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Guidance

Directorate of Defence Safety and Support (DDSS)

Our vision for safety in Defence is to establish a world-leading safety culture, eliminate fatalities, and enhance our capability through learning and safe practices.

Updates to this page

From:
Ministry of Defence
Published:
31 July 2020
Last updated:
2 September 2026
Show all updates

  1. Updated: Defence Safety Function Operating Model (this was previously the MOD Health Safety & Environment Protection Operating Model); webpage title, to reflect change to the name of Directorate of Defence Safety and Support.

  2. Updated 'MOD Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) - Operating Model'.

  3. Updated: Safety & Environment Profession – Our offer.

  4. Updated 'Safety & Environment Profession – Our offer'.

  5. Updated page information to reflect change from Health Safety & Environment Protection (HS&EP) to Directorate of Defence Safety (DDS).

  6. Updated 'MOD Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) - Our Offer' with the latest version.

  7. Added: 'MOD Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) - Our Offer'.

  8. Added: Safety leadership guide: how listening and learning are our best defence.

  9. Added a 'Related information' section.

  10. Updated: MOD Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) Functional Strategy and Infographic.

  11. Addition of: HS&EP Operating Model.

  12. Addition of 'Vision for Health, Safety and Environmental Protection in Defence'.

  13. Added JSP 392 and 418 as reference links on the collection page.

  14. Added a link to JSP 375: Management of health and safety in defence.

  15. First published.

Documents

Defence Safety Function Operating Model - 1 September 2026

PDF, 953 KB, 29 pages

MOD Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) Functional Strategy

PDF, 4.04 MB, 16 pages

MOD Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) Functional Strategy infographic

PDF, 312 KB, 1 page

Vision for Health, Safety and Environmental Protection in Defence

HTML

Vision for Health, Safety and Environmental Protection in Defence

PDF, 439 KB, 3 pages

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Safety leadership guide: how listening and learning are our best defence

PDF, 292 KB, 5 pages

Safety & Environment Profession – Our offer

PDF, 1.16 MB, 10 pages

Details

Please note the Defence Safety Function was formally referred to as ‘Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP)’. Some documents may still refer to HS&EP as they are being updated.

The Ministry of Defence is acutely aware of the duty of care it owes to its people, the public and the environment and therefore takes its safety obligations extremely seriously.

The Safety Function Owner is the Director General People, who has delegated authority to lead the Function to the Director Defence Safety and Support.

Safety policy documents

Knowledge in Defence (KiD)

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