Effective Implementation of Safety Management System at Changi Airport

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Safety Management System (SMS) implemented at Changi Airport. It begins by highlighting the importance of SMS in the aviation industry and its adoption at Changi Airport in 2009. The report details the purpose and addressees of the SMS, emphasizing its role in coordinating security efforts, managing emergency plans, and addressing various safety-related situations, including dangerous goods, bomb warnings, and biological threats. Furthermore, the report outlines the key elements of Changi's SMS, such as the integration of a safety plan into the business plan, established processes, policies, and procedures, and comprehensive training programs. The report also examines the SMS monitoring process, which includes exposure assessment, workplace safety analysis, employee suggestions, and safety inspections. Finally, it discusses the incident reporting system, including the voluntary online reporting system and hotline numbers. The report concludes by emphasizing the effective implementation of SMS at Changi Airport and its contribution to maintaining high safety standards.

Running Head: Safety Management System 1
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Continued growth of the aviation industry has made it necessary to improve the levels of security
in the airports. Several safety measures have been initiated across the globe and the most
common one is the Safety Management System. This safety system is very crucial to the overall
success of the airport. In Changi Airport, the safety system was adopted in 2009. The airport has
established a robust safety oversight program which is in accordance with the provisions of the
International Civil Aviation Organization, (Changi Airport Group, 2020). Particularly, the airport
has developed a safety oversight ability that resonates with the expansive aviation activities
happening through it. Over the last decade, the management has actively worked towards
addressing the available gaps in the ICAO standards recommendations and practices while
strengthening its ability to regulate safety in mitigating the emerging safety risk.
Purpose and Addressees od SMS
The safety management system at Changi Airport is geared towards coordinating security efforts
of all the relevant entities within the boundaries of the airport and the nearby vicinity. The SMS
arrangement is responsible for addressing emergency plans in the airport and directs the rescue
process and the fire fighting activities and other safety-related operations, (Bhat, Hendrickson,
Rodehorst, Vargo, & Seydewitz, 2019). In Changi airport, the SMS is addressing all the security
personnel and entities to ensure maximum security is observed in the day to day activities at the
airport.
The system undergoes vigorous tests annually mostly in the form of a simulated aircraft crash
exercise that helps analyze the response of the safety personnel and the mutually connected
safety agencies. The system also is responsible for addressing other safety-related situations at
the airport. It includes addressing dangerous goods risks and possible bomb warnings ion the

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airport as well as responding to the dangerous chemicals and biological threats the airport is
exposed to.
In addition, Changi’s SMS addresses the management of the airport and junior staff to adopt
leading practices in managing and addressing safety and risks that are exposed to the airport. The
practices adopted are compared against both the national and international safety standards in
order to ensure high levels of safety actions.
Aerodrome Safety Unit of the airport implements and keeps an efficient and effective safety
management system while ensuring that the system is in compliance with the requirements of the
safety regulatory body of Singapore. The primary roles played by ASU are providing the
required guidance and advice on safety management issues; manage airport’s confidential hazard
identification procedure; monitor the safety activities of the operational team at the airport and
ensure that all safety processes are duly followed.
Elements of Changi’s SMS
The system adopted in the airport incorporates all the relevant elements that need attention to
ensure a safe and working airport. Adoption of a sound SMS has become an integral part of daily
operations at the airport. By system designing, the development and implementation of a sound
safety management system enables the management to create means in which risks and safety
events are reported, responsibility assigned, planning of the process done and proper resourcing
done to ensure a safe airport, (Chidester & Anca, 2019). The SMS elements adopted at Changi
Airport are: safety plan- this has been integrated into the business plan of the airport. It has
helped the analysis of safety measures and offers direction on ways to manage various safety
concerns; processes, policies and procedures- it includes the relevant paperwork done in the

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company, the paperwork describes all safety behaviors at the airport; training and induction- the
management at Changi Airport has made is necessary to equip all the airport users with
necessary safety measures, (Changi Airport Group, 2020).
SMS Monitoring
The management actively monitors the compliance of SMS in order to ensure that safety is
ensured at the airport. Monitoring is done to ensure that the system works as intended and the
safety concerns are identified and addressed on time. The monitoring process includes the
following processes; exposure assessment, workplace safety analysis, suggestions from the
employees and safety inspections conducted in various parts of the airport.
Incidents reporting
The airport management is determined to establish an elaborate channel in which safety concerns
are identified and managed. Currently, the airport is running a voluntary online reporting system
which is confidential managed by ASU, (Changi Airport Group, 2020). The channel enables
airport users to report hazards and offer suggestions on how safety can be enhanced at the
airport. The airport also has provided hotline telephone numbers that can be used to report risks
that need immediate attention.
Conclusion
This paper has highlighted the application of SMS in Changi Airport. It has addressed the
adoption of the system at the airport and the measures adopted by the management to ensure
successful implementation of the system which highly guarantees high levels of safety ate the
airport.

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References
Bhat, C., Hendrickson, T., Rodehorst, B., Vargo, A., & Seydewitz, L. (2019). Using Existing
Airport Management Systems to Manage Climate Risk: ACRP Research Report 188. TR
News, (321).
Changi Airport Group. (2020). Safety and Security. Retrieved on 2nd Feb, 2020 at
https://www.changiairport.com/corporate/our-expertise/safety-and-security.html
Chidester, T. R., & Anca, J. (2019). Crew Resource Management, Risk, and Safety Management
Systems. In Crew Resource Management (pp. 227-247). Academic Press.