financial and technical resources. It is not about putting so many safety nets between you and your customers' needs that your business becomes irrelevant.
Maximise mission efficiency through SMS.
To reap the benefits of SMS and meet regulatory requirements, your company must demonstrate the following:
- Specific hazards and risks to your company are constantly identified, monitored and acted upon through mitigation measures
- A positive safety culture is constantly nurtured and coherently supported by management
- Staff members receive the appropriate training, tools, resources and accountability to perform their job efficiently and safely
- An emergency response plan (or business continuity plan) is put in place to weather the storms and achieve resilience
- Inspections, audits and performance indicators repeatedly inform you on the safety level achieved in the company
- Mandatory and optional investments in safety (i.e. training, technology) are monitored and optimised based on their returns
Stick to SMS, avoid an SLS: get audited !
SLS, or Safety Labyrinth System, is exactly what an SMS shouldn't turn into. It's the archetype of the muddy administrative nightmare that adds no value and strains your resources. Sometimes it doesn't take long before an SMS implementation project creates an SLS. Sometimes the change takes place so slowly you don't notice it right away. Make sure you avoid feeding an SLS into your organisation: get someone from the outside to have an independent and fresh look on your operations.