SMS for Schedulers & Dispatchers

PRESENTED BY:

Lucille Fisher

Quality Resources, LLC

Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference | New Orleans, LA | January 14-17, 2014

Thursday, January 16 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM

Please remember to…

• Silence your mobile devices.

• If you must take a call, please exit and return quietly.

• Complete and turn in your Session Review before you

leave. Your feedback is important!

2

About the Presenter

• A former Scheduler and Chair of the NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers

Committee

• Never flown an airplane, but is type rated on a computer

• Has the privilege of working with world class flight operations with their

documentation systems.

• Lucille can be reached at lfisher@qualityresources.biz .

Lucille Fisher

Today’s Objectives

– Take the Lead

• Boost your role in SMS

• Understand the process of hazard

identification

• Explore how to become more

involved in flight risk assessment

• Problem solving – vs problem

identifying

• Enhance customer service

What is SMS

• Short Messaging Service

– Texting – December 3, 1992

– First Commercial Text December 1993

• Google failed me this time

5

What is a

Safety Management System?

Definition:

The systematic and comprehensive process for the proactive

management of safety-risks that integrates the management of

operations and technical systems with financial and human resource

management.

What an SMS is…

• An SMS is a collection or

“toolbox”

• A set of beliefs and

practices (culture)*

• “…it [SMS] is held together

by a fourth component –

safety culture.”*

7

*Transport Canada; Sumwalt, 2012

What an SMS is not…

• It is not a product that can be bought

or a series of boxes to check

• It is not a guarantee of sufficient

safety performance*

• It is not something that can be bolted

on to organizational processes

• It is not sufficient if practiced

mechanically*

8

Hudson, 2001; Van Dyke, 2006

Accident Trend Line

Aircraft Departures

Is an SMS required by regulation?

• AC 120-92A

• Anything New???

• Let’s talk!

Is SMS the Same as IS-BAO?

What’s the relation?

A Safety Management System is a component of an International

Standard for Business Aviation Organization. (IS-BAO)

Why bother?

Safety Benefits

Business Benefits

Schedulers and Dispatchers Role

• Traditionally, management of an SMS has been a “pilot” thing

• The “safety office” was seen as owning the safety process, which

effectively removed managers from the safety decision-making

process*

– Counter to what an SMS sets out to do!

– Under the SMS model, managers have safety accountabilities and

responsibilities which put them on the frontline of safety decision

making

12

Why is safety culture and its association with SMS implementation important to the scheduler and dispatcher?

ICAO 9859

Schedulers and Dispatchers Role

• The safety office could become the “safety services office”

• Scheduling function is inherently central to operations

• Schedulers and dispatchers, by nature, are project managers

• Very feasible for schedulers and dispatchers to take the lead for

SMS implementation and management

13

The “new” organizational model under SMS

ICAO 9859 2nd edition

ICAO Safety Officer Qualifications

• Broad operational knowledge and experience in the functions of

the organization (e.g. training management, aircraft operation, air

traffic management, aerodrome operations and maintenance

organization management);

• Sound knowledge or safety management principles and

practices;

• good written and verbal communication skills;

• well-developed interpersonal skills;

• computer literacy;

14

ICAO Safety Officer Qualifications - cont

• ability to relate to all levels, both inside and outside the

organization;

• organizational ability;

• ability to work unsupervised;

• good analytical skills;

• leadership skills and authoritative approach ; and

• worthy of respect from peers and management.

ICAO document 9859, 2nd edition

15

Schedulers and Dispatchers

• Deliberate, systematic processes can drive safety culture to a

point

• Beyond that point, safety management becomes less extrinsic

and more intrinsic

• Bad news: Change is hard

• Good news: It can be and has been done

– Research shows that smaller organizations, like corporate flight

departments, are more likely able to develop toward the generative

culture*

– Smaller organizations are more flexible and focused*

16

Can I bring about change???

Hudson, n.d.

Four Pillars of SMS…Safety

Management Commitment

Safety Accountabilities

Key Personnel

SMS Documentation

Emergency Response Planning

Hazard Identification

Risk Management Process

Safety Promotion, Monitoring , Measurement

Change Management Process

Continuous Improvement Process

Training & Education

Safety Communication

SMS Pillar: Safety Policy

18

Management Commitment

Safety Accountabilities

Key Personnel

SMS Documentation

Emergency Response Planning

SMS Pillar: Safety Risk Management

Hazard Identification

Risk Management Process

Safety Reporting

Hazard identification

through safety reporting

• HIT Forms – Hazard

Identification and

Tracking

• I3

– Issues

– Ideas

– Improvements

• BOB

• What this looks like is

less important than

knowing how to

complete YOUR form

You Know “Stuff…”

• Long before the trip/flight

• Based upon your

previous experience and

knowledge

• Through research and

exploration

21

How Does a Risk Assessment Work?

22

Hazard identification through

risk assessment Risk assessment is done per

duty period or per flight

Purpose is to identify potential

hazards associated with a flight

Provides a process for mitigation

prior to the trip

Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT)

• Can be started by S/D

• Usually completed by the crew

• Looks at various aspects of a

flight (type; area of operation;

aircraft status; human factors;

weather; airport environment;

etc.)

• Point values are pre-assigned

to each item

• The higher the point value the

higher the risk

23

Examples are

EVERYWHERE

Go to the exhibit floor

Group Exercise…

1. Trip Considerations

2. Airport Considerations

3. Aircraft Services

4. Baggage

5. Time of Day

6. Crew Duty

7. Flight Hours

8. Number of Legs

9. Terrain

24

Risk Assessment Summary

• Five levels of risk

• Level 1 is the lowest;

level 5 is the highest

• Level 3 or higher

requires communication

and/or mitigation

• Score range for each

level of risk is derived

from a risk matrix

Risk Matrix

26

Assurance

Safety Promotion, Monitoring , Measurement

Change Management Process

Continuous Improvement Process

Safety Promotion

Training & Education

Safety Communication

Benefits From Your Involvement

• Potential risks identified early and mitigated

• Time savings for the crew

• Another set of eyes

• Avoid costly last minute changes

• Proactive resolution for changes in the quality of customer

service

29

Conclusion

• SMS is not a “product” but rather a system composed of people,

processes, resources and culture

• Schedulers and dispatchers are situated in an appropriate

position to take the lead with SMS

• Safety culture is viewed as organizational culture’s attitude

towards safety and is manifest through the safety climate

30

Reason, 2006; Hudson, 1999

Conclusion

• Safety climate should be measured prior to and during SMS

implementation to get a “lay of the land” and a sense of maturity

• Safety culture weaknesses can affect SMS implementation

• SMS implementation can impact safety culture up to a point

• SMS becomes less about implemented processes and becomes

more intrinsic

31

Any questions?

Thank You

Please turn in your session critiques

First-time attendees remember to get your stamp

This presentation is available on NBAA’s website

•