I was heading to the paint stripping shop to discuss with the staff some issues about an accident just happened in the morning.
As I entered to my office, I recalled one of the definitions included in the Standard ISO 9000:2015, wherein it states that a management system is a “set of interrelated or interacting elements of an organization to establish policies and objectives, and processes to achieve those objectives”. It is clear that organizations will not have a system-driven approach just by writing a policy and objectives. Commitment, leadership and monitoring is also required. That is what ICAO means in the fourth edition of Document 9859, paragraph 9.3.2, which states the commitment and leadership of safety management are fundamental for the implementation of an effective SMS and these are addressed by the safety policy and the establishment of relevant objectives. Management’s commitment to safety is demonstrated through management decision making and resource allocation. These decisions and measures should always be consistent with the safety policy and objectives in order to develop a positive safety culture.
Running the SMS in “safety-ill based organizations” cannot help rendering safety services with just one soldier-general-marshal; i.e. the Safety Manager. He/She develops the gap analysis along with the implementation plan and safety meetings all by him/herself. The same occurs with the audits (planning, execution, and verification), the safety metrics design and monitoring, and the management of change. What about the safety promotion activities? Scenario does not change much. It means the whole SMS structure activities are done just by one person.
Is all of this aligned with the Safety Policy I was wondering when I began making a new investigation. I knew I have to read again the safety policy to have sound arguments for my research.
Safety is the main priority in my organization? A huge NO bulges from the statement. It is a good sentence, but what we did to make it true? It is non-sense reality just to show records to some auditor. It was a matter of demonstrating safety is operationally made by all of us. Is it possible?
Yes, of course. Leadership is required. I always heard this word, but what does it mean for a Safety Manager? Planning is good, making a mistake is a possibility, but learning is the best we can achieve. I am sure we Safety Managers have to visit the Accountable Executive’s office and talk to this profit-based thinking guy. What for? He should be warned you will approach the staff with meetings, bulletins, and fostering activities. That is the operational approach of the SMS. People must witness a living SMS, not a desk-driven one! Do you think Accountable Executives in these organizations have the time and mood for safety? Sit and wait for them to be cleared to make your activities will be a matter of wasting your time. What is leadership? You have to take an active role, knock the doors of the operational managers, make your design, plan and go to talk to the operational staff. That way will assure an operational safety. If people perceives a moving and living safety, that helps them to operate better, gaining will be your new last name!
What about funds for safety management? How much do you need? Is this amount risk-based obtained? The risk management process have all these answers. Hazards are detected, consequences are known, probability and severity are valued. Mitigation strategies are designed. All of these mean money for an organization. But believe me, guys, once you do it properly, your company will be managed with rational funds, so we can achieve the famous balance between safety and production.
If a Safety Manager wants the staff live his/her passion for safety, promotion is the key word. All safety activities must be communicated in Layman’s terms to the people. They work in the front line. They are experts in what they do. They think just in the operation, but not necessarily in safety. So, they need to understand any decisions the organization makes on the operation. How do you achieve it? Newsletters, alerts and circulars must be disseminated among the staff. They must be convinced safety is part of the operation. Safety must not be seen as an additional requirement. If you do it so, safety will be no longer operational. It will become a bureaucratic approach, with no live value. And it will die each and every day, unless you use leadership, innovation, creativity, and passion!
