What Are the Top 5 KPIs in Aviation Safety We recently analyzed the key performance indicators (KPIs) of hundreds of aviation service providers around the globe, and used our data to assess what the most common KPI concerns are for the aviation industry. The top 5 KPIs in aviation safety based on our data are KPIs related to: Death; Processes not followed; Bird/wildlife strike ..read more

Importance of Risk Level Breakdown in Aviation SMS Simple safety charts often speak volumes. A group of simple, yet related, safety charts evolves nicely into a performance monitoring dashboard. For aviation service providers, a secure, easily accessible dashboard allows management to remain updated as to the performance of their aviation safety management system (SMS). A simple risk management chart embedded within a dashboard may communicate many things, including ..read more

Why Passing an Aviation SMS Audit Is Critical Over the past dozen years, an aviation SMS audit has become a necessary and commonly difficult task for: Airlines; Airports; Aviation maintenance organizations; ATC; and Flight schools ..read more

Interesting Discussion on Audits vs. Inspections The other day, I had a rather interesting discussion with a couple of seasoned aviation safety managers on the topic of aviation safety audits vs inspections. It took a while to come to a consensus about the primary differences, as well as the ideological implications of each. The discussion got me thinking, and I did some further research. More than simply understanding the practical difference between the two, it's important to understand the ideological differences between safety audits and safety inspections as well ..read more

How to Use Hazard Reporting Forms in SMS You can’t really overestimate the value and usefulness of having high-quality hazard reporting forms. Hazard reporting underpins your ability to acquire data, which is the basis of most of the continuous improvement changes you make to your aviation SMS. Good hazard reporting forms provide: Guidance for employees when reporting issues; The framework for the types of data you want to gather ..read more

Four Pillars of Safety Management Systems (SMS) In 2006, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) required safety management system (SMS) implementation for most commercial aviation service providers. The list of required service providers has been expanded in recent years to include: Aircraft operators; Aircraft maintenance organizations (AMOs or MROs); Air navigation services providers; Helicopter operators ..read more

What Is a Fishbone Diagram? Fishbone diagrams are perhaps the best risk management tool in aviation safety management systems (SMS) for gaining a comprehensive understanding of root causes of safety incidents. A fishbone diagram derives its name from its fishlike appearance, with a head of several fins. Each “fin” or “branch” of a fishbone diagram describes a different category of the situation, such as the categories “Human” or “Machine.” The head of the fishbone describes the risk ..read more

Why You Need to Monitor the Effectiveness of Control Measures Control measures are the heart of your aviation safety management system’s (SMS) risk mitigation efforts. You may call your "control measures" either: Risk controls; or Simply "controls." In this article, we'll use the term "control measures," but I am sure many of you call them "risk controls." Either term is permissible; however, I'm detecting a global preference in the aviation industry for the term "risk control ..read more

Why Repeat Safety Incidents Are a Big Concern Repeat safety incidents are extremely indicative of management’s safety performance in mitigating safety concerns. Having repeat safety incidents is clear evidence that management is “missing” or “overlooking” something when they are correcting reported safety concerns. This is bad for safety performance, and it’s bad for audit performance. On the other hand, the lack of repeat incidents indicates that whatever you are doing to mitigate safety concerns, it’s working. The most important factors in mitigating safety concerns are ..read more

Safety Managers Can Only Manage Hazards That Are Reported Healthy aviation safety management systems (SMS) rely upon hazard reporting to reduce operational risk. High-performing safety reporting cultures receive approximately one report for every ten employees each month. When safety managers have poor hazard reporting cultures, they have a more difficult time justifying aviation safety budgets. Furthermore, their collected data is skewed and inaccurate and basically useless for responsible decision-making ..read more