Airport Focused (SMS) Basics of Safety Series Part 4

 

(airportsmstalk.blogspot.com)

Airport SMS Facebook Group

 Written by Jason L. Hamlett AMT, CM, ACE, GSP 6/03/2022

Systems Approach VS Traditional Approach to Managing Safety

Now that we understand the word safety, and who should be responsible for managing safety, we can examine how a systems approach differs from the traditional approach to managing safety. In today’s world, almost every aspect of our lives functions within some form of system. A system can be either simple or complex, but what remains consistent with all systems is that the components within the system work together within a framework to achieve a unified goal. For example, let’s examine the jet aircraft that operate on your airfields. They are engineered with wheels, radios, control surfaces, hydraulics, and turbine engines, as part of its structural components. Those components interface with humans (flight crews) which are also considered in the system at the time of design. The pilot’s role is to operate the aircraft controls in a safe manner so that all components of the system may function thru each phase of flight ending in a safe landing. In the same respect the airport organizations safety system includes items such as policies, procedures, manuals, inspections, investigations, equipment, vehicles, tools, and the list goes on and on.  SMS integrates a safety process into every aspect of the airport work system. The process of safety system management adopts the Plan Do Check Act cycle PDCA deriving from the ISO 9001 standard of quality management. The focus is shifted in the safety application to risk reduction. In quality management the focus is on consumer satisfaction and efficient production of goods and services. PDCA enables your airport organization to manage safety thru physical dynamic action in a documented process as opposed to static rules and regulations. The illustration to above is a pictorial example of William Edwards Demming PDCA model of continuous improvement. The steps of the PDCA cycle will be explained in detail in my next SMS series. The goal of safety systems management is the integration of continuously improving all the components of the safety system with management as the leading force. The components of the safety system have been called the four pillars. The four pillars are safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion. I will give a more in-depth explanation on the four pillars in a later post. For now, safety policy can be explained as the airport management’s commitment and active demonstration of safety as a core value, and mission. Safety risk management is an active process of controlling the airports prioritized risk. Safety assurance is an operational control of risk, usually through inspections, audits, reporting, and investigations. Safety promotion is usually accomplished through training efforts but can also involve the communication of audit findings, implemented corrective actions, and findings of risk assessments.   

In contrast, traditional approaches to safety management focuses on preventative controls and training to help mitigate workplace hazards (Jones, 2001). Although they can mitigate some risk, traditional safety approaches are centered on outputs and are reactive by nature. Also known as safety management programs, they typically focus on instructing employees of the rules (training), and monitoring if they are being followed. Often the monitoring is done thru the tracking of accident reports, worker compensation claims, lost workdays, and OSHA recordable injuries. The baseline measurement of effectiveness of the safety program usually rests on regulatory compliance. That creates a huge problem in my experience as I view regulatory compliance as the bare minimum of worker safety. Even the best traditional safety program can encompass audits, committee meetings, FOD walks, and site inspections and still fall short. This can be seen evident in the Tenerife airport accident of 1977, the Air France Concorde accident of 2000, and the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion of 1986. Each accident listed has at least one commonality, the existence of numerous active safety programs, and controls. What’s lacking is a strategic management approach to keep all efforts inline, and open channels of communication to receive worker feedback. Why is this important? As mentioned in my last posting airport operators are slaves to time, and time constraints creates external pressures. These pressures create opportunities to undermine any safety programs best effort by making the lines of prioritization between safety and production blurred. What this leads to is corner cutting by workers and a skewed view of how the work is performed by management. Narrow communication with the workforce regarding safety compounds this problem by limiting participation in the program and a feeling of isolation.

 Airports should consider transforming all safety efforts to a systems management approach. The goal is proactive and even predictive safety management. After a short maturation period the SMS manager will be able to predict where the accidents will occur and focus the safety efforts in those areas. This requires a tremendous cultural change effort, patience, and discipline.

References

Jones, C. (2001). CHALLENGING THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO SAFETY MANAGEMENT AND HOW LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR AFFECTS SAFETY PERFORMANCE . International Gas Union, 6.

How does your airport organization approach safety?

What safety based challenges do you currently struggle with in your airport operation?

What are three airport SMS topics you would like to see discussed in this blog?

(airportsmstalk.blogspot.com)