The Safety Management System (SMS) is a key element in the operation of aviation organizations. It aims to identify hazards, analyze risks, and implement control measures to prevent safety incidents and support continuous improvement.
The SMS Awareness – Safety Management System training course aims to provide participants with a clear, accessible, and pragmatic understanding of the principles of SMS, its components, and its role in the overall performance of the organization.
Designed as a cross-functional, non-technical training course, it is intended for all personnel working in an aeronautical environment. It helps to clarify individual responsibilities, understand the importance of reporting incidents, and promote a shared safety culture.
At Hexagone, we favor a practical, structured, and field-oriented approach that is directly linked to operational practices and the expectations of supervisory authorities. This training course provides an essential foundation before moving on to more advanced modules in security, event analysis, or risk management.
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A clear and immediate understanding of the SMS
You understand the logic behind SMS, its objectives, and its practical usefulness in your organization, beyond regulatory requirements.
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Training designed by aviation industry experts
The content is based on real-life situations involving operations, risk management, and feedback, directly linked to the expectations of the authorities.
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Practical guidelines applicable to everyday life
You will leave with simple tips for identifying dangers, helping to report them, and adopting the right safety reflexes.
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A common language to strengthen safety culture
The training aligns operational staff, support functions, and management around a shared vision of security.
The SMS Awareness – Safety Management System training course aims to provide participants with a clear, comprehensive, and accessible understanding of the principles of the safety management system, its challenges, and its role within an aviation organization.
It aims to explain how and why SMS is implemented, beyond regulatory requirements, so that everyone can understand what is expected and adopt the right safety habits on a daily basis.
Specifically, at the end of the training, participants will be able to:
- Understanding the fundamental principles of the Safety Management System (SMS) in aviation,
- Identify the objectives of SMS and its role in preventing safety incidents.
- Understand their role and individual responsibilities within the SMS, regardless of their position.
- Recognize risky situations and subtle signs that could impact safety.
- Understanding the importance of reporting events, hazards, and occurrences,
- Adopt behaviors that promote a positive and shared safety culture.
The ultimate goal of this training is to lay the foundations for a common SMS culture, based on understanding, accountability, and involvement of all employees, and to provide an educational foundation before moving on to more advanced training in safety, incident analysis, or risk management.
The SMS Awareness – Safety Management System training course aims to enable aviation organizations to strengthen their safety maturity by ensuring that all employees understand and adhere to the principles of SMS.
It aims to:
- Align teams on a shared vision of safety and the role of SMS,
- Enhance the effectiveness of the SMS system through a better understanding of individual responsibilities.
- Improve the quality of reporting events and hazards,
- Promote a positive, proactive, and non-punitive safety culture.
- Meet the expectations of supervisory authorities in terms of training, awareness, and safety culture.
This training provides operational leverage to improve the reliability of daily practices, support risk prevention, and strengthen the organization's credibility during audits, inspections, and safety performance reviews.
This training is intended for all personnel working in an aeronautical environment, regardless of their level of responsibility, including:
- Operational personnel (flight, maintenance, operations, exploitation),
- Support functions (quality, compliance, safety, training, HR),
- Local supervision and management,
- Newcomers to the organization,
- Personnel involved in reporting events and managing risks.
It is particularly suited to organizations wishing to deploy or strengthen their safety culture and ensure a consistent understanding of SMS within their teams.
No regulatory, technical, or normative prerequisites are necessary to take this training course.
It is designed to be accessible to all profiles, regardless of position, level of experience, or prior knowledge of compliance or monitoring systems.
A general knowledge of the aviation environment is an asset, but not essential.
This training course provides an introductory level of understanding of the Safety Management System (SMS).
It is designed to raise awareness, without going into technical or regulatory detail.
No prior positioning is required. The training aims to harmonize the level of understanding among participants, regardless of their role, experience, or previous exposure to SMS.
It serves as a common foundation before moving on to more advanced training in security, event analysis, risk management, or SMS monitoring.
Flexible sessions tailored to the needs of aviation operators
Before rolling out the training, a discussion helps identify the type of organization, the activities involved, and the SMS maturity level, so that messages can be tailored to real operational challenges.
Participants undergo structured training covering the fundamentals of the Safety Management System: safety logic, individual responsibilities, coordination with operations, and the role of the human factor.
The concepts covered are illustrated with concrete examples from aviation (events, risk situations, feedback), in order to understand how SMS applies in everyday life.
Time set aside for questions and discussion helps to clear up misunderstandings, clarify everyone's roles, and encourage participants to take ownership of the SMS principles.
The training concludes with a validation assessment to verify understanding of the essential concepts of SMS and safety expectations.
This training course provides a foundation and can be supplemented with more advanced modules (event analysis, risk management, just culture, safety investigations), depending on the organization's needs.
At the end of the training, a personalized certificate is issued, attesting to participation in a Safety Management System awareness program.
Module 1 – Understanding the Safety Management System (SMS)
Module Objective
Provide a clear definition of SMS and explain its purpose in an aviation organization.
Module Content
- Definition of the Safety Management System
- Regulatory origin and EASA/ICAO rationale
- Difference between security, compliance, and quality
- Objectives and benefits of SMS for the organization
Targeted Competencies
- Understanding what an SMS is
- Identify its operational usefulness
- Positioning SMS within the aviation organization
Module 2 – Safety Roles and Responsibilities
Module Objective
Clarify the roles and responsibilities of each person in the operation of the SMS.
