Safety Culture and the Benefits of SMS Andy Evans Presented at Helitech 28 Sep 2011 Page 1
Introduction The European Helicopter Safety Analysis team analysed 300 European helicopter accidents between 2000 and 2005: The greatest opportunities to improve were: Management of Operations / Safety Safety Culture This presentation: Discusses the concept of Safety Management Systems (SMS) Highlights a few key SMS considerations Discusses the concept of Safety Culture Explains the importance of Safety Leadership Explains that leadership is not the same as management Page 2
What is a Safety Management System? System for Managing Safety... But is not: just another manual a new name for old work this year s fad the safety dept something for the regulators System: an organised, integrated, ongoing and systematic approach... Managing: controlling... Safety: risk to minimise harm Page 3
ICAO Style SMS Layout Safety Policy and Objectives Management Commitment and Responsibility Safety Accountabilities Appointment of Key Safety Personnel Coordination of Emergency Response Planning SMS Documentation Safety Risk Management Hazard Identification Risk Assessment and Mitigation Internal Safety Investigations Safety Assurance Safety Performance Monitoring and Measurement The Management of Change Continuous Improvement of the SMS Safety Promotion Training and Education Safety Communication Its too easy to see this as just a Table of Contents Remember a system is more than the sum of its components... An SMS should give insight to enable better control of risk Page 4
How do SMS Processes Give Insight? Monitoring can include: Audits, CRM, maintenance inspections, HUMS, FDM, normal supervision etc Page 5
What is an Organisation s Safety Culture? A product of an organisations collective, safety related: values, attitudes, perceptions, social norms and ultimately... patterns of behaviour It does not evolve by management edict but in response to: local conditions, past events, the character of leadership and the mood of the workforce It reflects the real collective commitment to safety Its not what is said about safety but what is done Crucially it is what is done about known weaknesses Page 6
Aspects of a Safety Culture Credit: Prof James Reason as developed by Charles Haddon-Cave QC Page 7
Types of Safety Cultures GENERATIVE Safety is how we do everything round here PROACTIVE Safety leadership and values drive our continuous improvement CALCULATIVE We have systems in place to manage all hazards REACTIVE Safety is important, we do a lot every time we have an accident! PATHOLOGICAL We don t care as long as we're not caught! Credit: Prof Patrick Hudson Q: If you only want an SMS because there is a regulation you are...? Page 8
Genuine Memo Seen in an Audit in the Americas Gentlemen, I have been flying multiengine airplanes and helicopters for over 40 years and 20,000+ hours, and have yet to see two gauges match perfectly!!!!!! Please don t waste your time and my email space reporting this $&*@!!! It s not even worth writing about!!! The Captain of the aircraft makes the decision if he wants something looked at, at which time he will tell the crew chief and it will get fixed. If the Co-pilot sees something that he is concerned about, he tells the captain. Only the Captain!!! His job is to do what the Captain asks him to do. If the Captain has concerns, he is to ask me. SIGNED - Director of Ops Dated: December 2008 Page 9
Why is Leadership Important? Management & leadership are different activities Management is: A function of your job / position About planning, resource allocation & control Leadership is: A function of your actions About: Being visible, Focusing on people, Building trust and ultimately... Influencing other people s behaviour Leadership is a powerful influence on culture Page 10
Conclusions The EHSAT report emphasises the potential benefit of SMS & safety culture development When implementing an SMS: An SMS is a management system Think systemically about your SMS Make it how you control safety Safety culture will help power your SMS Culture is developed most through good leadership P o l i c y SMS As Integrated System R i s k M g t Safety Goal / Vision A s s u r a n c e Safety Culture & Leadership P r o m o t i o n Page 11
Useful References Articles, presentations & pamphlets: Beyond SMS by Andy Evans & John Parker, Flight Safety Foundation AeroSafety World May 2008 Achieving a Safe Culture: Theory and Practice by Prof James Reason Achieving a Safety Culture in Aviation' by Prof Patrick Hudson Analysis of Accidents 2000-2005 by the European Helicopter Safety Analysis Team Books: Managing the Risks of Organisational Accidents, by Prof James Reason (Ashgate, 2007) Safety, Culture and Risk by Prof Andrew Hopkins (CCH, 2009) Conference: Turning Policy into Reality: Human Performance and SMS RAeS Conference, Derby, 12 Oct 2011 (non-members 79 excl VAT) Page 12