ASI Safety Management Systems & Risk Assessment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the SMS framework, what is the primary purpose of Safety Assurance?
- To train employees on emergency procedures
- To continuously monitor and evaluate safety performance against established objectives (Correct answer)
- To create initial safety policies and procedures
- To investigate accidents after they occur
Correct answer: To continuously monitor and evaluate safety performance against established objectives
Safety Assurance continuously monitors the effectiveness of safety risk controls and identifies new hazards in operational processes.
Question 2: Which ICAO SMS component includes the establishment of an organizational safety accountability framework?
- Safety Risk Management
- Safety Promotion
- Safety Policy and Objectives (Correct answer)
- Safety Assurance
Correct answer: Safety Policy and Objectives
Safety Policy and Objectives establishes the organizational commitment, accountability structures, and safety goals that form the foundation of the SMS.
Question 3: An ASI discovers that an air carrier's SMS hazard identification relies solely on incident reports from flight crews. What critical gap does this represent?
- Insufficient crew training records
- Failure to use proactive and predictive hazard identification methods (Correct answer)
- Non-compliance with NOTAM procedures
- Inadequate aircraft maintenance documentation
Correct answer: Failure to use proactive and predictive hazard identification methods
Effective SMS hazard identification requires proactive methods (audits, surveys) and predictive methods (data analysis) in addition to reactive incident reporting.
Question 4: What does the acronym ALARP mean in aviation safety risk management?
- Approved Level of Acceptable Risk Protocol
- As Low As Reasonably Practicable (Correct answer)
- Aviation Liability and Risk Prevention
- Authorized Limits for Airspace Risk Parameters
Correct answer: As Low As Reasonably Practicable
ALARP means risks must be reduced As Low As Reasonably Practicable, balancing the cost of further risk reduction against the safety benefit gained.
Question 5: During an SMS evaluation, an ASI finds that safety performance indicators (SPIs) have not been updated in two years. Which SMS pillar is most deficient?
- Safety Risk Management
- Safety Policy and Objectives
- Safety Promotion
- Safety Assurance (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Safety Assurance
Safety Assurance requires continuous monitoring of SPIs and SPTs to evaluate whether safety performance objectives are being met.
Question 6: Under FAA AC 120-92B, what is the minimum required element of a Safety Risk Management (SRM) panel?
- Exclusive participation by senior management only
- Subject matter experts relevant to the hazard being analyzed (Correct answer)
- FAA oversight personnel must be present
- Only safety department personnel may participate
Correct answer: Subject matter experts relevant to the hazard being analyzed
SRM panels must include subject matter experts who have relevant knowledge of the system or process being analyzed to ensure credible hazard identification and risk assessment.
Question 7: What is the relationship between a Safety Performance Target (SPT) and a Safety Performance Indicator (SPI)?
- SPTs are reactive measures; SPIs are proactive goals
- An SPI measures performance data while an SPT sets the desired threshold for that indicator (Correct answer)
- They are interchangeable terms in the FAA SMS framework
- SPTs apply to maintenance; SPIs apply to flight operations only
Correct answer: An SPI measures performance data while an SPT sets the desired threshold for that indicator
An SPI is the metric used to measure safety performance, while the SPT is the quantitative goal or threshold that the organization aims to achieve for that metric.
ASI Safety Management Systems & Risk Assessment 2
In the SMS framework, what is the primary purpose of Safety Assurance?