SMS FEATURES .1 INTRODUCTION TO SAFETY

7-4 Safety Management Manual SMM 7.3 SMS FEATURES 7.3.1 Three features characterize an SMS. It is: a systematic; b proactive; and c explicit. 7.3.2 An SMS is systematic because safety management activities are in accordance with a pre-determined plan and applied in a consistent manner throughout the organization. A long-range plan to keep the safety risks of the consequences of hazards under control is developed, approved, implemented and operated on a non-stop, daily basis. As a consequence of their systematic and strategic nature, SMS activities aim at gradual but constant improvement, as opposed to instant dramatic change. The systematic nature of an SMS also leads to a focus on processes rather than outcomes. Although outcomes i.e. adverse events are duly considered to extract conclusions that support the control of safety risks, the main focus of an SMS is the capture of hazards, which are the precursors to outcomes, during the course of the routine operational activities processes that the organization engages in during delivery of services. 7.3.3 An SMS is proactive because it builds upon an approach that emphasizes hazard identification and safety risk control and mitigation, before events that affect safety occur. It involves strategic planning, seeking to keep safety risks under the constant control of the organization, instead of engaging in repair action when an adverse event is experienced, and then reverting to “sleep mode” until the next adverse event is experienced and repair action is re- engaged. In order to sustain effective hazard identification, constant monitoring is conducted of operational activities necessary for the provision of services. This in turn allows for the collection of safety data on hazards, allowing data- driven organizational decisions on safety risks and their control, as opposed to formulating decisions on safety risks based on opinion or, even worse, on bias or prejudice. 7.3.4 Lastly, an SMS is explicit because all safety management activities are documented, visible and therefore defensible. Safety management activities and the ensuing safety management know-how of the organization are formally recorded in official documentation that is available for anyone to access. Thus, safety management activities are transparent. In this respect, the “safety library” discussed in Chapter 4 plays a fundamental role in ensuring that safety management activities and know-how are documented in formal organizational structures and do not reside in the heads of individuals. An organization that allows a situation to develop where safety management activities and know- how reside in the heads of individuals exposes itself to a highly volatile situation in terms of preservation of safety activities and know-how. 7.4 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION 7.4.1