(a) In general. A railroad shall adopt and implement its FRMP through an FRA-approved FRMP plan, developed in consultation with directly affected employees as described under § 270.107. A railroad FRMP plan must contain the elements described in this section. A railroad must submit the plan to FRA for approval under the criteria of subpart C.

(b) Goals. An FRMP plan must contain a statement that defines the specific fatigue-related goals of the FRMP and describes strategies for reaching those goals.

(c) Methods—(1) Analysis of fatigue risk. An FRMP plan shall describe a railroad's method(s) for conducting its fatigue-risk analysis as part of its FRMP. The description shall specify:

(i) The scope of the analysis, which is the covered population of safety-related railroad employees;

(ii) The processes a railroad will use to identify fatigue-related railroad safety hazards on its system and determine the degree of risk associated with each fatigue-related hazard identified;

(iii) The processes a railroad will use to compare and prioritize identified fatigue-related risks for mitigation purposes; and

(iv) The information sources a railroad will use to support ongoing identification of fatigue-related railroad safety hazards and determine the degree of risk associated with those hazards.

(2) Mitigation strategies. An FRMP plan shall describe a railroad's processes for:

(i) Identifying and selecting fatigue risk mitigation strategies; and

(ii) Monitoring identified fatigue-related railroad safety hazards.

(3) Evaluation. An FRMP plan shall describe:

(i) A railroad's processes for monitoring and evaluating the overall effectiveness of its FRMP and the effectiveness of fatigue-related mitigation strategies the railroad uses under § 270.407; and

(ii) A railroad's procedures for reviewing the FRMP as part of the annual internal assessment of its SSP under § 270.303 and for updating the FRMP plan under the process for amending its SSP plan under § 270.201(c).

(d) FRMP implementation plan. A railroad shall describe in its FRMP plan how it will implement its FRMP. This description must cover an implementation period not to exceed 36 months, and shall include:

(1) A description of the roles and responsibilities of each position or job function with significant responsibility for implementing the FRMP, including those held by employees, contractors who provide significant FRMP-related services, and other entities or persons that provide significant FRMP services;

(2) A timeline describing when certain milestones that must be met to implement the FRMP fully will be achieved. Implementation milestones shall be specific and measurable;

(3) A description of how a railroad may make significant changes to the FRMP plan under the process for amending its SSP plan in § 270.201(c); and

(4) The procedures for consultation with directly affected employees on any subsequent substantive amendments to the railroad's FRMP plan. The requirements of this section do not apply to non-substantive amendments (e.g., amendments that update names and addresses of railroad personnel).