Ground Truth Developing a safety management SYSTEM

The greatest resource found within our services is not the $75 million F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or the $355,000 all-terrain Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. It’s our personnel; the individual Marines, Sailors and civilian employees— they are indeed our greatest resource.

While the Marine Corps and the Navy continue to make great strides in advancing our equipment and technology, it is meaningless without our service members and civilians.

But is the safety of our most valuable resource being squandered by organizations when they develop their Safety Management System (SMS) or Safety Management Plan (SMP)? When units are developing their SMS or SMP just to pass an inspection, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Instead, units should — at a minimum, develop their SMS/SMP program to the standard of passing a stringent mishap investigation. An inspection aims to provide commanders a compliance assessment in functional areas deemed a priority by the Commandant of the Marine Corps and to promote the foundational readiness that contributes to mission success by inspecting and training to compliance. A compliance assessment is completed by using inspection checklists developed by functional area subject matter experts.

As such, when trying to properly assess the health of the safety and risk culture within a unit, an inspection checklist may not be the answer. Developing an individual unit SMS or SMP just to pass inspection will not properly protect our personnel.

When a mishap occurs, an investigation is conducted to identify factors for the mishap, determine findings from the mishap and develop mishap recommendations. Overall, it examines whether unit leadership did everything possible to prevent the mishap and ensure the safety of its personnel.

When reviewing a unit’s SMS or SMP, investigators may look to see if the plan was tailored for the risks associated with that specific organization, if the information in the order is understandable to personnel at all levels, and if the order is executable by the whole organization.

If done correctly, the unit’s SMS or SMP will help shape a good safety culture within the organization, help lower the chances of a mishap, and not be a factor during a mishap investigation.

To protect our greatest resource, we must change the mindset on developing the unit SMS or SMP. A unit’s safety management system or plan must take into account the mission and associated risks, mitigate those risks in training to the maximum extent possible, and protect personnel and equipment from risks and mishaps that lead to the need for an investigation.