Operators Information Section.

A positive safety culture:

The first principle upon which all others are founded, it is characterised by an overt commitment to safety at every level of an organisation; it relies on leaders promoting and adhering to good safety practices e.g. leading by example, consistently. Organisations with a positive safety culture are characterised by communications founded on mutual trust, by shared perceptions of the importance of safety and by confidence in the efficacy of preventive measures. Operators have a safety management system (SMS) relevant to their operation.

Safety management system:

A coordinated and comprehensive set of processes specifically designed to optimise safety performance. An SMS addresses safety across all aspects of the organisation and includes provisions for recruitment, training, safe communication, well documented standard operating procedures, internal and external assessment programmes, safety reporting, incident reporting, and emergency action plans. An SMS addresses the potential for both systemic weaknesses and active failures.