Chapter 6: Safety Management System

Section 6.1: General

6.1.1 Features of Safety Management System

6.1.1.1 A safety management system must have the following elements:

(a) the ATS provider’s safety policy and objectives;

(b) the organisational and staff responsibilities for safety matters;

(c) the establishment of the levels of safety that apply to the services, and the monitoring of the levels of safety achieved;

(d) the process for internal safety reviews;

(e) the process for the internal reporting and management of safety concerns and incidents;

(f) the process for the identification, assessment, control and mitigation of existing and potential safety hazards in service provision;

(g) the definition of the interface arrangements, for safety management and related responsibilities and procedures, with internal functional groups and with aerodrome operators and support service providers;

(h) the processes for the management of changes to existing services;

(i) the processes for integrating the ATS provider’s fatigue risk management system (the FRMS) into the safety management system.

Note 1: Guidelines for the preparation of a safety management system are published by CASA in Advisory Circular AC 172-01, as existing from time to time.

Note 2: For subparagraph (i), Chapter 4 provides for an ATS provider to have and implement a fatigue risk management system for the management of fatigue in its provision of air traffic services.

6.1.2 Safety Case Preparation

6.1.2.1 A safety case must be based on a recognised methodology for safety risk assessment.

6.1.2.2 The safety risk assessment in a safety case must:

(a) identify all potential safety hazards associated with the operation of each service, in normal and abnormal modes of operation; and

(b) assess the safety risk of each hazard; and

(c) identify the means of mitigation of unacceptable safety risks.

Note Guidelines for the preparation of safety cases are published by CASA in Advisory Circular AC 172-2.

6.1.2.3 An existing air traffic service or facility that has a demonstrated history of safe operation for at least 2 years before the date of initial certification does not need to be covered by a baseline safety case.

6.1.2.4 A safety case must be prepared to support a new service or a proposed change to an existing service:

(a) the effect of which would be that the service would no longer be in accordance with the certificate issued to the ATS provider under regulation 172.275 of CASR; or

(b) that requires prior notification to CASA because of a requirement to do so in the ATS provider’s safety management system.

Note An internal safety assessment for a change that does not constitute a variation to a service provider’s approval is undertaken in accordance with a service provider’s safety management system.