Safety Communication
Safety communication is essential for creating a strong safety culture with public transit personnel and riders. The MBTA communicates internally and externally about:
- Emergencies and incidents
- The latest safety policies and procedures
- Education on safety topics
There are several channels for safety communication at the MBTA, including:
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Safety Hotline
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Personnel can contact the 24-hour Safety Hotline to confidentially report safety concerns, suggestions, damage to MBTA facilities and assets, service-related impacts, and hazards with the potential to cause injury or death.
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Operations Control Center (OCC)
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The OCC can be reached by personnel via radio or telephone to report operational safety and security emergencies, including accidents, employee or customer injuries, and assaults.
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Employee Safety Reporting Program (ESRP)
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The ESRP gathers feedback from local safety committee meetings, where employees can raise site and job specific safety concerns to management, and other reporting venues. It supports proper safety incident reporting and generates prioritized risk information.
FTA Safety Management Inspection Response
FTA Special Directive 22-11
During their Safety Management Inspection (SMI), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued Special Directive (SD) 22-11 and found that the MBTA has neither made provisions nor clearly communicated guidance to ensure that:
- Safety committee information is documented, prioritized, and actionable
- Frontline employees participate in local safety committees as part of their roles in the agency’s Safety Management System (SMS)
- Frontline employees understand what types of information to report through the Safety Hotline
Corrective Action Plans (CAPs)
The MBTA developed CAPs to address SD 22-11 findings. CAPs are made up of action items at different stages of progress:
- Not yet submitted: The action item has not been completed.
- Under FTA review: The MBTA completed the action item and submitted documentation to the FTA. The FTA is reviewing the MBTA's submission.
- Resubmissions in progress: The MBTA completed the action item and submitted documentation to the FTA. The FTA requested additional information from the MBTA.
- Submissions accepted by the FTA: The MBTA completed the action item and submitted documentation to the FTA. The FTA accepted the MBTA’s submission.
The MBTA’s early actions focused on standardizing local safety committee meetings. We plan to support the hosts of these meetings with training and resources. We also launched an Employee Concerns Hotline to complement the existing Safety Hotline.
| CAP | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| CAP | SD 22-11 CAP 1 ensures that safety committee information results in corrective actions and safety risk mitigation effectiveness monitoring. | Status | In progress |
| CAP | SD 22-11 CAP 2 develops accountability guidelines for frontline employees and departments in local safety committee meetings. | Status | In progress |
| CAP | SD 22-11 CAP 3 develops and expedites an ESRP that provides direction on how to effectively report safety concerns. | Status | Complete |
