Practical SMS for Helicopter Operations

Practical SMS for Helicopter Operations (SMHP)

Rotary wing operations like EMS and public use helicopter services provide a unique set of hazards that are not shared with other fixed wing operations. Public use operators like law enforcement, fire, and utilities are basically self-regulated. There is no regulatory standard against which they are judged. This gives them a wide range of flexibility which is necessary due to the nature of their work. But it also deprives them of a standard by which to assess safety performance. This represents an operational hazard.

This is a course that was developed by and for helicopter operators. It addresses the major hazards that occur in on-demand EMS and public use operations.

Missionitis and fatigue are two major hazards for public-use helicopters. An SMS would allow helicopter operators the ability to know the extent of the hazards in their operation and develop mitigating procedures to reduce risk. The use of rotary wing aircraft in unexpected conditions at uncharted lading areas provides a set of hazards far above what is encountered by scheduled civil airline operations, yet these Part 121 operators are required to implement a fully functional SMS and public use operators are not.

The title of the course reveals the true nature of the course and what it can deliver. “Practical SMS” speaks to this - it is s course that is based upon the hard-won experience of several public use helicopter operations. “Practical SMS” speaks to an SMS that can be readily implemented with a limited amount of administrative overhead.

Objectives: To provide the understanding and practical skills necessary to implement an SMS in a public use or EMS operation.

Who Should Attend: Safety Officers, SMS Specialists, Chief Pilots, Managers and Maintenance Directors.

Course Outline

• Missionitis
• Fatigue
• Leadership not management
• Multi-factor accident causation
• Effects of ignoring hazards
• Management responsibility
• ICAO Standards
• FAA regulations
• The Framework
• The effects of a punitive culture
• Organizational culture versus SOP’s
• Fishbone Analysis
• Safety Risk Assessment – the Heart of SMS
• Effects of non-truth cultures
• The physiology of hazard identification – the retina
• The negative power of distractions
• Safety Performance Indicators
• Five accident case studies
• Group based accident analysis