International Helicopter Safety Team Safety Management System Toolkit

Communication, Awareness
& Safety Promotion
Core is defined as “the central or most important
part of something.” Value is defined as “the worth,
importance, or usefulness of something to someone.”
One individual cannot accomplish Safety Goals in
an organization. Safety is everyone’s responsibility. A
positive safety culture can influence correct behavior.
One of the most effective methods to establish safety
as a core value is to make safety an integral part of
the organization’s management plan. Just as the financial
aspects of organizational management requires
the ability to set goals and assign accountability, so to
does the management of a safety system. Such goals
need to be appropriate, practical and achievable.
They also need to be measurable, dynamic, and fit to
the size of the organization.
For example, a smaller organization may be
expanding into a new line of business or operation.
Some of the issues they may need to consider would
include staffing, employee skill level, hiring, equipment,
impact on existing organization and how all of
these issues would impact safety. A larger organization
would need to consider the same issues. Only the
scope would be different.
The success or failure for meeting safety goals
should be treated like any other goals within the
organization. Requiring safety to be a part of every
management decision underlines the importance of
safety and ensures safety is a normal part of conducting
everyday operations.
Safety is recognized as a “core value.” Procedures,
practices, training and the allocation of
resources clearly demonstrate management’s commitment
to safety. The perception that the operation is
most important, no matter the risk, undermines best
safety practice. Effective methods for management to
promote safety include:
Prepare, publish, and disseminate a statement of
management’s commitment to the SMS
Demonstrate commitment to SMS by example
Communicate the outputs of the SMS to
all employees
Provide training commensurate with people’s level
of responsibility
Define competency requirements for individuals in
key positions
Document, review and update training requirements
Share “lessons learned” that promote improvement
of the SMS
Have a safety feedback system with appropriate
levels of confidentiality that promote participation
by all personnel in the identification of hazards
Implement a “Just Culture” process that ensures fairness
and open reporting in dealing with human error
The development of a positive safety culture is
predicated on the involvement of all facets of the
organization. The objective of this requirement therefore,
is to involve all parties in the safety management
system, thereby fostering an organization-wide
commitment to safety management.
Safety Culture
Culture influences the values, beliefs and behaviors
that we share with other members of our various
social groups. Culture serves to bind us together as
members of groups and to provide clues as to how
we behave in both normal and unusual situations.
Some people see culture as the “collective programming
of the mind.” Culture is the complex, social
dynamic that sets the rules of the game, or the framework
for all our interpersonal interactions. It is the sum
total of the way people work. Culture provides a
context in which things happen. For safety management,
understanding the culture is an important determinant
of human performance and its limitations. The
ultimate responsibility for safety rests with the management
of the organization.
Safety Culture is affected by such factors as:
Management’s actions and priorities
Policy and procedure
Supervisory practices
Safety planning and goals
Actions in response to unsafe behaviors
Employee training and motivation
Employee involvement or buy-in
Organizational Culture
Organizational culture recognizes and identifies
the behavior and values of particular organizations.
Generally, personnel in the aviation industry enjoy a
68 SMS Toolkit