Hawker Beechcraft Develops SMS

Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) is implementing a Safety Management System (SMS) in preparation for European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) requirements scheduled to begin in 2013 that mandate an SMS be in place in order to do business in European countries. An SMS focuses on continuous improvement of personal, product and process safety. Its implementation involves changes in corporate philosophy, policy, procedures, and practices related to the personal safety of individuals, the safety of the aircraft produced, and the processes used to build them, and the continued operational safety of aircraft in service. Hawker Beechcraft's efforts to create an enhanced safety-focused culture began more than a year ago when a select group of employees was assembled to develop a systematic, comprehensive, integrated, and explicit set of processes to manage risks to safety. The group, called the Safety Management Team, worked to create the framework for an SMS that emphasizes commitments to integrated safety processes, boosts company pride, and moves HBC well beyond compliance.