SMS (Safety Management System)
A Safety Management System (SMS) is a structured organizational framework of policies, procedures and practices designed to systematically manage safety risks and ensure continuous improvement.
What Is a Safety Management System?
A Safety Management System (SMS) is a top-down, organization-wide approach to managing safety. Rather than treating safety as a series of isolated activities, an SMS integrates hazard identification, risk management, training, incident investigation and continuous improvement into a cohesive framework aligned with business operations.
Core Elements of an SMS
- Safety Policy: A clear statement of the organization's commitment to safety, signed by senior leadership.
- Hazard Identification & Risk Management: Systematic processes for identifying hazards and assessing/controlling risks (risk assessments, JHAs).
- Training & Competency: Ensuring all personnel are trained and competent for their roles.
- Incident Reporting & Investigation: Processes for reporting, investigating and learning from incidents and near misses.
- Emergency Preparedness: Emergency response plans and drills.
- Performance Measurement: Leading and lagging indicators to track safety performance.
- Management Review & Continuous Improvement: Regular reviews to drive improvement.
SMS and COR Certification
A robust SMS is the foundation for achieving COR or SECOR certification, as audit criteria are mapped directly to SMS elements.
Make Safety Easy as Your SMS Platform
Make Safety Easy digitizes every element of your SMS, from hazard assessments and training tracking to real-time dashboards that give leadership visibility into safety performance across all sites.