GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

OFFICE OF DIRECTOR GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIATION

Opp. Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi- 110003

SSP Division Circular No. 2 of 2023

File No: DGCA-15032(03)/5/2022-DAS

Date: 22nd Feb, 2023

Subject: Criteria for Safety Manager and SMS trainer

1. Introduction: Civil Aviation Requirement Section 1 Series C Part I requires that
the service provider shall appoint a safety manager who is responsible for the
implementation and maintenance of the Safety Management System (SMS).
Appointment of a competent person or persons to fulfil the role of safety manager
is essential for effective implementation and functioning of SMS. ICAO Doc 9859
provides the guidance in this regard.

This circular provides guidance on the selection of a competent person to fulfill the
role of safety manager and SMS trainer.

2. Criteria for selection of Safety Manager:

i. Safety manager should have knowledge of work scope and operations of the
organization.
ii. The appointment should also consider potential conflicts of interest with other
tasks and functions wherein the situation of conflict may arise such as QM,
CAM, Director Ops, Director Training, CSO, Head (Maintenance/ Airside
operation/ Planning) etc.
Note: In case of organization such as NSOP/FTO with upto 03 aircraft;
aerodrome with upto 10 schedule movements per day; design/manufacturing
organization engaged in type design/ manufacturing of aeroplane with
airworthiness codes FAR/CS 23; helicopter with airworthiness codes of
FAR/CS-27; engines except turbine engines and propellers, the role of safety
manager may be assigned to an existing post holder/person meeting the
requirements of para 2.1 a) keeping in view the conflict of interest.

1|Page
2.1 Qualification and Experience requirement:

a) Should possess technical background and at least five years of operational

experience in aviation, to understand the systems that support operations or
the product/service provided by the organization. These personnel could be
Pilot/ Aircraft Maintenance Engineer/ Dispatcher/ Load & Trim Sheet
Personnel/ Cabin Crew; Graduate Engineer; ATCO; Aerodrome operations/
Maintenance/ planning experts.
b) Should be trained on Safety Management System as per the requirements of
para 1 Appendix ‘B’ to CAR Section 1 Series C Part I.
c) Minimum three years of experience either in Safety Management or quality
management in aviation which may include accident/incident investigation,
collection & analysis of safety data and the distribution of related safety
information, audits and inspections etc.
d) Interpersonal skills;
e) Analytical and problem-solving skills;
f) Project management skills;
g) Oral and written communications skills; and
h) An understanding of human factors.

3. Training: The safety manager shall be imparted knowledge of the organization’s

operations, procedures and activities as well as the applicable ICAO Standards
and Recommended Practices (SARPs).

4. SMS Trainer:

I. A person who has worked in a capacity of Safety Manager for at least one year
and have undergone train the trainer course, may impart the SMS training.
II. An organization may also authorize a person having aviation experience as per
para 2.1(a) to conduct SMS training provided such a person meets following
requirements:
a) Should have undergone train the trainer course.
b) Minimum five years of experience in Safety Management System
implementation.
c) Must have undergone a Safety Management System training as per the
requirements of para 1 Appendix ‘B’ to CAR Section 1 Series C Part I.

Sd/-
(Maneesh Kumar)
Joint Director General

2|Page