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Safety committees are where your organization makes collective decisions about safety risks, reviews performance data, and ensures accountability for corrective actions. PlaneConnection provides a structured meeting workflow that captures attendance, decisions, votes, and action items — all preserved as compliance evidence. In this tutorial, you will schedule a meeting, build an agenda, run the meeting, and close it with documented outcomes. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a completed safety committee meeting with recorded minutes, formal decisions, and tracked action items.
Who should do this tutorial? Safety Managers who organize and facilitate safety committee meetings, and anyone who chairs an SRB or SAG. You will need Safety Manager or Admin permissions to create and manage meetings.

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Before you start

Make sure you have:
  • An active PlaneConnection account with Safety Manager or Admin role
  • Some data to discuss — open safety reports, active investigations, pending CPAs, or recent SPI trends
  • Familiarity with the SMS module navigation (see the Quickstart)

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Choosing the right committee type

PlaneConnection supports two types of safety committees, each serving a different purpose:
CommitteeFull namePurposeTypical attendeesFrequency
SRBSafety Review BoardExecutive governance and strategic safety decisionsAccountable executive, department heads, safety managerQuarterly
SAGSafety Action GroupOperational coordination and tactical safety workSafety manager, line managers, subject matter expertsMonthly or as needed
Which should you start with? If this is your first meeting, start with a SAG. Safety Action Groups handle the day-to-day operational safety work — reviewing reports, discussing risks, and assigning follow-up actions. SRBs focus on strategic oversight and typically review SAG recommendations. Per 14 CFR 5.93, safety communication is a core SMS requirement, and both committee types fulfill this.

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Running the meeting

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Schedule a new meeting
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  • In the Safety module sidebar, click Meetings (or Committee depending on your sidebar configuration).
  • Click New Meeting.
  • Fill in the meeting details:
    • Title: A descriptive name (e.g., “February 2026 SAG Meeting” or “Q1 2026 Safety Review Board”).
    • Type: Select SRB or SAG.
    • Date and time: Set the meeting date, start time, and expected duration.
    • Location: Enter the meeting location or video conference link.
    • Quorum requirement: Set the minimum number of attendees required for the meeting to be valid (e.g., 3 of 5 members). Decisions made without quorum may not be binding.
  • Click Create Meeting.
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    The meeting is created with a status of Scheduled and attendees are notified.
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    Build the agenda
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    A well-structured agenda keeps the meeting focused and ensures all critical items are covered.
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  • On the meeting detail page, navigate to the Agenda section.
  • Click Add Agenda Item for each topic. Common agenda item types include:
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    Item typePurposeExampleReport ReviewReview new or open safety reports”Review 3 new incident reports from January”Risk ReviewDiscuss active risk assessments or emerging hazards”Review high-risk findings from ramp operations audit”CPA ReviewCheck status of open Corrective and Preventive Actions”Status update on 5 overdue CPAs”SPI ReviewReview safety performance indicator trends”Monthly SPI dashboard review — 2 indicators at Watch level”New BusinessTopics raised by attendees or emerging safety concerns”Proposed change to winter operations SOP”
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  • For each item, add a brief description and any reference links (e.g., link to the specific report or CPA being discussed).
  • Drag items to reorder the agenda as needed.
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    PlaneConnection can auto-suggest agenda items based on your current safety data — open reports awaiting committee review, overdue CPAs, and SPIs at Watch level or above. Look for the Suggested Items section when building your agenda.
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    Record attendance and check quorum
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    When the meeting begins, record who is present.
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  • On the meeting detail page, navigate to the Attendance section.
  • Mark each invited member as Present, Absent, or Remote.
  • PlaneConnection automatically checks the quorum requirement. If quorum is not met, a warning banner appears.
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    If quorum is not met, the meeting can proceed for discussion purposes, but formal decisions and votes should be deferred to a meeting with quorum. Document the quorum status in the meeting notes — this is important for compliance records.
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    Work through the agenda
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    For each agenda item, the facilitator leads the discussion and records the outcomes.
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  • Click on the first agenda item to expand it.
  • Discussion notes: Record key points raised during discussion. You do not need to transcribe everything — capture the substance of the conversation, differing viewpoints, and any data referenced.
  • Decision: If the item requires a decision, record the outcome:
    • What was decided
    • Any conditions or qualifications
    • Rationale for the decision
  • Move to the next agenda item and repeat.
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    The rich text editor supports formatting, bullet lists, and numbered lists to keep notes organized.
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    Record votes for formal decisions
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    When the committee needs to make a formal decision — such as accepting a risk, approving a policy change, or endorsing an investigation outcome — use the voting feature.
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  • Within the agenda item, click Add Vote.
  • Enter the motion being voted on (e.g., “Accept the residual risk for HAZARD-2026-00031 at current control levels”).
  • Record each member’s vote: Approve, Reject, or Abstain.
  • PlaneConnection tallies the results and records the outcome (Passed or Failed) based on your committee’s voting rules.
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    Formal votes create a clear record of who approved what decisions. This is especially important for risk acceptance decisions, where the accountable executive or safety committee is accepting responsibility for a residual risk level. These records support compliance with 14 CFR 5.55 (safety risk assessment and control).
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    Create action items
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    During the meeting, topics will surface that require follow-up work. Create action items to track them.
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  • At any point during the meeting, click Add Action Item (available within any agenda item or in the general Actions section).
  • For each action item, provide:
    • Title: A clear, specific description of what needs to be done.
    • Assignee: The person responsible for completing the action.
    • Due date: When the action should be completed.
    • Priority: High, Medium, or Low.
  • The assignee receives a notification about the action item.
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    Action items are tracked on the meeting detail page and appear in the assignee’s task list.
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    For action items that address systemic safety issues — such as procedure changes, training requirements, or equipment modifications — consider elevating them to formal CPAs. Click Elevate to CPA on any action item to create a tracked CPA with full lifecycle management. This ensures the action goes through verification and becomes part of your CPA compliance record.
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    Close the meeting
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    After all agenda items are covered and action items are assigned, close the meeting.
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  • Review the meeting summary:
    • All attendance recorded
    • Discussion notes complete for each agenda item
    • Decisions and votes documented
    • Action items assigned with due dates
  • Change the meeting status to Closed.
  • The meeting minutes are finalized and become read-only.
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    Closed meeting minutes are preserved as compliance evidence per 14 CFR 5.93 (safety communication) and 14 CFR 5.97 (SMS records). They demonstrate that your organization actively reviews safety data, makes informed decisions, and assigns follow-up actions. These records are valuable during FAA surveillance.

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    What happens next

    After the meeting is closed:
    1. Minutes are distributed. All attendees receive a copy of the finalized meeting minutes via email notification.
    2. Action items are tracked. Assignees see their action items in their task list. Overdue items generate reminder notifications.
    3. CPAs are created. Any action items elevated to CPAs enter the CPA lifecycle (see Track Your First CPA).
    4. Next meeting preparation. Unresolved items and open action items automatically carry forward as suggested agenda items for the next meeting.

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    Next steps

    Run a Safety Committee Meeting

    Detailed how-to guide for all meeting management features and configurations.

    Track Compliance

    Learn how meeting records contribute to your overall Part 5 compliance posture.

    Monitor Safety Performance with SPIs

    Use SPI data to drive meeting agendas and track safety trends.

    Track Your First CPA

    Follow up on meeting action items by creating and tracking CPAs.
    Last modified on April 11, 2026