SMS Environmentally Friendly

SMS Environmentally Friendly

By CatalinaNJB

SMS is the new business model to ensure quality assurance of all processes within an enterprise. SMS is not restricted to safety process only, but also to financial processes, operational processes, regulatory compliance and environmental processes. Environmental processes are more than the environment itself and how excessive weather changes have directly and daily impact on operations. SMS is Quality Leadership of processes within an Enterprise’s environment system in the SHELL (Software – Hardware – Liveware – Liveware) operational model and how human factors are affecting job performance. Human factors is the single overarching factor determining success or failure of a business. SMS as a Quality Leadership tool is applied to continuous process improvements. When regulations are amended an effective SMS is applied to implement new processes and monitor, not only the effectiveness of the processes, but also the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness of the new regulations. SMS is a fabulous Quality Leadership tool.  

SMS is growing other directions than safety management.

One new proposed aeronautical regulation is a regulation working to achieve carbon neutral growth for international aviation from 2020 onwards. This is a t is a market-based measure requiring air operators, both commercial and private, to purchase eligible emission units on the open market to offset a portion of their emissions. Forecast advances in aircraft technology, operational improvements and a greater use of sustainable aviation fuels will not be enough to ensure carbon neutral growth from 2020 onwards. Since airlines fly internationally every day, having common international rules that ensure all airlines receive equal treatment is important.

A new proposed regulatory amendment with a requirement for airplane operators offering international flights with more than 10 000 tons of total annual carbon dioxide emissions is coming down the pike. Airplane operators will be required to develop and submit an Emissions Monitoring Plan to the Regulator in order to set out the operator’s specific approach to monitoring. 

Airplane operators will be required to monitor and record fuel use according to the eligible monitoring method chosen in their Emissions Monitoring Plan and approved by the Regulator, on an annual basis. Enterprises will also be required to develop and submit an Emissions Report for the previous year on an annual basis. Verification is a third requirement. Verification is also Quality Assurance. Operators will be required to engage an accredited third-party verification body for the verification of the annual Emissions Report. The verification body would ensure completeness and accuracy of information in the report. The operators will then be required to submit a copy of the Verification Report to the regulator and authorize the verification body to also submit copies of the Emissions Report and Verification Report to the regulator. A robust system is required to ensure compliance with these complex monitoring and reporting requirements and your existing SMS is in the toolbox already. 

Unlimited SMS opportunities are just raising above the horizon.

When the time comes, air operators must be compliant with the emission regulations. Four of the components of an SMS are the Safety Management Plan, Document Management, Safety Oversight and Training. These components may be called pillars and Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance and Safety Promotion. What the SMS is named is irrelevant. What is relevant is that with an effective SMS in place the air operators have in place effective tools to establish an emission policy, reporting oversight, safety risk management, quality assurance and training of all personnel involved. The regulation is applicable to airplane operators but is also a tool for airport operators to monitor and review their own airfield emission reports. Derived from these reports, airports may voluntarily propose airside operations policies in establishing a carbon dioxide emissions baseline for continuous improvements. 

CatalinaNJB