Regulations and Exemptions

Q11. What is most significant about the finalized Canadian regulatory amendments related to SMS on June 15, 2005? Are Transport Canada’s regulations and guidance material fully in place, or will further amendments/additions occur in 2006?

The regulatory amendments require larger aviation organizations to appoint executives who are accountable for safety and to institute safety management systems in their organizations. Transport Canada is taking a phased approach to implementation to manage the introduction and distribute the workload. Larger organizations must put the regulatory changes in place within three years meeting process milestones along the way.

Transport Canada’s vision is that SMS will be implemented in all regulated civil aviation organizations by 2007. However, SMS implementation depends on the date regulations come into force and following which will be phased-in over three years. Some regulations are not forecasted to be fully in force until 2008. An up to date table of forecasted implementation dates is available on our Web site: www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/SMS/implementation.htm.

Transport Canada has prepared guidance material to provide practical information to operators. This guidance material is intended to provide companies with an understanding of what the regulations require and assist those who wish to begin developing an SMS.

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