Are you SMART?

Here is a sample of so-called Safety Performance Goals that show up in the plain brown wrapper that we get from the doc store.  As most of us are buying from the same three or four document providers, we see the same ones often:

• Encouraging all employees to participate by reporting all observed risks or events.
• To ensure each employee carries out his or her duties with primary focus for their own safety as well as that of their fellow employees, our customers and the property and equipment entrusted to their care.
• Safety, being paramount to our operating practice, will be given priority at all times.
• Safety will be recognized by management and employees as an integral and vital part of the successful performance of any job.

You get the flavor.  This list represents statements that do not meet the simple SMART test for goals and objectives. If anything they are statements of policy, not measureable goals. OK, then take them out of the Goals and Objectives list and re-label them as Policy.  They represent our failure to assess them critically and change them to a list of items that are not only SMART but that also make sense for our particular flight operation. For examples of Safety Performance Indicators and Targets, see“Measuring Safety Performance, Guidelines for Service Providers” by the Safety Management International Collaboration Group, available at this link: http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/2395.pdf   Section 3 has a summary table.

This ain’t rocket science gang.  Making sure our Safety Performance Goals are SMART is an easy way to avoid looking like we are just giving lip service to the SMS and its processes.