ABSTRACT

This chapter addresses the regulation of airlines in the domain of Safety Management System (SMS) as an evolution of human factors' regulation in safety. It discusses the specifics of the implementation of SMS in France and provides examples of the participatory exercise initiated between regulatory inspectors and airlines' safety managers on risk identification. The chapter discusses the pros and cons of the innovative way of dealing with this regulation and its implementation. The example in the chapter only reflects a problematic aspect of their role when implementing a regulation which is also uncommon and complex in view of the usual types of rules they need to ensure compliance with. The example shows how it might be possible to overcome the difficulty in order to develop the appropriate means of compliance. The advent of SMS regulation at international level was announced by different perspectives on human factors. SMS requires keeping track records of risks identification, assessment and mitigation.