CARL AUSTIN

Aviation Safety Management System (SMS) Professional

40+ Years of Aviation Safety Experience

Carl Austin is an experienced aviation safety professional with more than four decades of experience in aviation safety, Safety Management Systems (SMS), safety assurance, training, auditing, and safety program development.

His professional experience combines hands-on aviation operations, safety management, SMS implementation, safety assurance, and instruction, providing organizations with practical guidance for developing and maintaining a proactive and functioning Safety Management System.

SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM EXPERIENCE

Carl's SMS experience includes practical involvement in the implementation, administration, instruction, and continuous improvement of Safety Management Systems.

His experience encompasses the major elements of an effective SMS, including:

• Safety Policy and Objectives

• Safety Risk Management

• Safety Assurance

• Safety Promotion

• Hazard Identification

• Risk Assessment and Mitigation

• Safety Performance Monitoring

• Corrective Action Management

• Safety Reporting

• Safety Communication

• Safety Training

• Safety Culture

• Management of Change

• Safety Leadership

• Continuous Improvement

His approach to SMS is based on the principle that an SMS should be more than a collection of manuals and forms. It should become an active management system that helps leaders identify hazards, understand risk, make informed decisions, allocate resources, and continuously improve organizational safety performance.

SMS IMPLEMENTATION EXPERIENCE

Carl has experience supporting the implementation and administration of an aviation Safety Management System.

His experience includes serving as an SMS administrator and instructor, helping personnel understand not only what an SMS is, but how it should function within an aviation organization.

This practical perspective allows him to help organizations move beyond simply having an SMS on paper toward developing a system that is:

Implemented → Used → Measured → Reviewed → Improved

A key component of his consulting philosophy is helping management and employees understand their respective roles in the SMS and establishing safety ownership throughout the organization.

SAFETY ASSURANCE EXPERIENCE

Carl's aviation career includes experience as a Safety Assurance Manager, providing a strong foundation for his work in safety assurance, auditing, evaluation, corrective action, and continuous improvement.

Safety assurance is a critical component of a functioning SMS because organizations must not only identify hazards—they must determine whether their controls and processes are actually working.

His experience supports services involving:

• Safety Assurance Programs

• Internal Evaluation Programs (IEP)

• Safety audits

• Compliance evaluation

• Corrective action

• Finding management

• Safety performance monitoring

• Effectiveness evaluation

• Continuous improvement

• Management review

SMS TRAINING & INSTRUCTION

Carl has experience providing SMS instruction and has a background in instructional design.

His training philosophy is centered on making SMS understandable and applicable to the people who must use it.

Training can be tailored for:

• Accountable Executives

• Senior Management

• Safety Managers

• Safety Professionals

• Supervisors

• Managers

• Pilots

• Maintenance Personnel

• Operations Personnel

• Front-line Employees

The objective is not simply to teach SMS terminology, but to help employees understand:

“What does SMS mean to me, and how does my job contribute to safety?”

AVIATION SAFETY & TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Carl's SMS expertise is supported by extensive aviation experience and technical credentials.

His professional qualifications include experience and credentials associated with:

• Aviation Safety

• Safety Management Systems

• Safety Assurance

• SMS Administration

• SMS Instruction

• Aviation Auditing

• Safety Reporting

• Instructional Design

• FAA Airframe & Powerplant

• FAA Flight Engineer

• JCAB Flight Engineer

• FAA Private Pilot

He has also held an IOSA Auditor credential, adding an additional audit and safety-assurance dimension to his professional background.

SAFETY LEADERSHIP

Carl believes that an effective SMS begins with leadership.

The Accountable Executive and management team establish the environment in which safety professionals operate. The safety team provides the expertise, systems, data, analysis, and recommendations necessary to help management make informed safety decisions.

This philosophy forms the foundation of his SMS Black Belt program.

SMS Black Belt

SMS Black Belt is an executive-level coaching and safety leadership program designed to help Accountable Executives and safety teams get the maximum performance from their SMS.

The program focuses on:

• Accountable Executive leadership

• Safety Manager effectiveness

• Safety team performance

• Safety ownership

• Executive safety decision-making

• Safety performance measurement

• Corrective action accountability

• Safety culture

• Management review

• Continuous improvement

The goal is to help management transform SMS from a regulatory requirement into a management tool for controlling risk and improving organizational performance.

PRACTICAL SMS APPROACH

Carl's approach to SMS can be summarized in five questions:

1. What can hurt us?

Identify hazards before they become accidents or incidents.

2. How bad could it be?

Evaluate the potential consequences and likelihood of the risk.

3. What are we doing about it?

Identify and implement effective risk controls.

4. Are those controls working?

Use safety assurance, data, audits, reporting, and performance monitoring to determine effectiveness.

5. How can we improve?

Use the SMS as a continuous improvement system rather than a static compliance program.

SAFETY GURU SERVICES

Through Safety Guru, Carl Austin provides aviation safety and SMS services designed to help organizations assess, build, implement, and continuously improve their safety management systems.

SMS Assessment & Analysis

• Aviation SMS Gap Analysis

• Part 5 SMS Readiness Assessment

• SMS Maturity Assessment

• Safety Program Assessment

SMS Development

• SMS Development and Implementation

• SMS Manual Development

• Safety Policy Development

• Safety Risk Management

• Safety Assurance

• Safety Promotion

• Hazard Reporting Programs

• Management of Change

Auditing & Assurance

• Internal Evaluation Program (IEP) Support

• IEP Audits

• Safety Audits

• Corrective Action Programs

• Safety Performance Evaluation

• Continuous Improvement Programs

Training

• SMS Principles Training

• Employee SMS Awareness

• Supervisor and Manager SMS Training

• Safety Professional Training

• Customized SMS Training

• Digital and Online Safety Training

Leadership & Coaching

• Accountable Executive Coaching

• Safety Manager Coaching

• Safety Team Development

• Executive Safety Reviews

• SMS Black Belt

• Ongoing SMS Advisory Services

THE SAFETY GURU DIFFERENCE

An effective SMS should not exist simply because regulations require it.

It should help an organization answer three fundamental questions:

What are our risks?

What are we doing about them?

How do we know our controls are working?

Carl Austin brings more than 40 years of aviation safety experience to that mission, combining operational aviation knowledge with SMS implementation, safety assurance, training, auditing, and safety leadership.

His objective is simple:

Help organizations build safety management systems that work—not just systems that exist.

PROFESSIONAL POSITIONING

Carl Austin
Aviation Safety & SMS Professional
Founder / Safety Guru

40+ Years of Aviation Safety Experience

SMS • Safety Assurance • Risk Management • Auditing • Training • Safety Leadership • Executive Coaching

Safety Management Systems are most effective when safety becomes part of how the organization manages the business—not simply a requirement contained in a manual.