Where Birds Don't Fly

This month is nine years ago since I wrote the first post, and 235 posts later there is no end of writing Safety Management System (SMS) stories. An SMS is a tremendous system, and asset to an enterprise, when applied as an oversight tool but can also its worst enemy when applied as a compliance tool. A high compliance score is often associated with safety in operations and if decisions are solely based on a compliance score, there is a risk to overlook, or assume, the inherent risks in aviation. An inherent risk is also a common cause variation. On the other hand, when SMS is applied as an oversight tool, it is applied to the outcome or results with an analysis of occurrences, or special cause variation. A line in one of the first posts is still true, that one grassroot method to evaluate the effectiveness of an SMS is to learn how many hazard reports an AE has submitted. In an enterprise where the AE is actively submitting hazard reports, there is a hope that other personnel also vol...

Data fusion is the process of integrating multiple data sources to produce more consistent, accurate, and useful information than what is provided by any individual data source. Data fusion is the process of getting data from multiple sources in order to build more sophisticated models and understand more about a project. It often means getting combined data on a single subject and combining it for central analysis. In airport operations data fusion is to obtain reports from multiple sources such as weather information, NOTAM, hazards, incidents or accidents and analyze in a single source Statistical Process Control (SPC). Data fusion is to analyze how a change in one source affects, or trickle down to the other sources within a system. A Safety Management System is a Data Fusion System. Data supporting an SMS is always available but needs to be captured before being put into use. Capturing data is more than receiving reports, it is also to conduct research to extract information. Just...

An audit of your Safety Management System (SMS) is not to find out what, when, where, why, who and how everything went wrong with your safety management system, but to confirm what was done right. As an additional, or parallel level of safety, a safety management system is a tool to identify hazards before they affect operations. A safe enterprise may attract more clients, generate a better return on investment and enjoy their success. Success stories should encourage other companies to put in place systems that meet the SMS regulations. However, implementing an SMS in development is a higher level of hazard than operating without a formal SMS since safety is assumed with the system in place, while there is a lack of audits to verify safety in operations. Audits is to verify what goes right or what makes operation safe and joyful ask a customer experience. SMS is a system that is required to mature in order to paint a picture of the operations itself. This holds true for both airport a...