CBC report on SMS Wednesday Nov 9 22:00 EST

[Check Pilot]

CBC-TV will broadcast an important documentary about aviation safety immediately following the CBC National News this evening, November 9, 2011, beginning at about 10:20 PM.

Produced by prominent CBC investigative journalist Alex Shprintsen, and featuring Justice Virgil Moshansky and international aviation experts, the documentary examines the ill-conceived Safety Management System (SMS), implemented by Transport Canada four or so years ago.

Justice Moshansky is a legendary figure in Canadian aviation. He chaired the Dryden inquiry, which became in effect a wide-ranging examination of many aspects of Canadian aviation and uncovered numerous problems. The extensive recommendations of the inquiry vaulted Canada into a leadership position in aviation safety practices.

Moshansky, who continues to follow the aviation industry closely, has become concerned in recent years that air safety in Canada is in decline. In 2007 he issued a scathing condemnation of Ottawa's ill-advised move to download responsibility for regulatory oversight of Canada's airlines from federal aviation inspectors to the air carriers themselves. He told the Commons transport committee "Today, 18 years after Dryden, history is repeating itself, only worse."

[conehead]

Hey, how's retirement?

[Check Pilot]

Retirement has turned out superbly. I have done most of the things that I never had time to do in the past. We had an outstanding Alaska cruise. I just wish I had done that before. We are going to do more of that like the repositioning on Holland America from Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver via Panama Canal this spring.

I have kept flying but in my neighbours Cessna 150. It's so refreshing to go back to a way simpler and freer way of getting in the air. -No SOP's- simple little checklist and best of all, it's all VFR. It took a while to get used to that again.

BTW I don't miss the regulatory world of TC at all. I'm glad I'm out now that SMS is in place. It was a good job until TC implemented that. Hope you watch the CBC National tonight, not that I'm a big fan of CBC but Virgil Moshansky always had my greatest respect.

[conehead]

Check Pilot; havn't seen the clip yet, too busy, but I recorded it, will see it later.

Glad to hear you are enjoying retirement; always appreciated your input on this forum. Don't be a stranger!

[conehead]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/08/airline-safety-system-flights.html

[sustainable]

The current DGCA is going to do nothing other than tow the company line.

Gee... where will they take it under tow?

Try "toe" with this cliche, it works better.

[conehead]

Statement from Minister Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities

Written by Transport Canada

Thursday, 17 November 2011

The television segment "Putting Airline Safety at Risk?" produced by Radio-Canada's Frederic Zalac, and aired on CBC The National on November 9th, and scheduled to air on Radio-Canada's Enquete on November 17th, is misleading about Transport Canada's aviation safety oversight program.

Transport Canada was the first civil aviation authority in the world to implement SMS, and now it is a global standard. The International Civil Aviation Organization has recognized Transport Canada as a world leader in safety management systems implementation.

By implementing Safety Management System (SMS) regulations for commercial air carriers, Transport Canada is strengthening the safety culture of these organizations. SMS requires that companies implement safety policies and procedures that identify potential safety problems, and deal with them before accidents happen. And, contrary to the claims made in this television segment, this process is in addition to Transport Canada's robust inspection activities for all sectors of the air transport industry.

An effective safety management system empowers aviation companies to address aviation risks before they lead to incidents. This moves Canada from a responsive, top-down system where actions were taken in response to safety incidents, to a proactive system that aims to prevent accidents from happening in the first place.

Through SMS, Transport Canada has also expanded its inspection activities, conducting more than 10,000 inspections a year on companies big and small. In fact, 70 percent of the aviation safety budget is dedicated to inspections.

SMS assessments and traditional inspections should not be thought of in isolation or as opposites. They are complementary parts of one of the safest aviation safety systems in the world - one in which we can all be confident.

Transport Canada introduced the first set of SMS regulations in 2005 and we have seen a drop in the accident rate since that time. In 2009, the total number of accidents was the lowest recorded figure in 10 years. This evidence shows that we are doing the right thing. Mrs. Wendy Tadros, the Chair of the Transportation Safety Board said Safety Management Systems are "a powerful, internationally recognized management tool to help organizations find trouble before trouble finds them." She added that the TSB board thinks, "SMS is the right way to go."

