This document compares quality management systems and safety management systems in the aviation industry. It finds that quality and safety have a symbiotic relationship, with quality enhancing and ensuring safety. Both quality management systems and safety management systems aim to continually improve an organization through managing resources, processes, people, equipment and culture. The document concludes that quality and safety can be seen as two sides of the same medal, and that organizations are increasingly integrating quality, safety, health and environmental management systems into a single integrated management system to reduce costs and risks while improving standards.

1. Course work A Quality Management for Airline Operations
Quality and Safety. Two sides of the same medal?
Quality and Safety are two commonly used terms generally in various
industries and particularly the aviation industry. For a comprehensive
comparison between Quality and Safety, the first step would be to
outline the basic dictionary definitions which are most relevant.
Quality is defined as:
• The standard of something as measured against other things of
similar kinds
• The degree of excellence of something
• General excellence of standard or level
Safety is defined as:
• The quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss
• The state of being safe; freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss
• A contrivance or device to prevent injury or avert danger
From the definitions above, quality is defined by standards,
level and excellence as measured against other things of
similar kinds denoting that it could be better (continuing
improvement). Safety on ther hand is defined as the 'quality
of averting or not causing injury danger or loss', which
denotes safety as a resultant of quality therefore quality
enhances, ensures and guarantees safety. This indicates
that quality and safety by definition have a symbiotic
relationship, but could Quality and Safety be seen as two sides of the same medal? The
answer to this question from my point of view requires further comparison between Quality
and Safety systems currently implemented by most operators globally. My research will be
based on and with reference to the EU-OPS Quality System, ISO 9000 (International
Organization for Standardization) quality management standards, International Labour
Organisation (ILO) SMS Model and ICAO recommendation on SMS (Safety Management
System).
The EU-OPS Quality System/ requirements Overview
The compulsory introduction of Quality management in European operations was initially
promoted by the Join Aviation Requirements (JAR), now defined in Annex III(OPS 1)
referred to as EU OPS 1 which is a transposition into EC law of section 1 of JAR-OPS 1.
The EU OPS has become directly applicable as of 16 July 2008 and will remain in effect
until the necessary implementing rules (IR) to EC 216/2008 are approved noting the fact
that the European aviation regulation is in a transition phase. EU OPS 1 Quality System is
a regulatory requirement for the validation of an Air Operator Certicficate(AOC) and is
based upon International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)Annex 6 (Operation of
Aircraft), which has no legal power unless by national legislation of contracting state.
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2. OPS 1 basic quality requirement are prescribed in OPS 1.035, which are exactly the same
requirements of JAR-OPS 1(3).035. The requirements limit the the scope of the EU-OPS
Quality System, " ensure safe operations practices and airworthy airplanes" and to " verify
that all operatoions are being conducted in accordance with all all applicable requirements,
standards and procedures".The EU-OPS is a minimal Quality System requirement that
only concerns the activities of the operator's operations ( flight operations, training,
maintenance, ground operations, safety).
ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems-Requirements/ Overview
ISO 9001:2008 provides a number of requirements which an organization needs to fulfill if
it is to achieve customer satisfaction through consistent products and services which meet
customer expectations. It includes a requirement for:
• the continual improvement of the Quality Management System, having measured,
monitored and analyzed processes needed for the system.
• The ISO QMS requires documentation that includes a quality manual, certain
procedures, as well as work instructions. All documentation ( including quality records)
must be controlled according to document control procedures.
• ISO 9001: 2008 places great emphasis on top managements committment to quality and
requires a quality policy and quality objectives. It reinforces top managements
involvement with customer requirements but does not mention requirements for a
Quality Manager as quality is seen as everybody's responsibility.
• ISO 9001 however requires top management to establish responsibilities and authorities
within the company, including establishment of an ISO 9000 management representative
from within the company.
Safety Management Systems SMS
Safety Management System (SMS) is a term used to refer to a comprehensive business
management system designed to manage occupational safety and health elements in the
workplace.[2]
A Safety Management System provides a systematic way to identify hazards and control
risks while maintaining assurance that these risk controls are effective.[3] SMS can be
defined as:
"a businesslike approach to safety. It is a systematic, explicit and comprehensive process
for managing safety risks. As with all management systems, a safety management system
provides for goal setting, planning, and measuring performance. A safety management
system is woven into the fabric of an organization. It becomes part of the culture, the way
people do their jobs".[4]
There are three imperatives for adopting a safety management system for a business -
these are ethical, legal and financial. There is an implied moral obligation placed on an
employer to ensure that work activities and the place of work to be safe, there are
legislative requirements defined in just about every jurisdiction on how this is to be
achieved and there is a substantial body of research which shows that effective safety
management (which is the reduction of risk in the workplace) can reduce the financial
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3. exposure of an organisation by reducing direct and indirect costs associated with accident
and incidents.[2]
To address these three important elements, an effective SMS should:[2]
• Define how the organisation is set up to manage risk.
