Canada wants airports and organisations that provide air traffic services to implement safety management systems, and appoint or designate executives who are accountable for safety.
These proposed amendments to the Canadian Aviation Regulations, now subject to a 30-day consultation period, build on regulations that have been in place since 2005 for airlines.
"Canada's new government believes that making industry more accountable adds an additional layer of safety," says minister of transport, infrastructure and communities Lawrence Cannon.
Although the basics of the safety management system concept are well established - comprising a closed-loop system of risk assessment, incident reporting and response, followed by results monitoring - each system has to be tailored to the organisation's areas of risk exposure. The results of an audit of risk exposure should translate into policies, management systems, individual training and operating procedures.
Transport Canada says that once a safety management system is embedded, management and employees can continuously work to identify and overcome potential safety hazards.
Source: Flight International