Samples of SMS Organizational Structures
Liberty University
AVIA 409 - Safety Management Systems
Professor: Andrew Walton
2022
The samples have been extracted from ICAO Doc 9859 - Safety Management Manual.
Sample A
Figure 1
Sample A in Figure 1 is typical of many organizations with good safety records. The Flight Safety
Officer (FSO) reports directly to the Director of Flight Operations. However, the FSO does not have
responsibilities for safety management in other departments. To cover considerations of safety in
maintenance, a Maintenance Safety Officer, reporting directly to the Director of Maintenance,
coordinates informally with the FSO through the “safety office”. Although the organizational chart
depicts an informal reporting relationship from the safety office to the executive level, this structure
does not truly promote a systems approach to safety management. Rather, the organization focuses on
safety issues from the perspectives of flight operations and maintenance only.
Sample B
Figure2
In Sample B depicted in Figure 2, both the Safety Manager and the Quality Manager perform
the Safety Management Systems' functions. However, they both have a direct reporting line to the CEO.
The safety functions are dispersed throughout the organization to the Operations, Maintenance and
other departments. The Safety Manager and the Quality Manager then coordinate with each other and
the departmental chiefs, assisting them in the fulfilment of their safety management functions. Sample
B broadens the focus over that of Sample A and is more consistent with the systems approach to safety
management.
