Practical Safety Management Systems Overview:

The advent of the safety management system (SMS) has affected all aviation sectors worldwide, and is now required for most domestic and international air operations, through either regulatory (14 CFR Parts 5, 119, or 121) or voluntary compliance. It’s easy to be intimidated by the scope and complexity of SMS, but Practical Safety Management Systems distills the concepts and principles into a practical working format. Universities and training organizations will find guidance and resources to create, implement, and maintain a functioning SMS.

SMS has affected all areas of the aviation industry worldwide, including flight departments, independent contractors who provide services to the aviation industry, maintenance, air traffic services, airports, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Many organizations are intimidated by the scope and complexity of SMS. This book puts SMS concepts and principles into a practical working format, providing guidance and resources for universities and training organizations to create, implement, and maintain a functioning SMS, tailoring it their company or university.

SMS is a systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structure, accountabilities, policies and processes of each organization, which must be tailored to meet the size and scope of each organization. It must be adapted and continuously improve to meet the organizational mission while reducing risk to the lowest possible level. Beyond mere theoretical discussion, in Practical Application of Safety Management Systems readers are encouraged to use hands-on exercises to practically apply SMS concepts and principles.

Beginning with an overview and history of SMS, chapters cover SMS components, costs and development process, approaches to safety culture, human factors, audits and evaluations, and more. Each chapter concludes with review questions. Extensive case studies and references are provided throughout, with additional resources supplied in the Reader Resources section below. Practical Safety Management Systems is a useful guide for transforming your safety program into an up-to-date and beneficial safety management system.

By Gary M. Ullrich and Paul R. Snyder
2nd Edition
Published October 2019
216 pages