SMS Implementation

The topic of safety management systems (SMS) has reached center stage for both aviation service organizations and civil aviation authorities worldwide. A number of publications have portrayed safety management as a new and emerging science based on recent industry revelations that provide new insight on how to drastically improve aviation safety. Many safety practitioners find this portrayal of safety management somewhat bewildering because the aviation industry has methodically focused on improving safety performance since the first accident of the Wright brothers. Air carriers have sponsored development of crew training enhancements such as, crew resource management (CRM) training, wind shear training, Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) concepts, and the extensive use of simulation as the primary means of providing realistic duplication of emergency situations that are impractical to accomplish in an actual aircraft. Air carriers also aggressively retrofitted their fleets with the latest technology, including, ground proximity warning systems (GPWS), predictive wind shear warning systems, weather radar and flight data-recording hardware. As the aviation industry expanded globally, there was a recognized need for global safety standards, resulting in the creation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1944, to provide guidance and oversight of State civil aviation authorities.