As safety management systems (SMS) become more prevalent among aviation service providers, the focus of many safety practitioners is moving away from early forms of data collection and analysis toward mechanisms that ensure the continuing effectiveness of the entire SMS. Key elements of that effort are the development and use of safety performance indicators (SPIs).
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO’s) Doc 9859, Safety Management Manual (SMM)1 and ICAO Annex 19, Safety Management,2 an SPI is “a data-based safety parameter used for monitoring and assessing safety performance.” The SMM says, “An SMS defines measurable performance outcomes to determine whether the system is truly operating in accordance with design expectations and not simply meeting regulatory requirements. The safety performance indicators are used to monitor known safety risks, detect emerging safety risks and to determine an…