• Identify workplace risk and implement suitable controls.
• Implement effective communications across all levels of the organisation.
• Implement a process to identify and correct non-conformities.
• Implement a continual improvement process.
International Labour Organisations SMS Model
Since there are many models to choose from to outline the basic components of a safety
management system, the one chosen here is the international standard promoted by the
International Labour Organisation (ILO). In the ILO document ILO-OSH 2001 Guidelines
on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems, the safety management basic
components are:[2]
1. Policy - Establish within policy statements what the requirements are for the
organisation in terms of resources, defining management commitment and defining
OSH targets
2. Organizing - How is the organisation structured, where are responsibilities and
accountabilities defined, who reports to who and who is responsible for what.
3. Planning and Implementation - What legislation and standards apply to our
organisation, what OSH objectives are defined and how are these reviews, hazard
prevention and the assessment and management of risk.
4. Evaluation - How is OSH performance measured and assessed, what are the
processes for the reporting of accidents and incidents and for the investigation of
accidents and what internal and external audit processes are in place to review the
system.
5. Action for Improvement - How are preventative and corrective actions managed and
what processes are in place to ensure the continual improvement process.
The International Civil Aviation Organization has recommended that all aviation authorities
implement SMS regulatory structures.[5] ICAO has provided resources to assist with
implementation, including the ICAO Safety Management Manual. Unlike the traditional
occupational safety focus of SMS, the ICAO focus is to use SMS for managing aviation
safety.
Commonalities and conclusion
Having described the current industry standing on both Quality Managemnet Systems and
Safety Management Systems, I have identified some basic commonality between the two
upon which is the basis of my conclusion. These commonalities are:
• Both QMS and SMS are management systems necessary for continual improvement of
any organization.
• Proper implementation of either system, independently or integrated has proven over
time to reduce risks, improved on standards and quality thereby increased profitability
eventually.
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4. • Both systems involve the organizations resources, processes. Therefore people,
equipment and culture are part of the systems as well as documented policies and
practices.
Most airlines and organizations have gradually begun integrating quality and safety
management systems as well as introducing combined policy statements for quality ,
health, safety and environment. Integration is possible due to the commonalities between
quality and safety which are in reality "two sides of the same medal", hence an
organization with an existing quality management system can merge it with a safety
management system and proceed to integrate other systems. The Integrated Management
System (IMS) concept as defined:
"IMS is a concept whereby functional management is dispersed throughout an
organisation so that managers manage a range of functions, eg a manufacturing manager
would manage planning, manufacturing, safety, personnel, quality, environment, finance
etc".[6] IMS integrates all components of a business into one coherent system so as to
enable the achievement of it's purpose and mission.
The IMS concept should be considered as most appropriate and recommended as it will:
[6]
• reduce duplication and therefore cost
• reduce risk and increase profitability
• balance conflicting objectives and eliminate conflicting responsibilities and relationships
• Diffuse the power system
• Formalize informal systems
• Harmonize and optimize practices
• Create consistency
• Improve communication and
• Facilitate training and development.[6]
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5. References and websites:
1. Mr. G Bouno, Quality Management in Airline Operations, course handbook 01/04/2009
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_Management_Systems
3. http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/saso/library/media/
SASO_Briefing_Managers_Toolkit.pdf SASO Outreach, spring 2009
4. Transport Canada publication TP 13739
5. Implementation of the State Safety Programme (SSP) in states (13/11/2008) ICAO
STATE LETTER
6. http://www.thecqi.org/Knowledge-Hub/Resources/Factsheets/Integrated-management-
systems/ Chartered Quality Institute, Integrated Management Systems 2011 CQI
• http//dictionary.reference.com Definitions, quality and safety
from( dictionary.com)
• Image EC 155 http://www.atron.ie/pages/eurocopter-sales/ec155b1-
dauphin.php
• Image Beoing 787 http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/media/dreamliner/
boeing-787-dreamliner-n787ba-za001-40128.aspx
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