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Welcome to the December SMS Newsletter provided to you by SMS Partners. In this month's newsletter you will find an article about Transport Canada delaying SMS requirements for small operators, information on a tool to identify SMS trends, and an SMS operator checklist. If there is a specific SMS topic that you would like to read about, or if you have any questions, please send us an e-mail. And of course, if you like what you read, please forward this e-mail to a friend! |
Transport Canada Delays SMS for Small Operators
Transport Canada is delaying the introduction of safety management systems (SMS) for smaller commercial airlines after concerns from its own staff about problems with the oversight regime.
SMS has already been fully phased in at Canada's large commercial carriers and was supposed to be in place at smaller operations within months. These operations include commuter planes carrying fewer than 50 passengers, regional airlines serving smaller communities and air ambulances.
Now, Transport Canada's civil aviation division has decided to postpone the system's implementation at these smaller operations until at least 2011.
Transport Canada has agreed to make adjustments to the safety management systems regulatory roll-out schedule and refine the project plan accordingly. This change will allow more time for the industry to prepare for SMS implementation, and for Civil Aviation to refine oversight tools and provide more training for employees. As a result, the regulation for air taxi and commuter operations will come into effect, at the earliest, in January 2011.
After instituting SMS for rail transportation in 2001, the Canadian government expanded the oversight system to civil aviation, to be phased in over time. Both Liberal and Conservative transport ministers have consistently argued that SMS doesn't reduce government oversight but rather serves as a proactive tool to compliment the government's inspection regime.
The transition to SMS in civil aviation has already resulted in the elimination of Transport Canada's national and regional auditing programs of air operations.
News of the postponement of SMS implementation at smaller air operations comes as the House of Commons transport committee on Monday holds hearings to examine Transport Canada's enforcement of air-safety regulations and the implementation of SMS for the aviation industry.
The schedule change in SMS implementation for small operators comes on the eve of a new regulation coming into effect Tuesday that lays the foundation to extend SMS to Transport Canada's aircraft certification. Transport Canada in the past had to sign off on any aircraft design, repair or modification. The new regulation introduces the concept of third-party liability.
Identifying SMS Trends and Automated Alerts using SMS Pro
How does your organization identify trends in your safety management system? For example, your airline recently experienced 3 landings with less than the required fuel reserves. How do you keep track of how many you have had? How are you alerted whenever trends develop? How can you track these trends across divisions?
With SMS Pro, you can set thresholds for:
1) Types of Issues; and
2) Root Causes from investigations
In tandem with threshold levels, periods of time are required. For example, 3 hard landings within the past 10 years may not be as meaningful as 3 hard landings within the past 6 months. With SMS Pro, you are able to configure your own threshold levels.
Thresholds are great, but an automated alert would be even better. Whenever a threshold is reached or exceeded, a trend may be developing and you need to be made aware of this trend as soon as possible. SMS Pro makes this possible.
Email alerts are sent automatically whenever trends are developing in your organization. If you want to learn more, contact Chris Howell for an online, interactive demo. Click here to learn more about some of SMS Pro's key features.
Safety Management System (SMS) Operator Checklist
Do your :
Employees feel that a positive safety culture is promoted in the organization?
Senior managers promote and support your safety program?
Middle managers support the safety program?
Does your organization have:
A means to perform a Safety Cultural Assessment and Safety Gap Analysis?
A CEO Safety Policy
Annual Safety Goals and Objectives?
A proactive safety program and actively search out potential safety hazards?
A safety reporting system for pilots?
A safety reporting system for mechanics and ramp service personnel?
A safety reporting system for flight attendants?
A safety reporting system for your passengers/customers?
A safety reporting system for your office employees?
A dedicated Safety Management System (SMS) Manager?
A safety committee?
Assessment tools in place for pre-identified hazards? (i.e., going to a new airport, contract crew members, etc.)
Initial and recurrent safety training for all your employees?
An emergency response plan for aircraft accidents/incidents?
An emergency response plan for in-flight medical emergencies?
An emergency response plan for natural disasters and other unplanned events (fire, tornado, hurricane, etc.)?
Identified limitations? (runway, weather, rest, etc.)
A tool/application to track, assign, and analyze identified risks?
A way to assess risk for identified hazards?
Regularly scheduled safety meetings? Are all the work groups represented in your safety meetings?
A means to promote and communicate safety throughout your organization?
Your safety program periodically evaluated by an external 3rd-party entity?
Does your organization:
Promote safety in all aspects of employee lives? (home, work, etc.)
Encourage continuing safety education and training?
Continually assess your safety program and potential hazards?
Allow employees the authority to fix a situation they deem unsafe?
Perform safety audits of internal operations?
Perform safety audits of external operations and vendors?
Conduct trend analysis on safety data?
Conduct safety audits of past findings/fixes?
Conduct training and tests of your emergency response plans?
Share your safety data/identified and mitigated hazards with appropriate individuals (airports, aircraft manufacturers, employees, etc.)?
Have all your safety and operations processes and procedures documented?
Have policies and procedures integrated with safety in its controls, responsibilities, authority, and process measures?
Proactively search out potential hazards?
Have individuals analyzing identified hazards trained in risk analysis and risk mitigation and methodology?
SMS Partners is a partnership between JDA Aviation Technology Solutions and Northwest Data Solutions. The combined expertise of these two organizations provides its customers with customized SMS solutions that will improve your safety record, keep you conpliant with regulatory requirements, and save you time and money. For more information, go to the SMS Partners' website.
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