Where Birds Don't Fly

Safety management system (SMS) triggers are conditions or events that triggers or activates responses within the safety management system framework of an airport or airline. SMS is a systematic approach to managing safety and implemented in industries where safety is critical, such as aviation, healthcare, construction, and manufacturing. Triggers events or circumstances that prompt the organization to assess potential risks, review safety procedures, and take corrective actions to prevent accidents or incidents. Triggers very diverse and comes in different shapes and forms.  Incident reports of accidents, near misses, or incidents serve as triggers, prompting an organization to investigate the root causes and implement corrective measures. Safety data analysis of safety data, including trends and patterns, can reveal potential issues or areas of concern that may trigger a proactive safety response. Audits and inspections findings trigger corrective actions to address identified de...

Random sampling is a systematic method to assess process reliability. There is a world of differences between random sampling of records, inspection of records and monitoring. Random sampling of records is sampling of operational records, inspection records, and real-tome observation records to assess process reliability. These three elements of the random sampling process are closely linked but are also independent elements supporting the random sampling process. Random sampling is the process of records selection, inspection is the process of records findings, and monitoring is the process of record entries observed in real-time.  Random sampling was introduced to the aviation industry with the implementation of the safety management system (SMS). This method of oversight was based on a 95% confidence level and new to the aviation industry. Conventional wisdom was that airports and airlines need to maintain a100% confidence that their operations are safe. The aviation industry di...

The safety management system was sold to the aviation industry, both airports and airlines, as a system to reduce, or prevent all future accidents.  The following is a quote from a regulator about aviation accidents. “ …as the aviation industry grows and departures increase, the total number of accidents will also increase.”  Even though there has been a reduction in the accident rates, this expectation is based historical data, and a calculated accidents ratio each time one aircraft is added to a random global fleet. There is an expectation within the global aviation industry that adding one aircraft anywhere adds an accident hazard to the industry as a whole, or in other words that every aircraft carries a fraction of an accident hazard onboard. Since the aviation industry lives in a 3D environment there is an inherited risk in flying.  The regulatory body continues to say: “While the current rate of accidents is at an all-time low, it is assumed that any appreciable in...