Safety Management System
The Safety Management System is a representative system used in the aviation industry that focuses on the safety of the operations.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAFETY, SECURITY AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
In an airport system it’s necessary distinguish between “security” and “safety” with the inclusion of a third element, such as “occupational safety and health”.
- “Safety” means: the safety from the point of view of the design, construction, maintenance and operations in an airport system.
- “Security” is related to the whole set of measurers and resources to prevent and counteract illicit acts in the civil aviation system.
- “Occupational safety and health” (see Italian regulation d.lgs. 81/2008) is concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work to minimize work exposures to work related risks.
SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The Italian Competent Civil Aviation Authority is ENAC (Ente Nazionale Aviazione Civile) that defines the Safety Management System which ensures that the airport operations take place under established safety conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of the system itself in order to intervene and correct any deviations.
According to this definition, the main objective of the SMS is to prevent potential accidents by identifying hazards, assessing and evaluating the risks and following mitigation until reaching an acceptable and controllable level of safety.
SMS Tools
The Safety Management System uses the following tools to ensure the safety in airside operations:
- Committees such as the “Airport Safety Committee”, “Local Runway Safety Team” and the “Safety Review Board”;
- Auditing and Inspections;
- Reporting System.
Safety Review Board
The Safety Review Board has the purpose to consider strategic safety matters by the top management and consists of these members:
- Accountable Manager;
- Safety & Compliance Monitoring Manager;
- Operational Service and Maintenance Manager;
- Terminal Service Manager;
- Technical Area / Project Manager.
The Board supports the Accountable Manager’s safety accountability for the implementation of the Safety Policy and Objectives.
Reporting System
It is one of the key elements of the entire safety management system and is the main tool for the communication between the SMS and all the personnel operating in the airport.
The communication of an anomalous / unwanted event or circumstance can be the basis for taking appropriate corrective actions to avoid future similar events.
With the filling out of the Ground Safety Report (see below) everyone can report any event that may affect the safety of airport operations.
Fill out the fields below to report safety relevant events.