JSP 376: Defence Acquisition Safety Policy

When to use

Prerequisites: none: plain Markdown. Familiarity with ALARP, a safety case, and a business case helps; the glossary defines the Defence-specific terms.

Use this skill for questions about how UK Defence acquisition programmes treat safety: what the SRO and the User each owe, which artefacts a phase produces, how a safety case is owned across the lifecycle, and what evidence an approvals submission carries. It is the acquisition-safety companion to jsp-815; it does not replace that pack.

Source: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. JSP 376 Defence Acquisition Safety Policy V1.1 (April 2024), Ministry of Defence, © Crown copyright. Reconstructed reference notes, not reproductions; licence and source links in LICENSE.

How to Use This Skill

• Without arguments: read Core Frameworks below.
• With a topic: find it in the Topic Index and open the chapter it routes to.
• With a phase name: use the Chapter Index to find the chapter that carries the phase.
• For a term: use glossary.md; for the phase-by-artefact grid, use cheatsheet.md.

Core Frameworks & Mental Models

The six concepts

JSP 376 frames acquisition safety through six concepts: Safety Management, Safety Requirements, Test and Evaluation (including Certification), Safety Case, Supervision and Control Activities, and Acquisition Safety Assurance and Approvals Decision Support. The policy defines each concept's key policy statement, then Chapter 3 of the source applies all six to the lifecycle phases.

Safe to operate and operated safely

The aim of acquisition safety is a capability that is safe to operate and, once in service, is operated safely. Accountability follows the same split: the SRO is accountable through procurement, and ownership moves to the User at entry to service, staying with the User through in-service and disposal. Accountability is personal and cannot be delegated; development and maintenance of safety work can be assigned, but the SRO/User remains answerable for it.

The seven-phase lifecycle and the three business cases

Acquisition runs through Pre-Concept plus the six CADMID/T phases: Concept, Assessment, Demonstration, Manufacture, In-Service, and Disposal/Termination. Each phase executes the plan agreed in the previous phase, reviews the outcome, and plans what remains. Formal approving-authority decisions fall at the end of the first three phases, each on a business case: the Strategic Outline Case at the end of Pre-Concept, the Outline Business Case at the end of Concept, and the Full Business Case at the end of Assessment. The greatest opportunity to influence safety is early, and late mitigation costs more in performance, cost, and time.

Must, must make sure, and should

The policy's three directive terms carry different weights. Where it says must, the action is a compulsory requirement completed by the actioner. Where it says must make sure, delivery may be assigned to an individual, but the actioner remains accountable for the actions being conducted. Where it says should, the action is not compulsory but is recommended good practice.

Chapter Index

Ch	Chapter	Sources	Coverage
01	ch01-acquisition-safety-policy.md	pp. 1-4	Purpose, the six concepts, proportionality, scope, key terms, the legislative baseline (ALARP, exemptions, tolerability, hierarchy of controls), the policy framework (DDS, DSA, Def Stan 00-056 named), and preface terminology.
02	ch02-roles-and-safety-in-the-programme.md	pp. 4-10	SRO, User, T&E User, Lead User, Approving Authority, delivery agents, DSA, Dir DS, and ASC roles; the programme delivery envelope and DLODs; interfaces; competence; safety leadership; the seven phases and three business cases; acquisition reform themes; the Chapter 4 gap.
03	ch03-safety-management-and-requirements.md	pp. 11-17	The safety management key policy statement and PDCA; Organisational Safety Assessment; safety responsibilities; digital engineering, quality, and information; the safety requirements key policy statement; URD requirement flow; the safety KUR; through-life requirements; measures of effectiveness; prioritisation and trades; legal and regulatory requirements; DEDs and exemptions.
04	ch04-test-evaluation-and-safety-case.md	pp. 18-22	The test and evaluation key policy statement; why T&E matters; certification; the safety case key policy statement; what a safety case is, its scope and development; ownership; the safety case report.
05	ch05-supervision-assurance-approvals.md	pp. 23-27	The supervision key policy statement; the assurance key policy statements; the three lines of defence; the Safety Assurance Model; approvals decision support; PEAT and PEAP; safety across the five cases; Review Notes and Information Notes.
06	ch06-early-lifecycle-phases.md	pp. 28-37	The Pre-Concept, Concept, and Assessment phases: key policy statements, artefacts produced, and business-case evidence owed, with the Annex C evidence guide.
07	ch07-demonstration-and-manufacture.md	pp. 38-43	The Demonstration and Manufacture key policy statements; evidence and design change; test and evaluation; the safety case through Demonstration; production, handover, and the In-Service Date; requirements, certification, and the final baseline.
08	ch08-in-service-and-disposal.md	pp. 44-50	The in-service key policy statement; how the emphasis changes; safety management, requirements and compliance, and the safety case in service; the disposal key policy statement; planning and running disposal; selling, gifting, and certification.

Topic Index

• Acquisition safety policy and the six concepts → ch01
• ALARP, tolerability, exemptions, hierarchy of controls → ch01
• SRO, User, and other roles → ch02
• Safety in the programme, iron triangle, interfaces → ch02
• Acquisition reform themes → ch02
• Non-standard acquisition and the unpublished Chapter 4 → ch02
• Safety Management Plan and PDCA → ch03
• Organisational Safety Assessment → ch03
• Safety requirements, URD, SRD, safety KUR → ch03
• DEDs and exemptions from legislation or policy → ch03
• Test and evaluation, ITEAP, certification → ch04
• Safety case and safety case report → ch04
• Supervision and control of activity → ch05
• Assurance, three lines of defence, Safety Assurance Model → ch05
• Approvals decision support, five cases, PEAT and PEAP → ch05
• Pre-Concept, Concept, Assessment → ch06
• Strategic Outline Case, Outline Business Case, Full Business Case → ch06
• Demonstration and Manufacture → ch07
• Duty Holder appointment and In-Service Date handover → ch07
• In-service operation and safety case reviews → ch08
• Disposal and termination → ch08

Supporting Files

• glossary.md: acquisition safety terms and Annex A abbreviations, alphabetical, with the chapters that use each.
• cheatsheet.md: the unpublished Chapter 4 note, the Annex B overview figure described, and the Annex C Safety Evidence Summary Table as a phase-by-concept grid.

Scope & Limits

• Source version: JSP 376 Defence Acquisition Safety Policy V1.1 (April 2024); the pin was verified 2026-10-14.
• Policy, not statute: JSP 376 is Ministry of Defence policy and guidance, not legislation. Nothing in it removes the duty to comply with statute or Defence safety regulations.
• Builds on JSP 815 and cites JSP 655. Neither is reproduced. Use jsp-815 for the SMS; this pack does not replace it.
• Chapter 4 (Non-Standard Acquisition) is unpublished in V1.1 and is not in this pack.
• No DEF-STAN text. Def Stan 00-056 is named, not quoted.
• No other JSP reproduced. The preface related-JSP list is named only.
• No MOD endorsement. This pack is reconstructed reference notes, not MOD guidance, and has no official status.
• No external links. Source and licence links live only in LICENSE.