Fractional Safety Officer - Scaling Your SMS to Grow With Your Company
Build a right-sized Safety Management System (SMS) with a Fractional Safety Officer (FSO)
The UAS industry is on the brink of explosive growth, with new startups and innovative approaches emerging almost weekly. Amidst this rapid evolution, ensuring safety while advancing technological development is a pressing challenge for regulators, operators, and organizations alike. This is where a Fractional Safety Officer (FSO) can make a significant impact.
What is a Fractional Safety Officer?
A Fractional Safety Officer (FSO) is a UAS professional who serves as an organization’s safety officer on a part-time or contract basis. An FSO provides expertise, guidance, and leadership for a tailored Safety Management System (SMS) based on your organization's unique level of complexity (see our previous blog).
FSOs specialize in working with regulators, staying abreast of industry trends, tracking and disseminating lessons learned, interpreting regulations, and managing your SMS.
Why Hire a Fractional Safety Officer?
Scalability and Flexibility:
An FSO provides access to a safety professional in real-time based on demand, allowing your company to scale safety efforts as needed.
Cost Efficiency:
Avoid fixed costs like salaries, benefits, and office space. An FSO operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, optimizing spending by reducing overhead expenses.
Access to Expertise:
Hire a skilled safety professional with expertise in regulations, procedures, and best practices to identify and implement safety improvements.
Improved Customer Satisfaction:
Delegating safety program management to an FSO lets you focus on core business operations -- ensuring consistent, high-quality services.
Why Choose Anzen Unmanned?
Anzen Unmanned stands out for its extensive experience in applying SMS specifically to the UAS industry, in municipal, defense, and commercial operations. Unlike the one-size-fits-all approach, Anzen Unmanned tailors your safety program to your operation's level of complexity, ensuring you only pay for what you need (see our blog). Our FSOs have a proven track record of building safety programs and safety cases for novel applications -- ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements while supporting your specific organizational goals.
The FAA recently updated 14 CFR Part 5 to extend SMS requirements to additional operators, including certain certificate holders and those operating under Part 135 (Link). In addition, the FAA and UAS industry are extending SMS requirements even further. A few recent examples:
The FAA’s near-term approval process (NTAP) for UAS Supplemental Data Service Providers (SDSP) requiring an “SMS blueprint”
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requiring an SMS for maintenance organizations operating under Part 145 (Link)
SMS requirement for certain Part 107 advanced operations waivers
Anzen Unmanned’s FSOs have experience creating and managing an effective SMS for each of these unique operations and more by applying traditional SMS principles to novel technologies. We right size your safety program to achieve your goals and meet regulatory standards.
The Anzen Unmanned Advantage
By hiring an Anzen Unmanned Fractional Safety Officer, your organization gains:
Immediate Impact: An FSO can start improving your safety operations on day one, with no need for lengthy onboarding processes.
Flexibility: The service can be adjusted or ended at any time, providing flexibility as your organization's needs evolve.
Comprehensive Support: From initial implementation to ongoing management and eventual handoff, Anzen Unmanned offers comprehensive support tailored to your needs.
Whether you are a new company navigating the UAS industry's complex safety landscape, an established organization looking to enhance your safety program, or a company employing novel UAS technologies, Anzen Unmanned’s FSOs can significantly improve your safety operations.
Contact us today to learn more about how a Fractional Safety Officer from Anzen Unmanned can benefit your organization. www.anzenunmanned.com