The AvAudit Audit Protocol software can be used to create, evaluate and audit corporate flight department Safety Management Systems (SMS). Ideally, an effective SMS incorporates the following four components of safety management: Safety policy and objectives, risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion.

Safety Policy

In creating an effective SMS, corporate and flight department management defines the organization’s safety policy in accordance with national and international requirements, identifies and appoints personnel accountable for SMS implementation and maintenance, coordinates emergency response planning, and develops and maintains appropriate SMS documentation.
AvAudit assists in these objectives by:

• Providing access to international IS-BAO safety standards
• Effectively presenting supporting information for each requirement
• Providing a centralized database to hold SMS documentation linked to the international standards

Safety Assurance

Safety assurance includes monitoring and measuring safety performance, developing and maintaining a formal change management process to identify risks associated with changing current processes, and continuously improving the SMS.

Risk Management

Effective organizations develop and maintain a formal process to identify operational hazards and mitigate associated risks. Hazard identification should be based on a combination of reactive, proactive and predictive methods of safety data collection.

AvAudit assists with this objective by presenting IS-BAO documentation that supports the hazard identification and mitigation process.

Using the AvAudit software allows management to monitor and measure safety performance with gap analyses and internal audits. Using AvAudit’s “Show New” feature, management can continuously track new or changed IS-BAO standards and improve its SMS to match the international standards.
Management can also use AvAudit to assist with an ongoing GAP anaylsis to communicate safety assurance to department personnel. The Accountable Executive can also observe the department’s process using AvAudit.

Safety Promotion

Effective SMS programs involve formal safety training, communication of critical safety information, and explanations of why safety procedures are introduced or changed.

AvAudit can be used as an effective training tool since the company SMS documentation can be linked to specific IS-BAO elements and sub-sections. The supporting documentation—including regulations, advisory circulars, and IS-BAO documentation—can provide explanations as to why certain safety procedures are introduced. Audit findings can provide explanations as to why corporate procedures may be changed.