The link between Safety Management Systems SMS and Human Factors HF

The link between Safety Management Systems SMS and Human Factors HF

Published on October 12, 2016

Steve Bentley

One way of looking at the relationship is to consider that SMS puts the flesh on the HF Skeleton. A strong organizational SMS system can deliver not just added safety but added value too.

It is early days in the evolution of the implemented SMS systems so significant data is not in abundance, however that SMS works and has a bearing on Human Factor behaviour is shown by looking at the Accident statistics for 2012 which was the safest year on record relative to the size of aviation business activities.

It is a fundamental wish of all businesses to operate effectively and to receive an acceptable return on the underlying investment.

Whilst for more “Tangible” expenditures it is relatively straight forward to develop business models that show what is happening with the finances, when we turn our attention to Human Factors and Safety Management Systems, it becomes considerably more difficult to develop measures to show direct gain.

However it should be understood that it is of paramount importance to develop effective systems to show exactly the financial benefits, otherwise we directly impact the challenge of raising internal funding for the changes needed to promote positive HF related behaviours within the Organizations SMS system.

So we need to understand the costs which the business incurs on a routine basis and use these costs to develop a set of values which we can use to show the benefits to the Return on Investment ROI by changes which are driven by SMS and HF organizational processes.

Discuss these issues with your company accountant who has the responsibility for the financial modeling to see how this can be developed specifically in the best way for the organization.

If we can develop effective metrics including financial KPI’s we are making steps in the right direction which will only serve s a positive effect on the business over time.

Consider that this area is also to be considered with the core competencies of the Safety Manager and that as in all Competency oversight systems, a gap or shortfall generates a training needs analysis.

In a proactive SMS system where the risks are to be reduced to a level which is as low as reasonably practical ALARP then we have to face the fact that safety too has a cost. The more we are able to quantify the benefits in an effective way the stronger the business case for change.