Safety Policy and Objectives

Safety Performance Goal

Component Description: Safety Performance Goal is posted on the Home page, along with a link to the timeline established to meet the goal.

SMS Requirement: The operator should establish safety objectives and performance goals for the SMS and ensure that all personnel are conversant with the objectives and goals and understand their roles in achieving them.

Safety Meetings - Agenda / Minutes

Component Description: Representatives from each area of operations should attend Safety Meetings either physically or via teleconference. Safety meeting minutes will be recorded and made available to all Flight Department personnel through the Document Hosting component of the SMC. Agendas for upcoming meetings can be developed and created through the Comm Center and posted on the Safety News Page. Safety meetings are typically held on a quarterly basis, with one of the meetings designated as an annual meeting for trend analysis, underlying circumstances and effectiveness of previous measures. The SMC provides a process to track meeting occurrences, record, and schedule follow-up actions to issues. Previous meeting minutes and documents are posted and archived through the Document Hosting and/or the Safety News Page component.

SMS Requirement: Holding periodic Safety Meetings demonstrates a commitment to Safety Assurance. Safety Meetings verify the safety performance of the organization and validate the effectiveness of safety risks controls. Safety meetings address all pertinent safety issues, the effectiveness of noted mitigation strategies of all submitted Incident / Hazard Report Forms, and any other safety related concerns.

Safety Culture Survey

Component Description: The Internal Survey component may be used to gain insight and collect data internally. Currently, the Safety Culture Survey developed by James Reason is offered at no charge. A Safety Culture Survey allows your organization to identify your safety culture\'s strengths and weaknesses by measuring perceptions of the flight department personnel about the effectiveness of the current safety culture. A strong safety culture goes hand-in-hand with strong communications.

The results will reflect the safety attitude within your flight department and in how flight department personnel view safety. The survey will reveal strengths and weaknesses in the safety culture, which can then be targeted and addressed.

A company-wide Safety Culture Survey may indicate a need to continue to build on the goal of implementing a positive safety culture. While the results may indicated a positive safety culture it can point to a need for improvement in areas such as communicating your safety management system processes.

SMS Requirement: A sound and effective SMS will shape and sustain a positive safety culture. Although auditors will explicitly evaluate the SMS, they will, at the same time, gauge and comment on aspects of the operator\'s safety culture. An IS-BAO Stage 3 audit requires evidence that a positive safety culture is being sustained.

Safety Risk Management

Safety Reporting Forms

Forms System (click for more details)

Overview: The Forms System is a reporting and tracking system for all safety data gathered from multiple departments, areas of operations, or locations through one centralized online portal. Data collection is critical to transition from a reactive program to a predictive system. With the submitted data, appropriate strategies are developed to either eliminate the hazards or reduce the level of risk to the lowest level possible. These strategies are then tracked to ensure that the mitigation is appropriate and effective. Preventative and corrective actions are generated and implemented. The system supports identification of trends and / or underlying circumstances. Cross-functional cooperation is required for continuous improvement of a sound and appropriate SMS.

See also: Included Safety Reporting Forms

Safety Risk Profile

Component Description: The objective of the Safety Risk Profile is to identify the biggest risk that challenges your Flight Department and develop mitigation measures in order to lower that risk. Steps include: Identify, Categorize, Analyze, Develop Mitigation, and Review Measures for Effectiveness. This collaborative process includes an examination of underlying circumstances and level of risk, along with severity and likelihood. The Safety Risk Profile can be accessed, completed, and archived for continual review. The Safety Risk Profile also serves as a Change Management Tool.

SMS Requirement: This is the most important part of the Risk Analysis. The goal is to reduce the likelihood of events occurring. After discussion and/or brainstorming, during mitigation development, the ideas will subsequently be refined so that they are realistic and appropriate. Policies and procedures established to mitigate safety-risks periodically should be reviewed for applicability and effectiveness and modified, as required. Mitigation should account for predictable human, operational and organizational limitations. Prior to undergoing any significant change that could impact the Flight Department, a Change Management Process should be undertaken.

Risk Assessment Tool

Component Description: This tool is a proactive risk management tool designed to target and mitigate risks for a specific flight. Each risk has a weighted value that is automatically totaled. The total is color-coded and determines the next mitigation action. This tool allows you to progressively see the risk profile of a flight in its planning stages. The following categories are automatically subtotaled: Pilot Qualification and Training, Operating Environment, and Equipment. A Flight Department may change, after a realistic assessment, any item currently used in the tool. Over time, this tool will become unique to each operator and can become a part of its complete SMS.

SMS Requirement: Risk assessment and mitigation processes analyze and eliminate, or mitigate to an acceptable level, risks that could threaten the safety of flight. Risk assessment tools are only part of the SMS and should not be considered the whole system. Risk assessment and management must be fully integrated into all operations and maintenance activities.

Safety Assurance and Change Management

Document Hosting

Component Description: The Document Hosting component functions as a central, online portal for your Flight Department to store all operations documents, directives, and manuals. The system is designed to manage an unlimited number of documents and, as a online platform, the documents are accessible via the Internet from anywhere in the world. Access to confidential documents can be granted or restricted on an individual user basis, as requested. Track new, revised, or reissued documents in a central, organization-wide database.

