Alexandria, VA, February 9, 2010 — In an effort to continuously promote and enhance the safety of on-demand charter operators, the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) has developed two resource documents and a brochure addressing the need for, and implementation and evaluation of, Safety Management Systems (SMS) programs.
The first document gives a general overview of SMS, its four components, and its benefits in an operation. SMS regulations mandating that operators have a SMS program have already been adopted in many nations and will soon be adopted in the United States. Many operators are in the early stages of SMS implementation. The ACSF strongly encourages all operators to adopt these programs and participate in an independent evaluation of their SMS.
The second document describes the ACSF Industry Audit Standard (IAS) as an evaluation tool for SMS. It answers frequently asked questions by operators on how to implement an SMS, where to find help, and how the IAS evaluates their SMS program. SMS is a key goal to improving safety, and this is why the IAS requires operators to adopt, implement and show continuous safety management improvement. These SMS documents and other resources are currently available on the ACSF website at acsfdev.com/sms.
An air charter operator’s SMS demonstrates that top management is committed to safety and encourages the engagement of safe practices at all levels of the business. The IAS is a revolutionary audit program that provides a comprehensive, independent review of an operator’s compliance with safety and security regulations as well as its implementation and adherence to an SMS.
With the IAS, the charter consumer can be assured that audited and registered operators are compliant with the highest standards of safety and compliance. The IAS Consumer brochure details more information on the audit program and how it evaluates an operator’s SMS. For further information on the IAS and audit process, please visit acsfdev.com/audit.
