Practically speaking, a SMS is a business-like approach to safety. In keeping with all management systems, a SMS provides for goal setting, planning, and measuring performance. It concerns itself with organizational safety rather than the conventional health and safety at work concerns. An organization’s SMS defines how it intends the management of air safety to be conducted as an integral part of their business management activities. A SMS is woven into the fabric of an organization. It becomes part of the culture; the way people do their jobs.
An effective implementation strategy for SMS will involve changes in processes and procedures and will almost certainly involve a shift in the corporate culture. The safety culture of an organization is defined as “ … the product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies and patterns of behavior, that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organization’s safety management.” (AC 107-001 Issue 01)
SMS provides an organization with the ability to anticipate and address safety issues before they lead to an incident or accident. Not only is there a safety benefit, adopting SMS provides various quantifiable cost benefits and improved operational efficiency. A properly executed SMS has been proven to be the single most significant event to make aviation safer and more profitable.