Background

The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST, now called the Vertical Aviation Safety Team) SMS Toolkit is a Safety Management System toolkit of use to all helicopter operators, regardless of the size of their business, what roles and tasks they undertake, and where they operate in the world.

The 2005 International Helicopter Safety Symposium marked the beginning of an international effort to reduce the accident rate by at least 80 percent by 2016. The International Helicopter Safety Team was formed to lead efforts toward reaching this objective.