In Montreal, March 2010, ICAO hold a high-level safety conference regarding the need for an Annex dedicated to safety management. ICAO aims to enhance its strategic regulatory and infrastructure developments and stress the importance of overall safety performance in all aspects of air transport operations.
Annex 19 is available in six languages — English, Arabic, Chinese, French,
Russian and Spanish.
In this article, I will give you a
summary of ICAO annex 19 safety management to help you understand the purpose
and benefit of this annex.
What is ICAO annex 19?
It is the latest annex to the Chicago Convention adopted by ICAO Council on 25 February 2013 and became applicable on 14 November 2013. The first edition of Annex 19 was a
consolidation of existing overarching safety management provisions which support
the continued evolution of a proactive strategy to improve aviation safety
performance.
ICAO's proactive safety strategy is based on the implementation of a State
safety program (SSP) that systematically addresses safety risks. At the same
time, the implementation of the safety management system (SMS) by the service
providers. In addition, the integration of the
State safety oversight (SSO) system-critical elements (CEs) and the State
safety program (SSP) provisions.
Why a new annex?
Because ICAO Annex 19 has many
benefits such as:
- Addressing safety risks proactively
- Managing and supporting strategic regulatory and infrastructure developments.
- Reinforces the role played by States in managing aviation safety at the
state level, in coordination with service providers.
- Stressing the concept of overall safety performance in all domains.
ICAO Annex 19 Safety Management Provisions
The first edition of ICAO annex 19
consolidates safety management provisions previously contained in six other
ICAO Annexes which are:
Annex 1 - Personnel licensing
Annex 6 - Operation of aircraft
Annex 8 - Airworthiness of
Aircraft
Annex 11 - Air Traffic Services
Annex 13 - Aircraft Accident and
Incident Investigation
Annex 14 - Aerodromes
You may need to know what subjects are included in the 19 annexes to the
Chicago Convention?
Ok, I will give you summary of each subject covered by the safety management
annex. But before we go more, you should understand the Annex
components.
Annex 19 Components
The Components of ICAO Annex 19 Safety Management are:
A- Standards
Uniform application is recognized as necessary
B- Recommended Practices
Uniform application is recognized as desirable
C- Appendices
Form part of the Standards and Recommended Practices
Note :
If any state has differences from the ICAO standards it must notify ICAO
about it. While, differences from ICAO recommended practices, no need to notify
differences to ICAO.
ICAO Annex 19 – Contents
FOREWORD
CHAPTER 1. Definitions
The most important definitions are:
Hazard
A condition or an object with the potential to cause or contribute to an
aircraft incident or accident.
Safety
The state in which risks associated with aviation activities, related
to, or in direct support of the operation of aircraft, are reduced and
controlled to an acceptable level.
Safety data
A defined set of facts or set of safety values collected from various
aviation-related sources, which is used to maintain or improve safety.
Note.— Such safety data is collected from proactive or reactive
safety-related activities, including but not limited to:
a) accident or incident investigations;
b) safety reporting;
c) continuing airworthiness reporting;
d) operational performance monitoring;
e) inspections, audits, surveys; or
f) safety studies and reviews.
Safety information
Safety data processed, organized
or analyzed in a given context so as to make it useful for safety management
purposes.
Safety management system (SMS)
A systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary
organizational structures, accountability, responsibilities, policies and
procedures.
Safety oversight
A function performed by a State to ensure that individuals and
organizations performing an aviation activity comply with safety-related
national laws and regulations.
Safety performance
A State or a service provider’s safety achievement as defined by its
safety performance targets and safety performance indicators.
Safety risk
The predicted probability and
severity of the consequences or outcomes of a hazard.
State safety program (SSP)
An integrated set of regulations and activities aimed at improving safety.
CHAPTER 2. Applicability
Annex 19 Standards and Recommended Practices applies to safety
management functions related to, or indirect support of, the safe operation of
aircraft.
