Safety is an essential element for realizing the ?hydrogen economy? ? safe operation in all of its aspects fromhydrogen production through storage, distribution and use; from research, development and demonstration tocommercialization. As such, safety is given paramount importance in all facets of the research, developmentand demonstration of the U.S Department of Energy?s (DOE) Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and InfrastructureTechnologies (HFCIT) Program Office. The diversity of the DOE project portfolio is self-evident. Projectsare performed by large companies, small businesses, DOE National Laboratories, academic institutions andnumerous partnerships involving the same. Projects range from research exploring advances in novelhydrogen storage materials to demonstrations of hydrogen refueling stations and vehicles. Recognizing thenature of its program and the importance of safety planning, DOE has undertaken a number of initiatives toencourage and shape safety awareness. The DOE Hydrogen Safety Review Panel was formed to bring abroad cross-section of expertise from the industrial, government and academic sectors to help ensure thesuccess of the program as a whole. The Panel provides guidance on safety-related issues and needs, reviewsindividual DOE-supported projects and their safety plans and explores ways to bring learnings to broadlybenefit the DOE program. This paper explores the approaches used for providing safety planning guidance tocontractors in the context of their own (and varied) policies, procedures and practices. The essentialelements that should be included in safety plans are described as well as the process for reviewing projectsafety plans. Discussion of safety planning during the conduct of safety review site visits is also shared.Safety planning-related learnings gathered from project safety reviews and the Panel?s experience inreviewing safety plans are discussed.