Section 18 - SMS Training

Of course you need properly trained personnel to ensure the quality and safety of the operations in your organization. Clear expectations, explicit work instructions, such as maintenance work instructions and standard operating procedures (SOPs) serve two purposes. It lets employees know what is expected of them and it allows management to expect consistency in the conduct of operations and to compare what is expected against actual performance. If a deficiency is identified or an event occurs, one of the pieces of the investigation will be to review the quality and the safety of the work instructions or SOPs and the adequacy of the training provided. Your existing training program will need to incorporate the components related to SMS.

As you develop your Safety Management System, you are adapting it to suit the size, management style and needs of your company. That means that no two systems will look exactly alike. Training, therefore, in how you have chosen to operate, becomes important in helping to ensure that your goals are indeed achieved.

• Existing employees will need detailed briefings on your SMS, on your management commitment to it and on their part in making it work.
  
  
• New employees will need to be familiarized with how your SMS operates, and in many cases you will probably find that you have to train them on the basic concepts of SMS as well.
  
  
• All employees will need periodic refresher briefings or discussion to make sure that everyone fully remembers what you are trying to do and how it needs to become and remain a part of the organization’s lifeblood.
  
  
• In flight training operations, although student pilots are not employees, they should be aware of your safety management system and be trained in how to report safety deficiencies and hazards in the same manner that they now understand and report aircraft airworthiness problems. If they are commercial pilot students, they will be required to have a basic understanding of SMS principles as part of their licensing requirements.
  
  
• In some cases, external stakeholders will need to be aware of your SMS processes so that they can provide you with appropriate documentation and follow-up, when necessary.

Whether you are involved in flight or maintenance operations, to make the SMS work you need to take time to train and, yes, also to document that you did so. You will need to measure whether the person understands the training received, or to what extent existing employees have the understanding you hope they have.

What can you include in any of the above types of training? Here are some examples - pick those that will benefit your specific operation, and then add others that are unique to your type of activity. While many of these training topics are items that require procedural training remember that in the SMS context you are focusing on safety related issues as part of an integrated management plan.

• SMS principles including the Continuous Improvement Loop.
  
  
• Details of your company SMS including
  
  
  • Company Safety Policy
  • SMS Policy Manual (Documentation)
  • Roles and Responsibilities
  • Safety Reporting System
  • Analysis of accidents/incidents
  • Emergency Response Plan
  • Special Procedures
  • Non-Punitive Reporting Policy
    
    
• Emergency equipment review
  
  
• Applicable Canadian Aviation Regulation (CARs) review
  
  
• Operations Manual review including company specific procedures such as Operations Specifications for special authorities like low visibility operations.

In addition to the obvious benefits gained from training, it is an indication to the employee that management thinks this is important enough to devote dedicated time to it and it shows to others (customers, insurers, regulators) that you have taken carefully planned steps to make safety consciousness a fully integrated part of the operation.

Who will provide this training? For some of these topics, you will probably have some staff members who have the expertise necessary to provide the training to others. For other topics, you may have access to outside consulting resources. Feel free to call on your local Transport Canada System Safety offices especially for briefings on Safety Management System principles.