Chapter 4 and 5 includes the ICAO annex 19 requirements
CHAPTER 3. State safety management responsibilities
In this chapter, ICAO enforce States to establish and maintain
- SSP is commensurate with the size and
complexity of the States' civil aviation system.
SSP Components
1- Safety Policy and
Objectives
2- Safety Risk Management
3- Safety Assurance
4-Safety Promotion
- State
safety policy, objectives, and resources which include:
^ Primary aviation
legislation per section 1 of Appendix 1.
^ Specific operating
regulations per section 2 of Appendix 1.
^ State system and
functions per section 3 of Appendix 1.
^ Requirements for the
qualification of technical personnel per section 4 of Appendix
1.
^ Technical guidance and
tools and provide safety-critical information per section 5 of
Appendix 1.
- State
safety risk management which meets ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices
SARPs regarding:
^ Licensing, certification,
authorization and approval obligations (section 6 of Appendix 1.)
^ Safety management system
obligations (enforcing service providers under state authority to implement an
SMS)
^ Accident and incident
investigation (per Annex 13).
^ Hazard identification and
safety risk assessment (maintaining a process to identify hazards from
collected safety data).
^ Management of safety
risks (per section 8 in Appendix 1).
- State
safety assurance which meets ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices SARPs
regarding:
^ Surveillance obligations
(per section 7 of Appendix 1).
^ State safety performance
(to be achieved through their SSP).
- State
safety risk management which meets ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices
SARPs regarding:
^
Internal communication and dissemination of safety information (promoting
safety awareness and sharing and exchange of safety information).
^
External communication and dissemination of safety information (promoting
safety awareness and sharing and exchange of safety information).
Chapter 4 - Safety Management System
The SMS of a service provider must be established per the
framework elements contained in Appendix 2. And the responsibility of the States
to ensure that the service provider develops a plan to facilitate SMSimplementation.
ICAO Annex 19 SMS framework is contained in Appendix 2, but I will give
you SMS framework components here.
SMS Components
1- Safety Policy and Objectives
2- Safety Risk Management
3- Safety Assurance
4-Safety Promotion
Chapter 5. Safety data and safety information collection, analysis, protection, sharing, and exchange
The objective of this chapter is to ensure the continued availability of
safety data and safety information to support safety management activities. ICAO
required states to establish safety data collection and processing systems
(SDCPS) to capture, store, aggregate, and enable the analysis of safety data and
safety information. And maintaining a process to analyzing the safety data. In addition,
according to protection to safety data.
Finally, ICAO encourages states to participate in safety information
sharing and exchange after States have been agreed on the level of protection
and conditions on which safety information will be shared.
These provisions, transferred from Annex 13, provide the necessary
foundation for the collection, protection, analysis, and exchange of safety data
to complement the SSP provisions.
Appendix 1. State safety oversight (SSO) system-critical elements (CES)
Appendix 2. Framework for a safety management system (SMS)
Appendix 3. Principles for the protection of safety data, safety information, and related sources
After completing the ICAO annex 19 safety management summary, I will give
you short details about ICAO Doc 9859.
Safety Management Manual (Doc 9859)
ICAO Doc 9859 provide States and product and service providers with:
- An overview of accepted safety management fundamentals.
- A summary of ICAO SARPs.
- Guidance on the ICAO harmonized SSP framework and its implementation and operation.
- Guidance for product and service providers on SMS framework and its implementation and operation.
- Guidance for product and service providers on SMS development, implementation, and maintenance.
- ICAO Doc 9859 one of many references while preparing SMS manuals and SSP program.
Summary
The Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) in this Annex are intended to assist States in managing aviation safety risks. Given the increasing complexity of the global air transportation system and its interrelated aviation activities required to assure the safe operation of aircraft, this Annex supports the continued evolution of a proactive strategy to improve safety performance.
The foundation of this proactive safety strategy
is based on the implementation of a State safety program (SSP) that
systematically addresses safety risks.
