Safety Assessment Report

A Safety Assessment Report (SAR) is a formal summary of the safety data collected during the design and development of the system, which details the hazard potential of the item, provides a risk assessment, and recommends corrective actions to reduce these hazards to an acceptable level. SARs are written by the materiel developer for systems; standalone SARs should also be written by the battery vendor for the battery being used in the system, or for any battery being developed for general use in the Army. DI-80102-C , Data Item Description, Safety Assessment Report or MIL-STD-882E Task 301 can be used for guidance, although there may be additional requirements specified by contract.

The exact content of an SAR will depend upon the system being analyzed – for example, Chemical systems will have more chemical specific data, while a Vehicular system will be tailored to that type of system. SARs are usually required for systems, such as radios, UAVs, etc., as well as for individual batteries that may be used in these systems.

SAR requirements and required content will be specified in the contract, but in general a SAR should include (as applicable):

• Physical Description (Include interfaces)
  • Include pictures, schematics, flow diagrams, flow charts (operational)
• Description of the Chemistry of system operation
• Description of the Mechanical aspects of system operation
• Description of the Environmental aspects of system operation
• Description of other Operational aspects of the system operation
• Key Documents (Referenced or used to develop the SAR)
• System Operations (How it works, operating instructions, for example; control settings, etc.)
• Safety Testing:
  • List Tests performed (with a description or reference documents so that the reader can replicate the test if necessary and expect similar results.)
  • List Test results (Pass/Fail; with Pass/Fail criteria)
  • List any corrective actions taken (to be taken) for any failures [and show successful repeat tests based upon the application of these corrective actions if necessary; discuss any procedures used to mitigate hazards.]
• Hazards analysis [Perform for normal operating conditions and in case of failure/non-normal/emergency operations – provide identification, assessment and resolution of hazards with Risk Assessment Codes (RACs) assigned.]
  • Examine System for all potential hazards
    • Physical, Chemical, Thermal, Environmental, Mechanical
    • Rank by Severity & Probability in a Risk Matrix (RACs)
    • List mitigating strategies to reduce all Medium and High risks (RACs)
    • List any testing that relates to how the system is safe and shows that any potential hazards are controlled
• Conclusions
• Complete and append the SEL Form 1183
• Provide a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) / Product Safety Data Sheet (PSDS), if applicable
• Optional, but desired:
  • Provide an Operators/Owner’s Manual (Draft is acceptable)
  • Provide a Maintenance Manual (Draft is acceptable)
• Actual Certified Test data (First Article Test) may be requested/required in a separate document later.