APPOINTMENT OF KEY SAFETY PERSONNEL .1

Chapter 8. SMS Planning 8-9 concern under consideration to the line managers of the areas to which the safety concern pertains. The safety information will indicate if the mitigation solutions implemented by the line managers have addressed the safety concern, or if the safety concern persists. In the latter case, further mitigation solutions are deployed, a new time interval is agreed, safety data are collected and analysed, safety information is delivered, and this cycle is repeated as many times as necessary until safety data analysis substantiates that the safety concern has been resolved. Throughout this process, the line managers do not report to the safety services office, but to the Accountable Executive, as the person with final responsibility for the organization’s SMS, through any of the organization’s two formal safety bodies discussed in section 8.6. 8.6 APPOINTMENT OF KEY SAFETY PERSONNEL 8.6.1 Key to the effective implementation and functioning of a safety services office is the appointment of the person in charge of the daily operation of that office. This person will be identified by different names in different organizations, but for the purposes of this manual the generic term safety manager is retained. 8.6.2 The safety manager, in most organizations, will be the person to whom the Accountable Executive has assigned the day-to-day management functions of the SMS. The safety manager is the responsible individual and focal point for the development and maintenance of an effective SMS. The safety manager also advises the Accountable Executive and line managers on matters regarding safety management and is responsible for coordinating and communicating safety issues within the organization, as well as with external agencies, contractors and stakeholders as appropriate. The safety manager’s functions include, but are not necessarily limited to: a managing the SMS implementation plan on behalf of the Accountable Executive; b performingfacilitating hazard identification and safety risk analysis; c monitoring corrective actions and evaluating their results; d providing periodic reports on the organization’s safety performance; e maintaining records and safety documentation; f planning and organizing staff safety training; g providing independent advice on safety matters; h monitoring safety concerns in the aviation industry and their perceived impact on the organization’s operations aimed at service delivery; i coordinating and communicating on behalf of the Accountable Executive with the State’s oversight authority and other State agencies as necessary on issues relating to safety; and j coordinating and communicating on behalf of the Accountable Executive with international agencies on issues relating to safety. 8.6.3 The safety manager may be the only person running the safety services office or may be supported by additional staff, mostly safety data analysts. This will depend upon the size of the organization and the nature and complexity of the operations supporting delivery of services. Regardless of the size of the safety services office and its staffing level, its functionalities remain the same. The safety manager liaises directly with the line managers operations, maintenance, engineering, training, etc.. This is depicted by the solid arrows in the functional chart in Figure 8-2. If, due 8-10 Safety Management Manual SMM to the size of the organization, the heads of operational units have a dedicated safety officer with subject-matter expertise and delegated responsibility for the management of safety concerns in a particular area, that safety officer will be the first point of contact for the safety manager. 8.6.4 Under normal circumstances, the safety manager accesses andor communicates with the Accountable Executive through two channels: the Safety Action Group and, through it, the Safety Review Board, or directly through the Safety Review Board. These groups are discussed later in this chapter. In exceptional or urgent circumstances, the safety manager must have a direct emergency access to the Accountable Executive, as depicted by the dotted line connecting the respective boxes in Figure 8-2. This communication channel should rarely be used, and when it is, it should be properly justified and documented. 8.6.5 In an SMS environment, the safety manager is the person responsible for the collection and analysis of safety data on hazards, and the distribution, to line managers, of safety information on hazards and the safety risks of the consequences of hazards. As such, the safety manager will often be the bearer of bad news. For this reason the selection criteria for a safety manager acquires special significance and should include, but not be limited to, the following: a operational management experience; b technical background to understand the systems that support operations; c people skills; d analytical and problem-solving skills; e project management skills; and f oral and written communications skills. Note.— A sample job description for a safety manager is contained in Appendix 2 to this chapter. 8.6.6 Distributing information on the safety risks of the consequences of hazards by the safety services office is only the first step in the safety risk management process. This information must be acted upon by line managers. The mitigation of safety concerns inevitably requires resources. Sometimes such resources are directly available to line managers. Oftentimes additional resources are required, the allocation of which may not be within the authority of the line manager, and must be approved by senior levels of the organization. Likewise, there needs to be some formal organizational process to ensure a neutral assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the mitigation strategies in relation to the agreed safety performance of the organization. The Safety Review Board SRB provides the platform to achieve the objectives of resource allocation and neutral assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the mitigation strategies. 8.6.7 The SRB is a very high-level committee, chaired by the Accountable Executive and composed of senior managers, including line managers responsible for functional areas. The safety manager participates in the SRB in an advisory capacity only. The SRB is eminently strategic, deals with high-level issues in relation to policies, resource allocation and organizational performance monitoring, and meets infrequently, unless exceptional circumstances dictate otherwise. The SRB: a monitors the effectiveness of the SMS implementation plan; b monitors that any necessary corrective action is taken in a timely manner; c monitors safety performance against the organization’s safety policy and objectives; Chapter 8. SMS Planning 8-11 d monitors the effectiveness of the organization’s safety management processes which support the declared corporate priority of safety management as another core business process; e monitors the effectiveness of the safety supervision of subcontracted operations; f ensures that appropriate resources are allocated to achieve safety performance beyond that required by regulatory compliance; and g gives strategic direction to the SAG. 8.6.8 Once a strategic direction has been developed by the SRB, concerted implementation of strategies across the organization must take place, in a coordinated manner. This is the primary role of the Safety Action Group SAG. SAG is a high-level committee, composed of line managers and representatives of front-line personnel, and chaired in turn by designated line managers. The safety manager is the secretary of the SAG. The SAG is eminently tactical and deals with implementation issues to satisfy the strategic directives of the SRB. While the SAG deals with “grass roots” implementation issues pertaining to specific activities to ensure control of the safety risks of the consequences of hazards during line operations, the SRB deals with the coordination of those issues, to ensure consistency with the strategic direction provided by the SRB. The SAG: a oversees operational safety performance within the functional areas and ensures that hazard identification and safety risk management are carried out as appropriate, with staff involvement as necessary to build up safety awareness; b coordinates the resolution of mitigation strategies for the identified consequences of hazards and ensures that satisfactory arrangements exist for safety data capture and employee feedback; c assesses the impact of operational changes on safety; d coordinates the implementation of corrective action plans and convenes meetings or briefings as necessary to ensure that ample opportunities are available for all employees to participate fully in management for safety; e ensures that corrective action is taken in a timely manner; f reviews the effectiveness of previous safety recommendations; and g oversees safety promotion and ensures that appropriate safety, emergency and technical training of personnel is carried out that meets or exceeds minimum regulatory requirements. 8.7 COORDINATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING 8.7.1