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 organisations 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 organisational 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 organisation 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 organisation 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.

• Go back to SMS Organisational Structure article or Safety Management category.