Module Content
- Individual and collective responsibilities
- Role of management and key functions
- The concept of shared responsibility for safety
- Role of operational and support staff
Targeted Competencies
- Identify your role in the SMS
- Understanding security responsibilities
- Take a proactive approach to security
Module 3 – Hazard Identification and Risk Management
Module Objective
Raise awareness of the logic behind hazard identification and risk control.
Module Content
- Difference between hazard, risk, and consequence
- Concrete examples from aviation
- General principles of risk assessment
- Link between risks, operations, and decisions
Targeted Competencies
- Recognizing a risky situation
- Understanding the logic of risk management
- Contribute to the prevention of events
Module 4 – Reporting incidents and just culture
Module Objective
Explain the importance of reporting and the principles of Just Culture.
Module Content
- Why report a dangerous event or situation?
- Types of Safety Reports
- Principles of Just Culture
- Barriers to reporting and best practices
Targeted Competencies
- Understanding the importance of security reporting
- Identify situations that need to be reported
- Adopting the right reflexes for reporting information
Module 5 – Feedback and continuous improvement
Module Objective
Demonstrate how SMS contributes to continuous safety improvement.
Module Content
- Feedback logic
- Analysis of events and sharing of lessons learned
- Corrective and preventive actions
- Contribution of SMS to overall performance
Targeted Competencies
- Understanding the continuous improvement cycle
- Measuring the impact of SMS on safety
- Actively participate in safety culture
Module 6 – Validation of prior learning
Module Objective
Check understanding of the essential principles of the Safety Management System.
Module Content
- Knowledge validation quiz
- Simplified situational questions
- Summary of key messages
Targeted Competencies
- Validate training achievements
- Consolidate the essential concepts of SMS
- Understanding the fundamental principles of the Safety Management System (SMS) in aviation.
- Identify the objectives of SMS and its contribution to operational risk management.
- Distinguishing between safety, compliance, and quality in an aeronautical organization.
- Understanding your individual contribution to the security system, regardless of your position.
- Recognize dangerous situations, weak signals, and potential risks.
- Adopt the right reflexes for reporting risky events and situations.
- Contribute to the development of a shared culture of safety and Just Culture.
- E-learning or in-person/videoconference training, depending on requirements.
- Clear, accessible, and non-technical teaching approach.
- Concrete examples from the aeronautics industry.
- Case studies and simplified practical examples.
- Time for discussion and questions with the trainer (depending on format).
- Quiz to assess knowledge acquired at the end of the training course.
- E-learning platform
- Illustrated and concise teaching materials.
- Case studies and operational scenarios.
- Interactive quizzes to test knowledge.
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Adapted to the constraints of aeronautical organizations
Training designed to be easily integrated into daily activities without disrupting operations.
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Modular formats
Available as e-learning, in-person, or videoconferencing, depending on your needs.
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Rooted in the reality on the ground
Concrete examples from the aeronautics industry for immediate and applicable understanding.
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An effective onboarding tool
Ideal for onboarding new employees and ongoing staff awareness.
Assessment Methods and Procedures
The assessment of acquired knowledge is carried out at the end of the training course in order to verify that the essential principles of the Safety Management System (SMS) in aviation have been properly understood.
It takes the form of a knowledge validation quiz, tailored to the level of awareness and educational objectives of the training.
Means of Assessing Program Outcomes
The results of the training are assessed through:
- the results of the validation quiz,
- active participation of learners (depending on the format),
- the traceability of the training completed.
These elements confirm that the SMS awareness objectives defined by the organization have been achieved.
Examination Procedures by the Certifying Body
The training does not lead to a regulatory or certification exam.
It constitutes a formalized awareness-raising initiative for the Safety Management System, integrated into the aviation organization's internal training program.
Validation is conditional upon full participation in the training and completion of the final assessment.
Training Certification and Course Completion Certificate
At the end of the training, a personalized awareness certificate is issued.
This certificate specifies:
- the title of the training course,
- its duration,
- the date of completion,
- and confirms the employee's participation in an awareness campaign on the Safety Management System in aeronautics.
Recognized training that complies with aviation requirements
This awareness training is part of an approach that complies with the requirements applicable to aviation organizations in terms of Safety Management System (SMS) and safety management.
It is not a certification or diploma course, but a formalized SMS awareness initiative that meets the expectations of supervisory authorities in terms of safety culture, staff accountability, and traceability of training activities.
It contributes to the development of a shared safety culture, understanding of event prevention mechanisms, and the credibility of the operator in the context of audits, inspections, and organizational reviews.
Career Prospects
This training does not target a specific career path, but allows participants to:
- better understand their individual role in the security management system,
- effectively contribute tohazard identification and event reporting,
- adopt professional behaviors consistent with SMS principles,
- enhance their ability to work in structured, safety-oriented aeronautical organizations.
It is a cross-functional asset for any operational, support, or managerial role involved in the security of activities.
Further Training Progression
This training course provides a foundation for more advanced training courses offered by Hexagone, including:
- Safety Management System (SMS): principles, roles, and responsibilities
- Analysis of safety events and human factors,
- Risk management (practical methods and tools),
- Just Culture and safety reporting mechanisms,
- Integrated Safety & Compliance approach.
It enables the integration of a progressive, coherent, and structured learning path tailored to the needs of aviation organizations and the responsibilities of learners.
We had a great experience working with the Hexagone Aviation team, who were very responsive in making our training as enjoyable as possible!
An excellent school for obtaining your ATPL. Competent instructors, high-quality equipment, and a very pleasant atmosphere. I highly recommend it!
I chose Hexagone Aviation School for the flexibility of its eLearning, but I did not anticipate such a high level of support. The pedagogical team is available, supportive, and highly professional.
