Aviation Safety Audit and Assessment

Internal aviation safety audits or assessments should be carried out as part of Aviation SMS.

These assessments check that correct procedures are being followed. Aviation safety audits should also include a check of activities of third parties such as contractors and aviation consultants.

Procedures that provide for internal aviation safety audit of the system need to be clearly stated so no confusion exists over roles of aviation safety auditors or aviation safety audit team.

Second aspect of internal aviation safety audit process is thorough investigation of all incidents, accidents and near misses. Remember the primary purpose of aviation safety investigation is to uncover the root causes and contributing factors to the aviation safety incident – not to apportion blame.

Every incident/accident offers learning opportunities, not only what happened, but also why it happened. This is only revealed when aviation safety incidents and accidents are thoroughly investigated. A full and open aviation safety investigation will reveal human and organizational factors behind the aviation safety incident.

Eight-step process relates to any flight operation. Eight step process involves:

1. Aviation Safety Policy
2. Management accountability
3. Establish process to manage flight-safety risks
4. Setting up a aviation safety reporting system to record flight hazards, risks and actions taken
5. Training and educating staff
6. Auditing flight operations and investigating incidents and accidents
7. Setting up aviation safety management system to control documentation and data
8. Evaluating how aviation safety management system is operating