The Arab Civil Aviation Organization successfully organized a workshop on "SMS Implementation WS" in cooperation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and hosted by Tunisair in Tunis, Tunisia during 10-12 June 2019. This Workshop aims to provide the expertise to implement a successful Safety Management System (SMS) in an organization/airline with the latest tools and processes. It helps participants to gain the skills to implement a phased and manageable workload that allow them to comply with regulatory requirements.
It also helps participants to learn how to take a proactive approach to risk management and promote an ongoing safety culture within their organization/airline.
Safety is an underlying imperative of international civil air transport. For all of us in the business of aviation safety, everything we do stems from this basic principle. For years we have pursued safety by "chasing the last accident"; by finding regulatory solutions to specific technical problems.
Much of our understanding of the safety situation comes from ICAO´s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) under which safety oversight audits are conducted in all Contracting States under a comprehensive systems approach. These audits have made it clear that many ACAO Member States face often serious difficulties in meeting their responsibilities and that they need assistance.
The adoption of SMS requirements is an important step in the further development of safety system. SMS is an example of better way of achieving a safety outcome. Under SMS there is a shift in focus to the identification and management of risks by participants within their operations. The development and implementation of safety management systems will provide a wider cross section of participants the framework necessary for them to more effectively control the safety of their operations and to exercise their responsibilities as envisaged under regulatory system.
SMS focuses more on hazard identification and risk management. This is undertaken both by the regulator at the state level via the State´s Safety Programme, and by participants operating SMS within their operations.
Safety Management Systems are now a cornerstone of ICAO philosophy and ICAO is strongly promoting safety management systems as the basis for certification.
SMS is a more proactive approach to managing safety risks than relying on regulatory compliance alone, because regulations are inevitably reactive in nature. The full implementation of SMS signals a more active role by operators in carrying out their responsibilities for operating safely in the system. Because the people responsible for these systems are the people with the knowledge, experience and ability to identify risks in their operations, they are also the people best placed to put the safety remedies in place. For this reason, operations conducted under an effective SMS offer the potential for significant safety improvements.
This workshop is attended by 55 participants from 7 ACAO Member States and 5 International and Regional Organizations (ACAO, ICAO, IATA, IFALPA and IFATCA).