International Helicopter Safety Team Safety Management System Toolkit

Employee Reporting &
Feedback System
Systems for Reporting Hazards,
Events & Safety Concerns
Employees must have a means of reporting all
events and emerging hazards to an appropriate
supervisor or manager. The manager should then
forward the report for processing. The reporting
system should be simple, confidential, convenient to
use and complimented with a non-punitive
disciplinary policy. These elements, accompanied
by efficient follow-up acknowledging to the
submitter their report has been received and will be
acted upon, will encourage the development of a
reporting culture.
Information Dissemination
Feedback is one aspect of a safety reporting system.
Employees should be notified when a safety report is
received or when a potential safety threat is discovered.
Information dissemination can also be achieved through
the publication of a newsletter or through the organization’s
website. The organization should inform all
employees where safety-related information is located
so that the entire organization becomes aware of safety
issues and understands the organization is actively
seeking to address these issues. Critical safety changes
should be acknowledged and understood by the
employee of the corrective action.
Corrective Action Plan
When a safety event has been investigated or a
hazard identified, a safety report outlining the
occurrence should be given to the appropriate
supervisor or manager to determine what, if any,
corrective action should be taken. The supervisor or
manager should develop a Corrective Action Plan
(CAP), a plan submitted in response to findings,
outlining how the organization proposes to correct
the deficiencies documented in the findings.
Depending on the findings, the CAP might include
short-term and long-term corrective actions.
Management Involvement
A safety reporting system is one of the primary
methods of providing management with information
on changing conditions within the organization.
Safety reporting and the correction of potential
hazards need to involve all employees and is
fundamental to a safety management system.
Reporting of safety concerns is only part of the
process. Safety reports need to be collected,
analyzed, reviewed and acted upon. Employee
trust that the system will consider their concerns in
a non-punitive environment is critical to the success
of the reporting system.
The key to accomplishing this is to have a reporting
system that meets the needs of the employees
who will be using it. Employee input into the development
of the system is vital. A safety reporting
system is worthless if no one uses it. Every
HAZARD ID & REPORTING
If you see something... say something!
Nuiqsut, AK
August 21, 2006
Escalante, UT
December 15, 2005
If you think it’s wrong...
If you know it’s wrong...
Either way...
QUESTION IT.
STOP IT!
REPORT IT.
U.S. Department of Interior
Safety Seminar - 2008
54 SMS Toolkit