FTA Develops "SMS Framework"

The Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) commitment to building a 21st century safety regulatory program includes adoption of Safety Management Systems (SMS) as the basis for the new National Public Transportation Safety Program. Today, FTA’s Office of Safety and Oversight (TSO) released the publication titled SMS Framework:  Getting Ready.

What is the FTA “SMS Framework”?

The FTA SMS Framework provides the building blocks of SMS and some of the major milestones for its implementation. By sharing this Framework, the FTA aims to standardize the understanding of SMS and actively support its implementation through communication and partnership with the public transportation industry.

Implementing SMS will provide transit agencies with a structure for understanding and addressing safety risks through proactive and timely organizational decision-making. The FTA developed this SMS Framework for public transportation and oversight agencies to:

• Provide a brief overview of key SMS concepts
• Describe attributes of an effective SMS
• Present FTA’s adopted SMS components and sub-components
• Present SMS development phases and general SMS maturity levels

If you have questions please contact Lynn Everett, SMS Pilot Lead, at lynn.everett@dot.gov

Download Acrobat Reader