Safety management systems (SMS) may be the buzz phrase of the decade in aviation. Just about every flight department attending NBAA 2016 is working on getting one, maintaining it, being audited for it or is earning IS-BAO certification, which includes the SMS, to prove their continuous safety commitment. These efforts are not inexpensive, and no matter how good the SMS might be for business, any implementation must pass muster with company CFOs and CEOs before its benefits can be realized.

            “You sweep the stairs from the top,” said Deborah Hersman, former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair and current CEO of the National Safety Council (NSC). “If you don't start your SMS program from the top you are going to make a big mess. We benchmark employee safety perception at NSC. We've found from anonymous surveys that employees know when their bosses are walking the walk, not just ‘talking’ SMS. It shows up in the data.”          

            Safety experts are discovering that unique aspects of the operating environments in narrow segments of aviation cause many accidents. These operating conditions aren't common to everyone, so researching them requires getting familiar with each individual operator's situation. Moreover, these accidents and incidents are not caused exclusively by mechanical malfunctions–things don’t just break. The experts say there is a human component that serves as the weak link, perhaps indirectly leading to the mechanical failure that subsequently causes the incident or accident.

The SMS is meant as a customized risk management program unique to each operation. It should root out and eliminate the kinds of mistakes that cause incidents and accidents, and that saves companies money—not to mention the responsibility to keep employees and other passengers safe.

            Aviation managers know how much it costs to replace an engine, a damaged wing tip or landing gear. What’s not so obvious are the indirect costs, such as higher future insurance premiums; loss of business and income from out-of-service aircraft; workman’s compensation for injured employees; unemployment insurance from any employees laid off during the business downturn after an accident; FAA penalties; and of course, a damaged reputation.

            SMS works to prevent accidents and their associated cost by providing useable safety guidance for every employee, from the flight deck to the cabin and maintenance crews. It also provides employees with a voice, and a non-punitive method to “confess and comply.” Without an SMS and its integral hazard reporting systems, companies can find it difficult to know where they are going wrong, and subsequently, how to fix the problems before they become expensive accidents.

            “Hazard reporting engages employees; but people have to follow up about incidents. That is a big part of the employee engagement,” explained Hersman. “If people make reports and the problems don't get addressed, you are going to dis-incentivize those reports. If you do follow up and address the problem, well, that encourages future reporting,” she continued. “You must have folks on the leadership side who are actually doing something with the data; or at least communicating to people what they are doing with the information. If they are not doing something immediately, they should tell employees why and help them to understand it.

“In the end,” she said, “Leaders are responsible for establishing vision first and foremost.” Without a buy-in from the top, the culture of safety is less likely to take hold within a company.