The 'new' safety approach:Reiterating the importance of safety management systems (SMS)

摘要

In a recent article on the CBC web-site, Transport Canada (TC) is seemingly taken to task for its new safety approach of having airlines regulate themselves (see "Flight policy change called a risky manoeuvre," Nov. 9, 2011, CBC.ca). In the article, ex-perts warn such an approach could endan-ger passengers because without oversight, "people are going to do bad things." Well, I have to disagree. With or without proper oversight, there are people who will do bad things and people who will not. The "new safety approach" referred to in the piece is a safety management system (SMS), and it is not new - it has been TC's policy since 2005, and is quickly becoming policy throughout the aviation world. I imagine, however, many in the Cana-dian aviation industry cannot come up with a concise description of what SMS is. Many don't know whether their company has one, or whether it was effective. The purpose of a safety management system is to provide a systematic way to control risk and to provide assurances that those risk controls are effective. SMS focuses on or-ganizational safety, meaning organizations are supposed to look at risks within their company and industry, and ensure those risks have been properly addressed find ap-propriate mitigation measures have been put in place.