SMS is Coming to EASA Part 145 Organisations – Are you Ready?
Presented by Sofema Aviation Services (www.sassofia.com) and Sofema Online (www.sofemaonline.com)
Within the EASA Part 145 environment SMS is inextricably linked to HF working and behaviours, as well as culture and attitude within the workplace.
What does a “GOOD” Organisation look like?
Consider the following and let’s call them “Positive Organizational Characteristics”.
Staff Competency
Are there sufficient staff with the appropriate qualifications to meet the expected workload.
Attitude to Following Rules and avoiding Violations
Does the organization actively discourage shortcuts or other procedural violations and how is this information shared?
Management willingness to Engage
Where the Management acts quickly to asses any hazards which are understood as unsafe situations. To carry out an assessment to understand the reasons behind the exposure (Root Causes) and to develop appropriate mitigations.
Organisational motivation and encouragement to report hazards which carry an exposure, as well as errors and any unsafe situations.
Where the Staff are actively encouraged to report any errors as well as unsafe situations and where the organisations has a process to provide status and feed back to reporters.
The company has a “viable” Just Culture Policy to understand the causal factors as the highest priority means the why and not the “Who”.
When the company has a 'just culture' policy and any accidents and Incidents are investigated with the focus on determining why they occurred, not just “who to blame”.
The organisation should integrate Human Factor Training together with Safety Management System (SMS) awareness training so that the staff begin to assume a level of responsibility (The turning point) of an effective organisational system.
What does a “NOT SO GOOD” Organisation look like?
Consider the following and let’s call them “Negative Organizational Characteristics”
We Can Meet any Adversity Regardless!
Whenever there is, lets call it an extreme 'can-do' culture. Staff are prepared to do whatever it takes to get a job done on time, even to cut corners and sometimes with the knowledge of the supervisor / manager.
In such situations it starts to become “normal” for tasks to be routinely performed according to what effectively are unwritten or informal work practices, rather than documented procedures.
It is not unusual for such staff to work long or excessive hours.
Time Constraints Can Modify Behaviour in Some Organisations
When work is performed in a different way as a result of time pressure constraints, the exposure to potential negative outcomes obviously increases.
Quality of Tooling & Equipment & Spares
Shortfalls in tooling equipment or even spares can lead people to consider work arounds which are often created locally “on the hoof!” so to speak without due consideration of risks or exposure.
Staff Turnover
Organisations which have a high turnover of staff typically suffer from skill dilution, this in turn has a direct effect on competence and increases the risk of unwelcome human factor related events.
SAS & SOL offer training in Human Factors, Safety Management Systems Implementation & Management, Maintenance Error Management and Training for Trainers in a Human Factors and Maintenance Environment for details please see www.sassofia.com & www.sofemaonline.com or email office@sassofia.com & online@sassofia.com
