This section defines the key safety roles within the organisation, the organisational safety structure (referred to as the safety accountability chain), and how safety accountabilities are allocated to those roles. The allocation of general safety responsibilities to employees and contractors is also covered. This section support compliance to two Safety Objectives within SMS Core Objective #5 that relate to the allocation of safety accountabilities and responsibilities to staff.
The allocation of accountabilities and responsibilities is an activity the organisation performs to ensure it is clear what is expected of staff at all levels. The safety accountability and responsibility statements are defined using the 6 SMS Core Objectives. The connection to the Core Objectives provides clear guidance on how the statements can be discharged by direct reference to the supporting SMS processes and associated guidance. Additional safety leadership guidance is also provided to staff recognising how critical our leadership behaviours are to the implementation of safety.
Accountable Executive Designation
The designated Accountable Executive for Safety within the organisation is Mrs. B Safe, in the role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The Accountable Executive is the single person who has ultimate accountability for the SMS and the safety performance of the services delivered by the organisation. The Accountable Executive is responsible for providing the necessary resources (e.g. human and financial) for the effective and efficient performance of the SMS. Irrespective of other functions, the Accountable Executive has ultimate responsibility and accountability for the implementation and maintenance of the SMS throughout the organisation.
Safety Manager Designation
The designated Safety Manager within the Organisation is Mr. I. Check, in the role as Safety Director.
The Safety Manager is responsible for providing independent assurance to the Accountable Executive on safety matters including ensuring the that an effective SMS is in place within the organisation. The Safety Manager is NOT accountable for the safety performance of the organisation. The responsibilities of the Safety Manager involves co-ordination with all organisational departments where services are delivered or the department supports services through delivery of resources.
The Safety Manager advises the Accountable Executive and their direct reports on Safety Management matters and is responsible for coordinating and communicating Safety issues within the organisation, as well as with external stakeholders. The Safety Manager is responsible for ensuring that the correct allocation of resources necessary for the effective, efficient and safe performance of the Services is provided within the organisation.
Refer to the Safety Accountability Statement attached for the Safety Manager for a full description of their accountabilities.
Safety Accountability Chain
The implementation of the SMS is considered effective when the managers in the organisation are aware of what their obligations are. To provide appropriate support to the managers who either report to the Accountable Executive(CEO) and / or hold business accountability for service delivery specific Safety Accountabilities are also defined and allocated to them. The managers are accountable to the CEO to directly, or in-directly dependent on their job, ensure the safe delivery of services within the organisation. The Safety Accountability Chain within the organisation is shown below.
Accountable Managers
The safety accountabilities for the Managers and the mapping to the Accountable Executive is shown below:
Designated Post Holder
The Accountable Executive specifically appoints a Designated Post Holder for the specific duties laid down in the Regulation. This includes individual who will deputise in times of prolonged absence.
Note: This role is only applicable to certain Aviation Industry segments, for example, Part M organisations. Due to the specific nature of these accountabilities they are not detailed here.
Management of Accountabilities
Click here to access the process that allocates the accountabilities to managers. A mandatory part of the allocation process is the face-to-face discussion between the Accountable Executive and the Accountable Manager receiving the accountability statement. This is conducted as part of annual performance reviews with staff. The demonstration by Accountable Managers that they are discharging their accountabilities is an element of the performance process. This is explained further in Human Resources processes.
Safety Leadership Behaviours
To support the CEO, those with defined Safety Accountabilities and all other line managers in the organisation a Safety Leadership Behaviour Handbook has been created. The Handbook provides support on the type of leadership behaviours that should be displayed to ensure that the Safety Culture of the organisation is such that it values and priorities Safety.
The Safety Leadership Behaviours Handbook is provided in the attached:
Guidance
General Responsibilities for Employees and Contractors
All employees and contractors are responsible for Safety within the organisation. General responsibility statements are communicated to all staff to ensure they understand their responsibilities. Click here to access the process to communicate these responsibilities.
Employees and contractors will be asked to acknowledge the responsibilities on an annual basis as part of standard performance reviews with your line manager or supervisor. It is important that employees and contractors discuss the responsibilities with their line manager or supervisor to ensure a common understanding. In addition, any training or learning activities that are required to support the responsibilities can be planned.
The General Responsibility Statement is provided in the attached:
Take 5 Dynamic Risk Assessment
In addition to the General Responsibilities the organisation promotes a dynamic risk assessment process called Take 5. Take 5 is a multi-industry good practice that empowers employees to ‘stop’ their task if they do not have confidence of achieving a good outcome if they continue. It is explained using 5 key steps:
- Stop. Think about the potential dangers associated with the task.
- Look. Identify any hazards.
- Assess the risk. Consider any possible impacts to the provision of the delivery of services.
- Manage controls. Implement suitable control measures to reduce risk.
- Safely complete the task
Take 5 should be used in situations such as remote and lone workers operating within irregular environments or on irregular tasks, where a formal risk assessment is unlikely to have been carried out, or does not represent the reality of the scenario the employee is within. It can also be used in scenarios where front-line operators are presented with a difficult or challenging situation associated with unplanned events such as the failure of equipment. In these situations, the ability to carry out a dynamic risk assessment allows the employee to identify a potentially dangerous environment or situation and take the appropriate steps to leave the environment or remove the risk before it causes an incident.
