SM ICG Industry Day Event in the United States Highlights Evolution of Safety Risk Management

The Safety Management International Collaboration Group (SM ICG), a group of 19 aviation regulatory bodies, hosted an Industry Day event in Dallas, Texas, USA, on May 7, 2024. The event was co-sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and American Airlines. The theme of the day was How Industry is Evolving in Conducting Safety Risk Assessments. It included eight speakers from various sectors sharing their insights, challenges, successes, and lessons learned in progressing their Safety Risk Management (SRM) function. In attendance were thirty-three SM ICG members and observers from eighteen aviation authorities around the world. They were joined by over fifty industry participants representing the spectrum of aviation domains. 

The SM ICG was established in 2009 in order to promote a common understanding of safety management principles and requirements, facilitating their application across the international aviation community. One of the ways they accomplish this objective is by collaborating on safety management topics of interest and publishing products on SKYbrary that are useful to both aviation regulators and the aviation industry.

In 2012, the SM ICG began hosting Industry Day events at their bi-annual meetings in an effort to increase outreach to aviation service providers in the hosting country. The full day meetings allow industry members to hear directly from a group of authorities from across the world, and for those authorities to receive feedback on SM ICG products and future topics of interest to the industry.

Jodi Baker, the FAA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, kicked off the Industry Day event in Dallas, noting the importance of engagements like these to better understand what industry is really facing. She emphasized that everyone in the room has a common desire—to improve aerospace safety through managing risk. She talked about the challenging and ever changing aviation environment and society’s increased demands for accident prevention. Jodi emphasized the need to continuously improve and take risk assessments to the next level. She stated, “What was good enough yesterday, isn’t good enough today. What’s good enough today, isn’t going to be good enough tomorrow.” Jodi’s call to “continuously up our game” resonated with those in attendance.

Bernard Bourdon from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the 2024 SM ICG Chair thanked the FAA and American Airlines for hosting the event. He echoed Jodi’s remarks and emphasized the need to work together to manage interfaces, be more predictive, and identify emerging risk. He talked about the role of the SM ICG and its purpose, highlighting recent publications and those that will be released shortly. He said that through events like today’s, the SM ICG gathers input on potential topics to be addressed in future guidance to help the international aviation community.

Presentations were given by Robert Agostino (Group Holdings Aviation), Greg Scheidel (Southwest Airlines), Janeece Escobar (Boeing), Captain Helena Cunningham (Air Line Pilots Association, International), Bryan Lethcoe (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration), Stephen Palyok (American Airlines), Michael Beckles, (FAA Air Traffic Organization), and Kris Stewart (WYVERN). The speaker biographies, presentation abstracts, and presentation slides are available for download on the SM ICG SKYbrary site (see below).

While the presentation topics and experiences discussed throughout the day varied widely both in terms of topical areas and level of detail, there were some key themes that surfaced. One point emphasized throughout was the importance of leadership commitment and support. Leaders drive a positive safety culture, and the safety mindset needs to permeate from the top down. Another focus was the importance of involving front line workers (or the “doers” as described by Stephen Palyok). Employees need to be part of the conversation and there needs to be protections in the system for those who report issues. And from these two themes emerged a common thread—the importance of people in the safety equation. This was perfectly summed up by Robert Agostino who talked in detail about human factors in aviation and said, “The key to safety is you, is me.”

Bernard Bourdon closed the meeting by walking through the wide array of presentation topics united under the same theme. He noted that the day was full of striking examples, tactical methods, and concepts important to a successful SMS. He thanked everyone for participating in the event and invited them to participate in future ones.

Download Presentations

• Full Industry Day Article
• Speaker Biographies and Abstracts
• The Key to Safety by Robert W. Agostino (Group Holdings Aviation)
• A Practical Approach to Safety-II by Greg Scheidel (Southwest Airlines)
• Boeing and BowTie in Safety Risk Management by Janeece Escobar (Boeing)
• Importance of Front-Line Worker in SMS by Captain Helena Cunningham (Air Line Pilots Association, International)
• Safety Management Systems in Pipeline Operations by Bryan Lethcoe (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration [PHMSA])
• Applying Systems Thinking to Safety by Stephen Palyok (American Airlines)
• Assessing Risk for Emerging Entrants - UTM by Michael Beckles (FAA Air Traffic Organization)
• Insights After Hundreds of Audits Using the SM ICG SMS Evaluation Tool by Kris Stewart (WYVERN)

Industry Day Event Archive

The SM ICG, a group of 19 aviation regulatory bodies, was established in 2009. Since its formation, the group has produced over 30 products and has begun to focus more on outreach to the greater international aviation community. To that end, the SM ICG holds Industry Day events during its semi-annual meetings. Read more about other SM ICG Industry Day events.