ABSTRACT
Many different perspectives may hide behind the words “safety management system,” even within the safety world. Nevertheless, all these perspectives seem to globally converge on what an SMS is intended to achieve and what it is overall. However, even if there is a relatively common wisdom on what an SMS is in principle, its translation into practice varies significantly from one actor to another and even more from one domain to another. This chapter starts with a general description of the SMS as it is commonly presented by safety actors. It then continues with a detailed description and analysis of the content of an SMS as it translates in practice in aviation. This chapter is intended to be as descriptive as possible and reports the content of an SMS as it is understood, required and suggested to be implemented specifically by three civil aviation authorities. Contrasting these three sources allows us to illustrate the diversity of philosophies, methods and level of guidance underlying the SMS. However, the purpose of this chapter is just to give an account of what the SMS is in aviation and report various approaches to it rather than judging. A critical analysis will be presented in the following chapter.
