Actually Monitoring Performance of the Aviation SMS
Up until now, we've laid the groundwork for SMS performance monitoring. We know who, what, where, when and how.
Up until now, we've laid the groundwork for SMS performance monitoring. We know who, what, where, when and how.
If you are a competitor with an SMS database, you may as well copy these reports, because other competitors have already been here before you. We recognize that being an industry leader, others are sure to copy what works and what makes the most sense.
1. Hazards without Assigned Control Measures
This is a special report that many organization are not using, but most definitely should be. This report lists:
• All hazards in your company that have been classified in reported safety issues; but
• Have no documented risk controls.
• In other words, this report shows you hazards that have been identified in your operational environment, but have no documented risk controls assigned to. This might be because you simply have not yet documented these risk controls, or it may because you have no implemented risk controls.
Either way, having un-controlled hazards is just asking for an audit finding or repeat safety issue occurrence.
2. Top Hazards in Company
As safety issues are reported and managed, you will classify each one with a relevant primary hazard. In a safety concern, a hazard:
Is the point at which safety control is lost – i.e., when operations are no longer within an Acceptable Level of Safety; and
Requires immediate action to bring operations back into ALoS, or the hazard occurrence very well may lead to a risk occurrence.
Over time, you will have a well-developed hazard risk register, which is simply a term that describes a report for:
• All hazards that have been classified;
• The number of times each hazard was classified in issues; and
• All risks and times each risk has been classified.
You need to keep tabs on your top hazards to assess what your organization's most pressing safety concerns and needs are.
3. On Time Safety Management for High Risk Reported Safety Issues
High risk issues are the most time-sensitive safety concerns in an aviation SMS. High risk issues are identified after an initial risk assessment is performed on a reported safety concern.
Each organization's risk management processes should have default time periods that are set to close high-risk issues, such as within 3 days after the issue is reported.
An on-time issue management reports will show you the percentage of reported safety concerns that were closed on time, per policy. The best version of this report will allow you to compare the current time period for on-time closures vs. the previous time period.
4. Any KPI Reports
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the metrics that correspond directly to your safety objectives. As such, KPI reports demonstrate safety performance that your organization has flagged as “most important.”
KPI reports can be any simple or complex reports that are dedicated exclusively to your KPIs.
5. Number of High Risk Safety Issues Over Time
As your SMS matures and improves its documentation, control measures, and safety oversight, you will experience a decline in the number of high risk issues that are reported.
Why? Several reasons:
• Better risk controls mean hazard mechanisms are cut off before they can develop into hazard occurrence;
• Improved safety culture and safety awareness allow hazards to be identified early in the hazard/risk occurrence lifecycle; and
• Strong controls will effectively mitigate severity of hazard occurrence.
Having a report for a number of high-risk issues over time provides you with a fantastic high-level picture of continuous improvement in your organization. This particular report easily demonstrates safety reporting culture over time as you can see the number of reports by month, based on severity.
6. Most Common Root Cause Classifications
Much like your top hazards report, an equally valuable report is to see a report for your top root causes. This report would simply show you a list of your top root cause classifications, and the number of times each root cause was classified.
This report will allow you to assess the most pressing organizational concerns in your company, and where to spend energy developing risk controls.
7. On-Time Corrective and Preventive Action Performance Percentages
Much like the on-time reported safety issue closure for "high risk safety issues" report, an on-time corrective action and preventive action (CPA) report shows you a percentage of all CPAs that were closed on time.
This measurement assures several things:
• Safety concerns are being corrected quickly;
• Employees who are assigned CPAs are complying with the safety program; and
• Department heads or other subject matter experts who are assigning CPAs are taking continuous improvement sincerely.
You should compare the current time frame of this report with the previous time frame.
8. Reported Safety Issues by Department
Reported safety issues by department is a simple report showing the number of reported safety issues per department. Though simple, it allows you to ensure that each department is participating in the aviation SMS as expected. This report quickly allows a decision maker to evaluate the safety reporting culture by department.
For example, if you have a department with significantly less reported safety issues than other departments, then you may have a problem with non-participation or management silos. When these trends are detected, a safety culture survey is recommended to help identify potential areas to focus on safety promotion efforts.
9. Positive/Negative Associations with Risk Controls
Being able to generate reports for monitored risk controls with both positive and negative associations is the best way to monitor the effectiveness of safety control measures. What this report shows, is:
• A list of all safety risk control measures;
• The number of times each control measure was marked as actively mitigating safety issues; and
• The number of times each control measure was marked as not mitigating a safety issue as it should.
When you have controls that have many negative associations, you know it’s time to update it. Recommended action is to start a "Management of Change" process to analyze the control and to generate a list of alternatives. In short, you are back to the safety risk management side of the SMS (the design side).
10. Safety Policy Items Review Date
One final report that is extremely valuable is simply a report that lists all safety policies, and the last time each policy was reviewed. There is a requirement that each aviation SMS has processes in place to ensure policies are regularly reviewed and updated as required.
Having such a report ensures that a portion of critical SMS documentation is up to date – this will significantly reduce your chance of having an audit finding for non-compliance related to SMS documentation.
If you need help monitoring the performance of your SMS, RichComm can help. RichComm Mobilemate with elegant and compact design, which collect UPS monitoring and environment monitoring status by SMS and network. This environmental monitoring devices applicated to the those data centers that need to use wireless SMS/network modes to take remote control and manage for UPS power, environment temperature&humidity, smoke, water leakage etc. Contact us now!