Safety Management Systems for Design, Manufacturing and Maintenance Providers in Aviation

A Safety Management System (SMS) is a high-level, top-down decision-making system based on proactively identifying, assessing, and controlling hazards and safety risks in the design, manufacturing, and maintenance environments. These systems are designed to prevent accidents and incidents and analyze performance data for continuous improvement. Safety Management Systems have become an internationally recognized means to improve hazard and risk identification, risk management and safety assurance. The SMS approach promotes a proactive and systematic approach to managing safety throughout the lifecycle of an aircraft or system.

The use of an articulated Safety Management System (SMS) is already required in European aviation and will soon be a required part of aviation design, manufacturing, and maintenance in the US. These systems are recognized globally by the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and civil aviation authorities (CAA), as well as product/service providers as the next step in the evolution of safety in aviation.

There are two types of safety management systems regulated by the FAA – Aviation Safety SMS and Design & Manufacturing SMS:

• AVS SMS includes Part 121, Part 135, Part 145, Part 141 and § 91.147. AVS SMS became regulatory for Part 121 in January 2015, and will become regulatory for Part 135 and 91.147 tour operators when the new SMS rulemaking is complete.
• Design and Manufacturing safety management systems include Part 21 type certificates and production certificate holders. These will also become regulatory when the new FAA rulemaking is complete. Part 21 has two primary standards; SM-0001 - Implementing s Safety Management System in Design, Manufacturing and Maintenance Organizations, which is an international standard and NAS 9927 - Safety Management System Practices for Design and Manufacturing, which is a US standard.

This two-day course will introduce the learner to the Four Pillars of Safety: Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion and provide hands-on instruction using artifacts and rubrics to practice designing a safety management system, as well as guidance on the application of SMS to comply with multiple certificating authorities. This course will include group work, case studies and an exam.