International Leadership

Q2. Why would you anticipate that SMS gradually would have a positive effect globally despite the diversity of cultures and operational practices, and how does the Canadian experience to date support this expectation?

The success of SMS is dependant on a transformation of the culture at both the industry and regulatory level. The development of an effective safety culture is predicated on a relationship of trust between the organization and the employee; the employee and the regulator; and the regulator and the industry. In some cases, this may already exist; in most cases it will take some time to establish a foundation that fosters the development of this relationship. Some of the tools that will promote this growth are reporting policies that are, to the extent possible, non-punitive; effective communications at all levels; and, feedback on the system’s inputs, outputs and continuous improvements.

In Canada it has taken some time to develop the infrastructure at the regulatory level and to encourage organizations, in advance of a regulatory framework, to implement the programs necessary to promote cultural development.  For example, Transport Canada has implemented a new enforcement policy that encourages the use of a SMS approach to the management of human and organizational risks. More specifically, an organization discovers a problem, notifies Transport Canada of the issue and states that event was not wilful or deliberate. They then take appropriate corrective action and no enforcement action will be taken against the organization. 

As with all new initiatives, actions speak louder than words. In the past year, Transport Canada has demonstrated that a commitment towards the enforcement policy and the industry has become more receptive to SMS. Given that Canadian companies already have a fairly advanced safety culture and the regulator has a solid foundation upon which to promote SMS, it will, however, take additional time in other countries that are less advanced to build the foundation required to promote the effective implementation of SMS.

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