In January, the FAA issued its long awaited notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would update and expand the requirements for safety management systems. Despite the proposal’s (thankful) omission of 14 CFR part 145 from its applicability, new SMS requirements will still impact repair stations.
Help ARSA with its continuing collection of information related to SMS implementation and expectation in maintenance facilities by answering this month’s “quick question.”
Before doing so, be sure you are caught up on SMS updates and the FAA’s proposal by reviewing arsa.org/sms-rules.
Note: The question is displayed in its own, embedded window. If the “Submit” button is not visible on the screen, you must scroll within the survey window in order to submit your response.
If the embedded survey does not appear/load, open the survey independently by visiting: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sms-nprm-2023.
If you haven’t responded to ARSA’s previous question about SMS implementation in your facility, click the Oct. 31 update below.
October 31, 2022
In 2019, ARSA submitted comments to EASA’s Notice of Proposed Amendment regarding Safety Management System requirements. The association collected feedback regarding industry progress towards implementing SMS. The FAA is expected to issue a proposed rule expanding SMS requirements to repair stations – the NPRM publication could happen any time – so the association is requesting new input regarding progress towards program implementation.
A February 2013 study from the Center for Aviation Safety Research (CASR) at Saint Louis University found the majority (52 percent) of repair stations had not yet started any SMS development activities. The report also found that larger repair stations were more familiar with SMS and further along in implementation than are smaller ones. The 2019 “quick question” run by ARSA collected input from 38 responding repair stations and reflecting this differentiation by size: Number of employees appeared to be reflective of institution of SMS.
Help ARSA update its data for 2022:
Complete the survey by visiting: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sms-2019.
See the data gathered by ARSA in 2019, from the 38 responding repair stations:
Click here to access a downloadable version of this InfoGraphic.
There was a small but consistent number of respondents within each company size category, which were based on ARSA’s regular membership structure. Considering the portion of individuals in each category reporting their company’s establishment of an SMS, those in larger organizations – particularly those with more than 200 employees – were more likely to have have taken steps towards program establishment.
