Practical Safety Management Systems

A Safety Management System (SMS) is required for most domestic and international air operations, through either regulatory (14 CFR Parts 5, 119, or 121) or voluntary compliance. The advent of SMS has affected all aviation sectors worldwide, including flight departments, independent contractors who provide services to the aviation industry, air traffic services and more. Many organizations are intimidated by the scope and complexity of SMS. This book puts SMS concepts and principles into a practical working format, providing guidance and resources for universities and training organizations to create, implement, and maintain a functioning SMS, and apply it to their company or university. SMS is a coherent and standardized approach to managing safety, integrated with the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and processes that must be tailored to meet the size and scope of each organization. It must be adapted and continuously improved to meet the mission while reducing risk to the lowest practical level.
Beyond mere theoretical discussion, in Practical Application of Safety Management Systems readers are encouraged to use hands-on exercises to practically apply SMS concepts and principles to varied industry areas such as flight crews, maintenance, air traffic control, airports, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Beginning with an overview and history of SMS, chapters cover SMS components, costs and development process, the safety culture, human factors, audits and evaluations, and more; each chapter concludes with review questions. Extensive case studies and references are provided throughout. Practical Application of Safety Management Systems is an up-to-date and useful guide to transform your safety program into a functioning safety management system. As a how-to textbook guide for setting up SMS in an organization, specifically designed for a 16-week SMS course, this book goes beyond the competition in providing key terms, learning objectives, sample questions, and a discussion of the FAA SMS Voluntary Program (SMSVP).
It also specifically addresses more up-to-date concerns such as the new FAA 14 CFR Part 5 directive mandating the SMS program for 14 CFR Part 121 certificate holders.