What is SMS
A Safety Management System (SMS) is a proactive and systematic approach to managing safety by identifying and resolving safety concerns through collaboration and analysis. SMS is an integral part of all airport activities with the objective of achieving and maintaining safety standards and performance. The SMS relies on each individual to participate in and improve safety as part of their daily work activities by working safely and reporting safety concerns.
SMS consists of four components:
- Safety Policy and Objectives includes establishing and managing safety policies and identifying goals and objectives to measure the performance of the SMS. SMS requires management commitment from the highest levels of the organization.
- Safety Risk Management is founded on performing risk assessments to identify hazards proactively, assessing risks, and developing controls to reduce hazards to acceptable levels.
- Safety Promotion includes employee training to identify and report hazards as well as promotional efforts to encourage a positive safety culture and communicate safety information.
- Safety Assurance measures the effectiveness of the airport’s SMS through evaluations and audits, allowing for continuous improvement.
- Policy Statement
- Objectives and Metrics
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Organizational Reporting
- Hazard Identification
- Safety Assignment Triggers
- Risk Analysis/Assessment
- Safety Control Development
- Continuous Improvement
- Performance Monitoring
- Audits and Assessments
- Safety Control Monitoring
- Data Collection and Reporting Systems
- Training and Orientation
- Communication
- Safety Culture
- Media and Branding
Why SMS?
SMS does not replace existing Airport safety processes and regulatory oversight; rather, SMS provides us with an opportunity to create systems to support the safe delivery of all PHL operations that is efficient, effective, and that we can collaboratively evaluate and monitor.
SMS is a system for how PHL approaches our organization's safety by uniting our aviation community’s efforts and existing processes. SMS provides a framework for avoiding duplicated effort and misunderstanding and ensuring our safety work actually works. At PHL we will work together to tie efforts from all stakeholders in a systematic approach to understanding and managing risk, especially safety risk.
No safety program can eliminate all risk or guarantee safety. In part, that is why SMS is not a program. Instead, it is a systems approach to safety - one that acknowledges the role each of us plays to maintain a safe workplace. What SMS allows each of us to do is have a clearer vision for what safety looks like, not merely complying with rules and regulations. When our Airport community is faced with a difficult situation for which there are no clear guidelines, SMS helps us approach the problem with clarity of purpose, learn more effectively from it, and build resilient teams committed to improving safety for everyone.