Safety Management Systems Flashcards

A dispatcher is preparing to release a flight when the chief pilot calls to say 'we always operate this route this time of year without issues.' Under SMS, the dispatcher should:

Answer: Evaluate current objective data and apply the risk management process regardless of tradition

SMS requires objective, data-driven risk assessment — historical normalcy bias ('we always do it this way') is a known contributor to accidents.

Which of the following best describes the role of 'change management' within an SMS?

Answer: Systematically assessing safety risk whenever organizational or operational changes occur

SMS change management requires that any significant operational, organizational, or system change be evaluated for new or changed hazards before implementation.

An airline's SMS identifies that fatigue among dispatchers during overnight shifts is a hazard. The most effective hierarchy-of-controls approach would be to:

Answer: Redesign shift schedules to limit consecutive overnight hours (engineering/administrative control)

Redesigning schedules addresses fatigue at the source through administrative/engineering controls, which are higher in the hierarchy than warnings or self-certification.

In SMS documentation, a 'risk register' is used to:

Answer: Record identified hazards, their assessed risk levels, and associated controls

A risk register is a living SMS document that catalogs identified hazards, their likelihood and severity ratings, and the controls in place to manage them.

When an SMS investigation concludes that a systemic process failure caused a runway incursion precursor, the appropriate response under SMS principles is to:

Answer: Identify and correct the root-cause process failure to prevent recurrence system-wide

SMS focuses on systemic root causes rather than individual blame, requiring process-level corrections to prevent recurrence across the organization.

Under Part 5, an operator's SMS must include a safety reporting system that:

Answer: Allows employees to report safety concerns, including voluntarily and confidentially

14 CFR Part 5 requires that the safety reporting system allow voluntary and confidential employee reporting to encourage maximum hazard identification.

A Designated Aircraft Dispatch Examiner (DADE) evaluating an applicant's SMS knowledge would expect the applicant to understand that SMS is best described as:

Answer: A proactive, systemic approach to managing safety risk across the entire organization

SMS is a proactive, organization-wide framework for identifying hazards and managing safety risk before accidents or incidents occur.