ABSTRACT
At present the move towards modern Safety Management Systems (SMS) is being advocated in aviation industry. Although SMS emphasizes the integration of human factors and quality management process to contribute to safety satisfaction, the practical techniques to do so still leave as an open question. In this paper, we explore several aspects of how to integrate and apply a human factors-based model, Human Factors Analysis and Classification System – Maintenance Audit (HFACSMA), within the SMS function to enhance the capability of safety management. The proposal includes aspects such as information fusion of various data sources, sensitivity analysis, and root cause analysis. Issues regarding improvement of the current risk analysis matrix and implementation of Six Sigma are also discussed. All of these practical applications can be integrated to establish a comprehensive safety risk management approach which incorporates human factors concepts in multiple features for SMS. Extensions of the work to domains beyond aviation maintenance, and indeed beyond aviation, are also appropriate as many industries use proactive measures as obligatory tools for their safety management.
