General

Q4.  Does not all this emphasis on the system tend to dilute the need for individuals to be responsible for their actions?

No. In fact, key to SMS, all employees including the Accountable Executive are responsible for specific actions. The traditional responsibilities of key individuals exercising specific privileges under the CARs, such as Pilots in Command, Air Traffic Controllers and AMEs, remain in effect and are an essential element of the system as a whole.

What SMS adds is the recognition that individuals do not operate in a vacuum. Typically human errors are not simply the result of a person’s incompetence, even though that person may be ultimately legally responsible for it. More often, errors are the result of a wide range of factors, from the physical environment to the interaction with others. SMS is not concerned with apportioning blame, but with identifying and correcting the circumstances that can give rise to errors and omissions. The integrity of key individuals, indeed of all involved individuals, remains a major part of the process.

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