Many operators assign SMS development to a safety manager and expect that person to make the system work. That can get the project moving, but it cannot substitute for management ownership across the operation.
A safety manager may coordinate reports, facilitate risk discussions, maintain records, and track actions. Line managers still own the decisions and controls within their areas. Senior leadership must provide the authority, resources, and follow-up that let the system function.
Separate coordination from accountability
The safety manager helps the organization run its process. That role should not become the place where every hazard, risk decision, corrective action, and overdue item ends up by default.
When responsibility is unclear, safety staff may be left chasing actions they cannot implement, while operational managers assume the safety office is handling the issue. The result is a process that looks active on paper but does not reliably change the operation.
- The safety function manages and supports the process.
- Managers assess and control risks within their responsibilities.
- The accountable executive ensures the system has authority and resources.
- Employees and contractors report hazards and follow applicable controls.
- Management verifies that actions are completed and effective.
Give each safety action a decision owner
Every meaningful action should have a named manager who can make or obtain the decision, an expected completion date, and a way to show what was done. The person coordinating the SMS can track the item, but the operational owner remains responsible for implementation.
Some issues cross departments. In those cases, designate one accountable owner and identify the supporting functions. Shared participation should not leave the organization without one person responsible for driving the decision to completion.
Report → hazard → risk analysis → control → responsible manager → implementation → assurance → closure
Build a management rhythm that is small enough to sustain
An SMS does not require a large committee meeting for every report. It does require a repeatable management rhythm. Set a regular review for significant hazards, open risk controls, overdue actions, emerging trends, and changes that may introduce new risk.
Keep the review focused on decisions: what needs action, who owns it, what evidence will show completion, and how the organization will check effectiveness. Escalate issues that exceed the manager’s authority or resources rather than allowing them to remain open without a decision.
Prepare leaders to explain their part of the system
As the May 28, 2027 implementation deadline approaches for covered existing Part 135 certificate holders and § 91.147 air tour LOA holders, operators should test whether managers can explain their responsibilities in plain language. The FAA’s timeline also calls for the required declaration of compliance by the deadline; operators should confirm the specific requirements that apply to their status.
A useful readiness discussion asks managers which hazards affect their area, how they receive safety information, what controls they own, how open actions are tracked, and how they know a control is working. Employees should understand how to report a concern and what happens after a report is made.
Use one real issue to test shared ownership
Choose a recent report, audit finding, or operational change. Ask the safety manager, accountable executive, and responsible line manager to describe the issue from their perspective. Compare the answers.
If the safety manager can explain the entire process but the operational manager cannot identify the control they own, accountability is not yet clear. If managers agree on ownership but cannot show implementation or assurance, the system needs a stronger follow-through process. Fix the gap, then test the process again.
Make the system part of how the operation is managed
An SMS is strongest when it is connected to ordinary management decisions: staffing, training, maintenance, vendor oversight, operational changes, and resource priorities. The safety function can bring information and structure to those decisions, but leaders across the organization make the system real through their actions.
Before the deadline, make sure every part of the process has a clear owner and that no critical safety action depends on one person having influence without authority. That is how an SMS becomes a management system rather than another assignment on the safety manager’s desk.
This article is for general educational purposes and does not replace review of applicable regulations or FAA guidance. Applicability and deadlines can vary by operator status; confirm specific requirements with the FAA and qualified advisors. Operators remain responsible for regulatory compliance.