ARE YOU READY FOR SMS?

SCSI has been teaching SMS since 2002 and has tracked the changes and lessons learned as SMS has been implemented in aviation settings. SCSI also teaches based on the latest developments and guidelines published by ICAO and various regulatory agencies. This course is based on the latest ICAO Safety Management manual (advanced version of doc 9859 2nd edition dated 2008 as approved in principle by the Secretary General and made available to the public) which supersedes the first edition published in 2006. It also supersedes the ICAO accident prevention manual (doc 9422) published in 1984 and now discontinued.

Starting in 2009 all member States of ICAO and all aviation service providers within those states must implement a safety management system that as a minimum:

• Identifies safety hazards
• Ensures the implementation of remedial action necessary to maintain agreed safety performance.
• Provides continuous monitoring and regular assessment of the safety performance.
• Seeks continuous improvement in the overall performance of the safety management system.

According to ICAO, an SMS is defined as “a systematic approach to managing safety including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures.

If you are a regulator, an aircraft operator, a maintenance organization, an aircraft manufacturer, an air traffic services provider, or a certificated airport operator you MUST have an SMS in place this year.

The SMS must do the following things:

The challenge is how to accomplish these actions. ICAO has established a framework for an SMS that incorporates four basic components and 12 elements as shown here:

In the SMS Essentials course you will be introduced to the basic concepts of safety and the modern approach to safety management. The course will take you through the process of planning and implementing an SMS by discussing each of the components and elements and showing how they fit in an SMS. You will learn what makes each element important and how to be sure it is efficient and effective.

A key part of the implementation of an SMS is the process of analyzing the organization’s system to see which SMS components are already in place and which must be added or improved to meet defined SMS standards. This is commonly known as a Gap Analysis. SCSI through this course introduces you to a Gap Analysis and provides a detailed guide for your use. This is a guide that encompasses all of the subjects in the recommended ICAO checklist but it goes beyond that to give you a set of grading criteria to help evaluate the significant areas for improvement. As a part of this course you will start your Gap Analysis and can continue it after course completion at home.

References for the Essentials course include

• ICAO Annex 6 Part I, (Operation of Aircraft); Annex 11, (Air Traffic Services); and Annex 14, (Aerodromes).
• ICAO Manual on Certification of Aerodromes (Doc 9774)
• ICAO Safety Management Manual, Doc 9859, 2008
• Advisory Circular 119-165 Safety Management Training (Australia)
• CAP 712 Safety Management Systems for Commercial Air Transport Operations (UK)
• CAP 730 Safety Management Systems for Air Traffic Management (UK)
• TP 13881, Safety Management Systems for Flight Operations and Aircraft Maintenance Organizations (Canada)
• Operator's Flight Safety Handbook, Issue #2, Global Aviation Information Network (GAIN)
• SMS Implementation Procedures Guide, Transport Canada TP14343E, May 2005
• FAA Advisory Circular 120-92, Introduction to Safety Management Systems for Air Operators, 6/22/2006.
• FAA Guidebooks for Developing A Basic Safety Management System (Air Operators, Flight Training, or Aviation Maintenance Organizations)

Many of these references as well as others will be provided in electronic format as a part of the course.

Personnel assigned to safety and safety-related positions in an airline, an on-demand charter, an aerodrome, executive support airlift, a military flying activity or a government regulatory body who may be new to safety or Safety Management Systems or to those who would like a comprehensive review of SMS fundamentals in order to review, evaluate, build, or improve upon a safety management plan. Attendees will be provided the information, knowledge, and checklists required to build, implement and manage a "world class safety program using the latest tools, techniques and processes."

• You will learn safety management systems as applied to aviation operations.
• You will learn the regulatory and administrative requirements for a safety program under various federal and international guidelines.
• You will learn the ten basic SMS organizational components required to produce an effective SMS Risk Control Process and then how to develop them through actual hands-on practice.
• You will learn a data-driven approach to enhancing aviation safety -- how to collect and use data that will support a proactive approach to safety.
• You will learn how to take account of human and organizational factors as you organize (or reorganize) for a safety management system.
• You will be introduced to the concepts an SMS Risk Control Process and the practice of hazard identification and risk management and how this process can increase the effectiveness of your accident prevention efforts.
• You will learn how to deal with line management at all levels and how to “sell” a Safety Management System and subsequent safety programs to them using the basic concepts of strategic planning, budgeting, and financial decision making. You will see how to create and propose budgets for effective safety programs.
• By completion of the course you will have the essentials you need to develop a safety management system tailored to your organization. For those from organizations that already have safety programs, you will be able to critically review, compare and contrast, evaluate, and improve existing plans and programs from a safety management system perspective and make the required improvements.
• You will learn how to communicate effectively with and involve all levels of management in safety by understanding the essential tools of financial decision making and budgeting.
• You will learn how to involve all staff in safety, develop a positive safety culture, maintain a commitment to safety, and assess progress.
• You will evaluate your current safety program and identify gaps or deficiencies compared to a fully functioning SMS
• SCSI will award 4.0 CEUs to each participant who successfully completes this course.

During this course the topics listed will be presented by SCSI instructors on the web.

· Basic Safety Concepts

• The concept of safety
• The evolution of safety thinking
• Accident causation & the Reason Model
• The organizational accident
• People, operational contexts and safety
• Errors and violations
• Organizational culture

· An Introduction to Managing Safety

• The management dilemma
• Responsibilities and strategies for managing safety
• Strategic Planning, Financial Decision Making, and Budgeting
• Policies and organization for safety

· Dealing with Hazards

• The four fundamentals

· Safety Risks

• The definition of safety risk
• The five fundamentals in managing risk

· Introducing Safety Management Systems

• The SMS framework
• Emergency Response Planning
• Safety Investigation
• Safety Analysis
• Safety Documentation
• SMS planning
• Safety Performance Assessment and measurement
• Continuous improvement and safety assurance
• Safety promotion, training and communication
• Management of safety information
• Demonstration of an electronic safety management system*
• Case studies, exercises
• Final class exercise -- Gaps Analysis
• As an added benefit to the attendees during the course we will demonstrate an electronic, web-based safety management system tool that facilitates the integration and coordination of the elements of an SMS.

These SMS course topics form the basis for organizing this SMS course. For each organizational component in an SMS, instructors will define the component and then show how it applies to SMS with examples, illustrations, hands-on exercises, checklists, etc. The course focus is on "how to do it” and what the content should look like when you are done. Most course topics will include a summary "hands-on" exercise to focus the topics covered.

This self-paced course is taken on the web. PDF versions of all course material will be made available to web attendees, along with a binder with the class PowerPoint slides to take notes on. Upon completion of the web course, a Certificate of Completion will be awarded.