Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) www.sassofia.com considers EASA expectations related to EASA Part 145 Safety System Change Management.
Introduction – 3.5 Change management. (145.A.202(a); GM2 145.A.200(a)(3),)
- Changes in organizational structure, facilities, scope of work, personnel, documentation, policies and procedures, can result in unintended consequences and the inadvertent introduction of new hazards, exposing the organization to new or increased safety risk(s).
The introduction of a change is the trigger for the organization to perform its hazard identification and risk management process.
Some examples of change include, but are not limited to:
- Changes to the organizational structure;
- The inclusion of a new aircraft type in the terms of approval;
- The addition of aircraft of the same or a similar type;
- Significant changes in personnel (affecting key personnel and/or large numbers of personnel, high turn-over);
- New or amended regulations;
- Changes in the security arrangements;
- Changes in the economic situation of an organization (e.g. commercial or financial pressure);
- New schedule(s), location(s), equipment, and/or operational procedures; and
- The addition of new subcontractors
The change management process should consider:
- Identification and description of the change
- Assessment of the criticality and impact
- Existing controls and implementation of new controls
- Change implementation and transition period
- Monitoring the effectiveness of the change implementation
The Organization shall develop and maintain a process to identify and assess changes which may affect the level of safety risk associated with its services and to identify and manage the safety risks that may arise from those changes. The change management should be a documented process to identify external and internal changes that may have an adverse effect on the safety and compliance of its continuing airworthiness management activities. The introduction of a change is a trigger for the organization to perform its hazard identification and risk management process.
Regardless of the magnitude of the change, large or small, its safety implications should always be proactively considered. This is primarily the responsibility of the team that proposes and/or implements the change.
The magnitude of a change, its safety criticality, and its potential impact on human performance should be assessed in any change management process. A change may have the potential to introduce new, or to exacerbate pre-existing, human factors issues. The purpose of integrating human factors into the change management is to minimize potential risks by specifically considering the impact of the change on the people within a system.
The process should also consider business related changes (organizational restructuring, resources, IT projects, etc.) and interfaces with other organizations/departments. Responsibilities and timelines should be defined.
Next Steps
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Tags:
Airworthiness, amended regulations, Change Management, EASA Part 145 Organisation, facilities, Hazard Identification, Human Factors, Identification, key personnel, new aircraft type, policies and procedures, Safety Risks, Safety System, SAS blogs, scope of work
