Safety Management Systems (SMS)

Our certificate in Safety Management Systems (SMS) will provide your organization with the capability to implement and mature your SMS in accordance with the international standards established by ICAO and IBAC.

SCSI has been teaching SMS since 2002 and has tracked the changes and lessons learned as SMS has been implemented in aviation settings around the world. SCSI teaches based on the latest developments and guidelines published by ICAO and the various regulatory agencies. This certification is based on the latest ICAO Safety Management manual (Doc 9859 4th edition dated 2018) which supersedes the third edition published in 2013. It also supersedes the ICAO Accident Prevention Manual (Doc 9422), which is obsolete.

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:

  • Proactively 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

Starting in 2015, the United States Federal Aviation Administration required all Part 121 operators to develop and implement an SMS.

Required Courses
  • Safety Management Systems - Complete (SMS-C). This course presents and discusses the organizational components of an SMS and the SMS Risk Control Process to safety professionals who may know nothing about Safety Management Systems, or those who may simply want to review their SMS and make sure all the pieces are in place. Toward that end, the course shows attendees how to do a "Gaps Analysis" which focuses on how to discover any Gaps in your current SMS and Risk Control Process.

  • Investigation in Safety Management Systems (ISMS). This course provides Safety Officers and managers with knowledge and training in the process of investigating minor accidents and incidents in an aviation organization. It supports the implementation of an SMS by providing the tools and techniques used to investigate incidents, minor accidents and hazards. There is also practical training in how to investigate an occurrence from initial notification through to writing an investigation report.

  • Safety Risk Management (SRM). Safety Risk Management is a systems-based approach that focuses on the identification of hazards involved in each aspect of the operation, whether it involves aircraft flight operations, cockpit procedures, aircraft maintenance, turn-around, ticketing, scheduling, or baggage handling. As an integral and required part of a Safety Management System, Operational Risk Management formalizes this approach by implementing a logic-driven process to analyze the degree of risk associated with identified hazards, recommending Risk-based solutions, and monitoring the effectiveness of these solutions. This method is graphically demonstrated by the ICAO model shown below. Called “The Modern Approach to Safety” it is in effect, a model of the SRM approach as taught by SCSI
CHOOSE ONE ELECTIVE (ALL COURSES available by contract as well).
  • Crew Resource Management /Threat Error Management (CRM/TEM) 4.5 days. An introductory, behavioral modification course of CRM and the eight critical skills (Decision Making, Assertiveness, Mission Analayis, Monitoring, Communication, Leadership, Adaptability/Fexability and Situational Awareness) using the information->demonstration->practice->feedback model- an approach proven to produce measurable improvements in team performance. In addition to CRM skills development, team building/cohesiveness enhancement is a major focus of the course and, especially in cases where multiple participants from the same organization attend concurrently, allows participants to work together more effectively to achieve unit or company goals after training is completed.The TEM portion of this course focuses on the Risk Control Process and teaches safety professionals "management talk" and how to "make the business case for SMS" to managers at all levels. The course also cover the critical task of operational risk profiling and how risk profiling integrates with SMS.

  • Human Error and Accident Prevention (HEAP). To help your organization achieve the goal of "managing" human error, SCSI's latest workshop, HEAP, addresses this critical task. HEAP is a practical, case-study-based human factors course that focuses on understanding the causal chain and then how to develop and implement effective mitigation and prevention strategies.

  • Leading Change in SMS (LCSMS). This course focuses on the human and organizational factors (organizational behavior, communication, change, climate and culture) in creating, transitioning to or implementing an SMS. Topics include the well known ways people resist change, and ways to successfully overcome resistance to change.

  • Ramp and Maintenance Safety (RMS). This course contributes to the Safety Management Systems Certificate Program by providing best safety practices for ramp and maintenance operations. Compliance with occupational safety requirements, maintenance resource management, and data collection and utilization are incorporated. The role of ramp and maintenance safety in establishing safety goals, a safety culture, audits and risk management are presented.

  • Safety Manager/Flight Safety Officer Course (FSO). This course is designed to provide individuals with a working knowledge of aircraft mishap prevention and mishap investigation procedures, policies and techniques. Course graduates will be capable of performing the duties of a full-time flight safety officer and as the investigator for aircraft incidents.