Captain Dan Adamus, president of the Air Line Pilots Association's Canada Board, said "SMS programs ensure continuing safety by combining the appropriate levels of incentive for front-line employee reporting, internal auditing and regulatory oversight." He added that "Canada is a world leader in adopting SMS programs and ALPA is proud to be part of that effort."

Our government is committed to continuing Canada's tradition as a leader in aviation safety. Canada has one of the safest aviation systems in the world and Transport Canada is unswerving in its drive to further aviation safety by modernizing the way we do things.

[Don Hudson]

From the Minister: "Our government is committed to continuing Canada's tradition as a leader in aviation safety. Canada has one of the safest aviation systems in the world and Transport Canada is unswerving in its drive to further aviation safety by modernizing the way we do things."

For my money, Virgil Moshansky has far more credibility than the Minister.

The Minister's comments are for those who desire light, waiting-room reading. Remarks that merely protest are insufficient for those who know their stuff.

People are smarter today and dismiss political civics-class rhetoric which does not engage the issues raised and critiqued over the years.

The issue is not whether SMS is a better system than the discipline and enforcement approach which existed before SMS was introduced. The issue is the government's capacity for rigourous oversight of the aviation safety system.

SMS downloads such responsibility to individual organizations. Providing the conflict of interest for aviation managers and executives is understood and structurally dealt with, SMS can fulfill its promise of being a better aviation safety system.

Don

[Specs]

I've seen a number of reported incidents reported that didn't end up well for the person who made the report. In my opinion each issue was dealt with clumsily and not at all in the spirit of what SMS intended. I'm seeing far too many reports simply turned around on the reportee as the individuals fault and while that may be technically correct, it could have happenned to anybody and the condition that led to that fault has not been addressed. The company (and there are several) has not accepted any responsibility. It seems to me that there should be a feedback loop to TC that triggers a review of the way a company handles SMS incidents.

eg more paperwork to TC - a simple form - Is reportee (deidentified) satisfied with solution.

[Guest]

I've seen a number of reported incidents reported that didn't end up well for the person who made the report. In my opinion each issue was dealt with clumsily and not at all in the spirit of what SMS intended. I'm seeing far too many reports simply turned around on the reportee as the individuals fault and while that may be technically correct, it could have happenned to anybody and the condition that led to that fault has not been addressed. The company (and there are several) has not accepted any responsibility. It seems to me that there should be a feedback loop to TC that triggers a review of the way a company handles SMS incidents.

eg more paperwork to TC - a simple form - Is reportee (deidentified) satisfied with solution.

We had a fellow here file a flight safety complaint, he ended up being suspended for 5 months, he was also forced to have a psychological evaluation done by a forensic psychiatrist, even though he had a psych test done recently for his license renewal.

The person was interviewed as was a few of us, his coworkers as well as his family members. The psychiatrist decided to interview the station manager during which the manager refered to the employee as a "dangerous violent racist nazi who was in need of serious help". After all the interviews the Dr released his report finding this employee perfectly fine and that he should be returned to work.

After his return to work, he pursued the flight safety complaint and not surprisingly it some how disappeared and no one has any idea of its existence! This fellow decided not to pursue due to the circus he had to go through.

[J.O.]

I would suggest that the next step is a report through the CAIRS system.

[JL]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The switch to SMS represents a major cultural change in the industry. This sort of change does not happen overnight; it will take 15 to 20 years. The problem is the transition and the lack of a TC strategy to cover the "soft spots" while the industry (TC included) makes this significant change over the next bunch of years.

[Don Hudson]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The switch to SMS represents a major cultural change in the industry. This sort of change does not happen overnight; it will take 15 to 20 years. The problem is the transition and the lack of a TC strategy to cover the "soft spots" while the industry (TC included) makes this significant change over the next bunch of years.

Thanks for some perspective, JL. It looks as though a few of us have already seen some of the soft-spots. That said, I think SMS is far better than the old ways. The idea and the hope is to avoid an accident which may have links to this transition and I think there are two mistakes with lethal potential in the changeover:

1) Insufficient oversight of;

a) Operators trying their best but for whatever reasons not succeeding in full implementation and/or compliance;

b ) Operators that may try to avoid compliance by taking advantage of reduced oversight and audits that just look at the documents, and;

2) A relationship that is too comfortable or too familiar between TC and the air carrier and therefore either too forgiving of infractions or events which are under-reported, or too unsupportive of inspectors who may be trying to pursue something but find themselves under pressure to pull in their horns...