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Safety management system resource kit

Safety management system kit for Aviation - A practical guide 2nd edition

  • Our safety management system kit (SMS) has useful information for both updating and improving an existing SMS, or developing and putting a new one into place
  • The set of eight booklets outlines the structure of a safety management system following the global International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) framework
  • The kit also includes a DVD featuring the video dramas, SOS and SMS and a series of video interviews with industry SMS experts and practitioners, and a CD containing useful tools such as checklist and templates
  • You can adapt the tools to suit your own individual needs
  • You can order a hard copy of the guide from our online store or you can download the individual booklets and view the video.

Give us your feedback

We want your feedback. We use it to improve our safety products, and to help us development new guides and products. Email ashley.mcalpine@casa.gov.au.

The resource kit includes:

Booklet 1 - Safety management system basics

Booklet 1 is an introductory booklet providing an overview of safety management systems. It includes:

  • Why do I need an SMS?
  • What's in it for me?
  • What is the difference between an SMS and a quality management system?
  • Safety culture-where does your organisation sit?
  • Safety management system basics also includes jargon busters-abbreviations, acronyms and definitions.

Booklet 2 - Safety policy and objectives

Booklet 2 looks at the vital role management plays in the effectiveness of an organisation's SMS, including:

  • Setting up roles and expectations
  • Establishing clear policy guidelines
  • Fostering a just safety culture and making sure everybody in the organisation, whether it's big or small, knows about and supports the SMS.

Booklet 3 - Safety Risk Management

With policies and people in place, the next step in an SMS is to identify the hazards in your organisation, and to make sure you have controls to manage risk. Booklet 3 looks at:

  • Managing risk
  • How to reduce risk to be ALARP - as low as reasonably practicable
  • Provides templates and checklists such as a sample risk register, hazard ID and a hazard report form.

Booklet 4 - Safety assurance

Safety assurance is the way you show that your SMS works. Booklet 4 looks at ways to:

  • Monitor, record and measure your safety performance
  • Investigate, report and audit
  • Other important things to consider in managing change.

Booklet 5 - Safety promotion

Safety promotion includes safety communication and safety training. Good communication is vital for an effective SMS. If the boss keeps everyone in the loop on safety issues and listens to what employees have to say, the SMS will be much more effective. Employees also need to have the skills and knowledge they need. Booklet 5 therefore focuses on the 'safety training and communication' part of an effective SMS.

Booklet 6 - Human factors

Booklet 6 is dedicated to promoting an understanding of humans—our behaviour and performance. From an operational perspective, we apply our human factors knowledge to get the best fit between people and the systems they word under to improve safety and performance.

Booklet 7 - SMS for small, non-complex organisations

Booklet 7 is a simple overview of SMS for smaller aviation organisations, such as those involved in transport and charter, training and maintenance. It defines what a small, non-complex organisation is. It highlights that SMS is scalable abd that not all elements will look the same in all organisations, and that there are advantages to being small. As with larger organisations, the role of a small, non-complex organisation's CEO in driving and championing SMS is critical to its success.

Booklet 7A – SMS for rural and regional airports

SMS book 7A - rural and regional airports (pdf 1.57 MB) - Size does matter. SMS is just as relevant for small organisations, such as rural and regional airports, as it is for the large metropolitan airports, and can be scaled to suit the size and complexity of the organisation.

Booklet 8 - Workbook

Booklet 8 gives some guidance on how to use the SMS kit, and has a series of exercises based on the drama SOS to promote discussion and understanding of the key elements of an SMS. Small, non-complex organisations can use the resources to guide their SMS development and promote discussion, while larger organisations may incorporate them into their existing training agenda, or organise special self-contained sessions.

Videos

The SMS for Aviation - A Practical Guide 2nd edition resource kit now includes video.

There are two video dramas, which feature a fictitious regional charter and training organisation, bush aviation and training, as the owner/CEO makes some critical decisions:

  • SOS: running time 16 minutes
  • SMS: running time 7:11 minutes

You can also watch the following video clips for more information about aviation safety:

What the experts say showcases a wide range of industry subject matter experts including safety managers, regulatory safety system specialists, and aviation safety academics such as Professor Sidney Dekker and Emeritus Professor James Reason.

Another perspective focuses on the high-risk operations areas of mountain, mine and marine. The principal of Risk Response Rescue takes a different look at safety management: running time 2:42 minutes.