“Safety procedures should be acknowledged as bureaucratic tools that do not create safety by their mere existence. Procedures manage risk, but do not necessarily create safety” Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Branch.

We don’t service our cars, change the tires, and replace brake pads to pass a Warrant of Fitness. We do all these things to make our journeys on the road as safe as possible. Audits are like a WOF. Your Safety Management System shouldn’t be designed to pass an audit. A SMS should be designed to make the operation of activities as safe as possible. When all the different components of your car work properly together, you have a safe ride. When all the components of your SMS work well together, your operation runs smoothly, managing the risks as effectively as possible. Getting a WOF or audit becomes what it was designed for: simply a check that you are already doing the things that you’re supposed to do.

We have to remember that you can pass a WOF, but if your standards slip (like your tyres going bald) before the next 12-month check, you can still be charged by the cops; audits work in a similar way. You might pass an audit, but if your compliance standards drop in the interim, you could still face penalties in the event of an incident or investigation. This isn’t about auditing, this is about you ensuring that you continue to adhere to your SMS all the time, not just when the auditor visits.

The Regulations, Standards, and guidelines that we are supposed to adhere to were all designed with the intention of reducing incidents and increasing good practice in the adventure industry. If you use this intent when reviewing your SMS, the result will be much easier to follow than if you only use our SMS as a way to pass an audit.