Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433)

Components of the Safety Management System

302.502 The safety management system shall include, among others, the following components:

• (a) a safety management plan that includes

  • (i) a safety policy that the accountable executive has approved and communicated to all employees,

  • (ii) the roles and responsibilities of personnel assigned duties under the safety management system,

  • (iii) performance goals and a means of measuring attainment of those goals,

  • (iv) a policy for the internal reporting of hazards, incidents and accidents, including the conditions under which immunity from disciplinary action will be granted, and

  • (v) a process for reviewing the safety management system to determine its effectiveness;

• (b) procedures for reporting hazards, incidents and accidents to the appropriate manager;

• (c) procedures for the collection of data relating to hazards, incidents and accidents;

• (d) procedures for the exchange of information in respect of hazards, incidents and accidents among the operators of aircraft and the provider of air traffic services at the airport and the airport operator;

• (e) procedures for analysing data obtained under paragraph (c) and during an audit conducted under a quality assurance program required under paragraph 107.03(g) and for taking corrective actions;

• (f) training requirements for the person managing the safety management system and for personnel assigned duties under the safety management system;

• (g) procedures for making progress reports to the accountable executive at intervals determined by the accountable executive and other reports as needed in urgent cases; and

• (h) procedures for involving employees in the implementation and ongoing development of the safety management system.

Quality Assurance Program

• 302.503 (1) The quality assurance program required under paragraph 107.03(g) in respect of an applicant for, or a holder of, an airport certificate shall include a process for quality assurance that includes periodic reviews or audits of the activities authorized under a certificate and reviews or audits, for cause, of those activities.

• (2) The holder of an airport certificate shall ensure that records relating to the findings resulting from the quality assurance program are distributed to the appropriate manager for corrective action and follow-up in accordance with the policies and procedures specified in the airport operations manual.

• (3) The holder of an airport certificate shall establish an audit system in respect of the quality assurance program that consists of the following:

  • (a) an initial audit conducted within 12 months after

    • (i) in the case of an airport specified in subsection 302.500(1), the later of January 1, 2008 and the day on which the airport certificate is issued, and

    • (ii) in the case of any other airport, the later of January 1, 2009 and the day on which the airport certificate is issued;

  • (b) an audit of the entire quality assurance program carried out every three years, calculated from the initial audit, in one of the following ways:

    • (i) a complete audit, or

    • (ii) a series of audits conducted at intervals set out in the airport operations manual;

  • (c) checklists of all activities controlled by the airport operations manual;

  • (d) a record of each occurrence of compliance or non-compliance with the airport operations manual found during an audit referred to in paragraph (a) or (b);

  • (e) procedures for ensuring that each finding of an audit is communicated to the accountable executive;

  • (f) follow-up procedures for ensuring that corrective actions are effective; and

  • (g) a system for recording the findings of an audit referred to in paragraph (a) or (b), corrective actions and follow-ups.

• (4) The records resulting from a system required under paragraph (3)(g) shall be retained for the greater of

  • (a) two audit cycles, and

  • (b) two years.

• (5) The duties related to the quality assurance program that involve specific tasks or activities among the activities of an airport shall be fulfilled by persons who are not responsible for carrying out those tasks or activities unless

  • (a) the size, nature and complexity of the operations and activities authorized under the airport certificate justify the fulfilling of those duties by the person responsible for carrying out those tasks or activities;

  • (b) the holder of the airport certificate demonstrates to the Minister, by means of a risk analysis, that the fulfilling of those duties by the person responsible for carrying out those tasks or activities will not result in an unacceptable risk to aviation safety; and

  • (c) the holder of the airport certificate provides the Minister, in writing, with the information required under paragraphs (a) and (b).

Duties of the Certificate Holder

302.504 The holder of an airport certificate shall

• (a) ensure that corrective actions are taken in respect of any findings resulting from the safety management system referred to in section 302.501;

• (b) appoint a person to manage the safety management system; and

• (c) ensure that the person managing the safety management system performs the duties required under section 302.505.

Person Managing the Safety Management System

• 302.505 (1) The person managing the safety management system shall

  • (a) implement a reporting system to ensure the timely collection of information related to hazards, incidents and accidents that may adversely affect safety;

  • (b) identify hazards and carry out risk management analyses of those hazards;

  • (c) investigate, analyze and identify the cause or probable cause of all hazards, incidents and accidents identified under the safety management system;

  • (d) implement a safety data system, by either electronic or other means, to monitor and analyze trends in hazards, incidents and accidents;

  • (e) monitor and evaluate the results of corrective actions with respect to hazards, incidents and accidents;

  • (f) monitor the concerns of the civil aviation industry in respect of safety and their perceived effect on the holder of the airport certificate; and

  • (g) determine the adequacy of the training required by paragraph 302.502(f).

• (2) The person managing the safety management system shall, if a finding resulting from the safety management system referred to in section 302.501 is reported to them,

  • (a) determine what, if any, corrective actions are required and carry out those actions;

  • (b) keep a record of any determination made under paragraph (a) and the reason for it;

  • (c) if management duties have been assigned to another person under subsection (3), communicate any determination regarding a corrective action to that person; and

  • (d) notify the certificate holder of any systemic deficiency and of the corrective action taken.

• (3) The person managing the safety management system may assign the management functions for the safety management system referred to in section 302.501 to another person if the assignment and its scope are described in the airport operations manual.

• (4) The person to whom management functions have been assigned under subsection (3) shall notify the person managing the safety management system of any systemic deficiency and of the corrective action taken.

• (5) The responsibility and accountability of the accountable executive are not affected by the appointment of a person to manage the safety management system under paragraph 302.504(b) or the assignment of management functions to another person under subsection (3).