Introduction
In air transportation business safety, the Safety Management Systems adoption as a base for avoiding accidents and the security preservation of passengers and crew is essential. Safety Management Systems embodies four fundamental pillars: Policy of Safety, Responding to Safety Risk, Assuring Safety, and Guaranteeing Safety (Walker, 2024). Every line mentioned here supports the comprehensive preventive and predictive safety framework that aviation organizations should adopt. In essence, it means that safety action starts with preventive measures that address potential hazards, evaluation of the hazards to determine the associated risks, and the implementation of the actions that would mitigate such risks to foster a safety culture within an organization. The paper focuses on the historical aviation incident on Southwest Airlines flight 2217, whose purpose is to investigate how safety management systems (SMS) principles are intended to assist in preventing cases like this.
Features of the SMS
Safety Management Systems (SMS) in commercial aviation encompass four key features: Risk Mitigation, Management, Assurance, and Promotion (Walker, 2024). Safety Policy embodies the organization’s intent of safety and appoints job holders with duties and objectives, too. Risk Management refers to studying the risks, instances of a disaster, and the means to eliminate or reduce them. Promotion catalyzes safety culture by endowing employees and workers with training, communication processes, and awards. These contain a system that proactively and continuously tries to discover and redress safety concerns, contributes to accident prevention, and maintains the highest safety standards during air operations.
How these features provide value to a proactive and predictive safety program
The benefits of a Safety Management system can be linked to advanced proactive and predictive safety programs as they act as watchdogs against some accidents that could emerge. The first Safety Policy concentrates on the precise rules and responsibilities that establish tidy and clear decision-making regarding security. It helps avert accidents which remains the main priority now because safety is put first (Bartulović & Steiner, 2023). Risk Management aids in finding and pre-fixing threats before they result in an accident that can injure people or assets.
Through the early detection and prevention model, accidents can be eliminated by mayhem. Accomplishment of Assurance is a successful case and adequate checking of these measures. Periodic control and check-ups are performed to establish observation safety precautions are followed and also to provide ways or ideas to improve safety regulations in the workplace (Bartulović & Steiner, 2023). Promotion of safety occurs in both training and communication thus bridging the gap between instructions and knowledge. It ensures that no one is left out, that they know how to keep themselves safe, and that the responsibilities are shared among all the people.
How changes will be validated using the safety assurance process
Safety measures changes have to be verified through a safety assurance process to state that specific changes do not have any new risks and do lead to an improvement in the existing safety measures. This approach would entail several steps to deliberately evaluate and validate associating safety aspects with the impacts of changes (Walker, 2024). First, take measure of the changes that have been identified and evaluate their ways of impacting the issues of safety. After this time has lapsed, performance indicators, ones related to occupational safety, are monitored with safety elements being tracked over time to determine the effectiveness of the recommendations.
In addition, the frequency of audits and reviews is increased and used as a tool to confirm that the improvements are effectively being rolled out, and continuously meeting our targets for the expected results. Organizations can reliably maintain that the safety measures are effective and seek to progress through the stringent safety assurance process, thus the risk reduction and elimination of accidents and shortcomings are increased (Walker, 2024). This preemptive move not only avoids safety hazards and saves employees’ lives but also protects public health.
How information can be communicated to employees whom the changes may impact
The organization needs an adaptable approach to communicating the changes to the employees which will be appropriately created for the needs of the organization. The direct methods of team meetings and one-on-one discussions provide the closest possible interaction with the employees, who in this way can receive answers and clear up their questions (Bartulović & Steiner, 2023). Written documents like memos and emails provide employees with more information, and they often become the sole source of information for employees to refer to at their convenience ensuring clarity and consistency in messaging. Additionally, publicizing communication channels, including toll-free emergency helplines and suggestion boxes, fosters the confidence of employees to bring to the attention any problem or comment via these channels confidentially. Managers and leaders can help their subordinates carry the message from top to bottom while also connecting the teams with the leadership team to get feedback from the frontline staff to constantly improve message consistency throughout the company.
Conclusion
The implementation of Safety Management Systems is essential for enhancing safety measures in commercial aviation operations. By utilizing the four pillars of Safety Management Systems safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion – organizations can proactively identify and mitigate hazards, prevent accidents, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. The analysis of a real-world aviation accident highlighted the importance of incorporating preventive measures derived from Safety Management Systems principles to address potential risks effectively. Additionally, the value of effective communication in disseminating information, validating changes, and ensuring employee engagement cannot be overstated. By integrating Safety Management Systems components and fostering a safety-focused culture, aviation operators can uphold high standards of safety, prioritize the well-being of passengers and crew, and ultimately enhance the overall safety performance of the aviation industry.
References
Bartulović, D., & Steiner, S. (2023). Conceptual Model of Predictive Safety Management Methodology in Aviation. Aerospace, 10(3), 268. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10030268
Walker, A. (2024). Comparative Analysis of Aviation and Ground Transportation Comparative Analysis of Aviation and Ground Transportation Safety Standards Applicable to the Integration of Unmanned Safety Standards Applicable to the Integration of Unmanned Aircraft Operations Aircraft Operations. In International Journal of Aviation. https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1884&context=ijaaa
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