SMS Requirement: The operator shall provide each person with an operations manual containing all the instructions and information necessary for personnel to perform their duties. An operator shall describe the operational control and maintenance control system in the operations manual and identify the roles and responsibilities of those involved with the system.

Read & Initial

Component Description: The Read & Initial system allows easy oversight and tracking of the status of R&I items. This enables you to send items to specific groups or the flight department as a whole. Automated emails, including reminders, are sent to the intended group. The Administrator is notified when items are not read within the specified time. Company Directives, new documents, procedural changes, or revisions to existing documents, etc. may be R & I items.

SMS Requirement: The operator needs to establish and maintain a formal means of safety communication (Safety Promotion).

Manual Builder Application

Component Description: The MBA supports your manual or document development and revision process with Assessment Compliance Group, Inc. and is integrated into the SMC. It is a central, organization-wide document management application that allows for collaborative editing and reviewing. A "Comments" section allows personnel to access, review, and provide input to the development process of key documents using any web browser. The MBA ensures assigned personnel are always using the most recent document versions.

SMS Requirement: The operations manual shall be amended or revised as is necessary to ensure that the information contained therein is kept up to date. All such amendments or revisions shall be issued to all personnel that are required to use this manual.

Internal Auditing Program

Component Description: The IAP is an automated system designed to perform audits of facilities, maintenance, dispatch, administration, and operations based on company manuals and documentation. Your internal audit and inspection programs can easily be managed, including a real-time status of discrepancies and findings. The IAP supports Audit Management, Management Review, and Discrepancies and Corrective/Preventative Actions. The IAP encourages cross-department audits (e.g., maintenance conducts an audit of dispatch, flightcrews conduct an audit of administration, etc.) A co-auditor can be used for training and efficiency while conducting audit tasks.

SMS Requirement: The IAP supports the requirements for safety assurance, safety performance monitoring, and measurement. The results of the periodic evaluation of performance in relation to these goals, SOPs, maintenance procedures, etc., should be recorded and regularly reviewed by senior management so that they will be fully engaged in the SMS and the related safety management activities. If deficiencies are identified, corrective action plans should be developed, implemented, and tracked to ensure they are appropriate and effective.

Safety Promotion and Training

Safety News Page

Component Description: This is your Flight Department’s Home Page. Safety News, Company News, and Operational / Maintenance News can be posted by the operator. Graphics, documents, links, and articles may be uploaded. The Home Page creates a safety promotion framework to support a sound safety culture and facilitates cross-organizational communication and cooperation.

SMS Requirement: Safety communication is an essential foundation for the development and maintenance of an adequate safety culture. The operator should maintain a formal means of safety communication and ensure that all personnel are fully aware of the SMS; conveys safety critical information; and explains why particular safety actions are taken and why safety procedures are introduced or changed.

Knowledge Testing

Component Description: Training and testing can be developed for any document or manual for the entire organization or individual departments. A bank of test questions and associated hints are generated and linked to the specific document or manual. Questions can be randomly selected by the application or questions may be targeted to ensure understanding and awareness of procedural changes. Flight Departments can establish scoring thresholds, pass/fail standards, testing intervals, and number of questions for each interval. Examples of online testing include: International Operations, Flight Operations, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Safety Management System, Company Security Programs, and Emergency Response Procedures.

SMS Requirement: An SMS requires that all personnel receive training and education on the Safety Management System and on their safety related duties and responsibilities within the company. The operator shall establish and maintain a training program that is designed to ensure that a person who receives training acquires the competence to perform their assigned duties. An operator shall ensure that ground-training programs have been established, either through an internal program or through a training service provider.

Training Tracker

Component Description: The Training Tracker component automates the process of assigning initial, recurrent and non-recurrent training dates for pre-determined intervals. Alerts are sent to personnel and/or management for pending and overdue training events. Management is provided with an overview of the status of Flight Department personnel training requirements.

SMS Requirement: The Training Tracker is a systematic process to ensure that the required training is actually scheduled and completed. The Training Tracker demonstrates a commitment to training requirements and events that will ensure that all personnel are competent to perform their duties.

Comm Center

Component Description: The Comm Center allows for in-depth discussions concerning aircraft, services, FBOs, or other relevant topics. Public rooms are accessible by everyone, private rooms by authorized individuals. Private rooms may be used for committee or management activities. Personnel are able to subscribe / unsubscribe to a topic or room and receive notification of any new posts. Comm Centers reduce the amount of email within an organization and serves as an effective interface for knowledge sharing.

SMS Requirement: Effective communication is one of the key components to a successful SMS. By implementing the SMC, you can streamline your communication processes and thereby increase participation. The SMC utilizes a central communication infrastructure to share safety information, follow-up on corrective action, responsibilities, safety activities, and increase efficiency between departments and locations. The Comm Center serves as a means of employee involvement and increased safety communication.