How is HF connected to SMS you may ask?
Firstly to look at HF, once we have completed initial training we have a mandated requirement to receive every 24 months recurrent training. Secondly SMS (which should also be a recurrent training) in which we should be trained in accordance with the organisations process and procedures.
Now to consider some objectives which we may wish to consider or adopt:
1) We want to have the best possible safety performance consistent with our organisation capacity and capability.
2) Within our SMS we can choose to expand the remit to include and consider not just safety of the operation but in detail safety of people, equipment, facilities, and the financial exposure of the organisation.
3) We want to understand any exposures which may lead to HF related or initiated accidents and incidents
So to consider the possibility of getting more value from our SMS.
If we use SMS as a management tool we can as well as identifying any hazards which we face within the business, we can understand risk and develop mitigations and use this information and data to reduce waste and to minimize unnecessary expenditure and avoidable loss.
How to do it?
Well we know that Human Factors training came along first (and in fact was made mandatory by EASA from 2006,) SMS is currently still being introduced and as such provides a range of opportunities which the organisation may embrace. Within the organisation the closer we bring together the two subject areas of HF & SMS the greater the leverage which may be seen, almost like a ratcheting effect benefiting from the knowledge gained, during quality & safety audits and analysis of organisational SMS Data.
In fact understanding Human Factor driven events, becomes a tool to support the need for better reporting within the SMS. Joining together the Quality & Safety System data and using it as a source for internal HF training is of the highest value within the organisation.
What is the No 1 challenge within a typical aviation SMS
Possibly it is the lack of proactive reporting! As an example consider the classic “iceberg” graphic which shows a typical ratio of 1 to 10 to 30 to 300 in respect of the severity of the event. This therefore indicates that for the 30 events which are in fact reported some 300 events (10 times) this amount go unreported!
In conclusion if we are able to bringing together HF & SMS training and to use it as an enabler to seek to modify the SMS reporting culture, should be seen to bring tangible benefits to the organisation.
Sofema Aviation Services provides regulatory and vocational training across a large range of business areas please see www.sassofia.com or email office@sassofia.com
