Metro News Release
For immediate release: September 16, 2010
Metro Committee recommends new safety-driven mission; creation of a new safety committee
Continue emphasis of safety as top priority, meet NTSB recommendation
Continuing to emphasize the priority of safety, Metro’s Customer Service, Operations and Safety Committee has recommended that the full Board of Directors establish a Safety and Security Committee and that the Board also adopt a new mission statement that clearly places safety at the forefront of the transit agency.
The actions serve to demonstrate the transit agency’s commitment to safety as its top priority and address a recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board for increased safety oversight by the Metro Board, which is expected to vote on the recommendations at its regular monthly meeting on Sept. 30.
The proposed new mission statement reads: “Metro operates and maintains a safe, reliable and effective transit system that enhances mobility, improves the quality of life, and stimulates economic development in the Washington metropolitan area.”
“When the full Board votes to adopt the new mission statement and to establish a committee dedicated to safety and security, the Board will have created a structure and framework requested by the NTSB to strengthen our oversight of the agency’s safety and security efforts. The challenge before us is to use that framework effectively to enhance safety for our customers, employees and the public,” said Peter Benjamin, Chairman of the Metro Board of Directors.
As proposed, the new Safety and Security Committee would be comprised of all members of the Metro Board of Directors with Mortimer Downey, a federal appointee, serving as the committee chairman and Gordon Linton, a Maryland representative, as vice chairman. Under Downey’s direction, the new committee would assume the responsibility of safety oversight from the Customer Service, Operations and Safety Committee, which would be re-established as the Customer Service and Operations committee and continue to focus more intently on customer service and operations-related issues.
The new committee would meet monthly and make recommendations for Board adoption that are focused on the direction and goals of Metro’s safety, and security and police operations. The committee would be responsible for providing continual oversight to Metro to ensure that all facilities, equipment and operations of the transit system are safe and secure for passengers, employees and the public affected by Metro services.
The proposal calls for the new committee’s members to work with the Tri-State Oversight Committee, the Federal Transit Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board to ensure internal and external safety recommendations to Metro are handled expeditiously and effectively.
Metro’s Chief Safety Officer and Chief of Police would report regularly to the committee on the status of safety and security programs, initiatives, incidents, metrics and the responsiveness of the agency to any safety findings.
In other safety-related items before the committee, staff highlighted its continued work to improve safety. It was announced that all Federal Transit Authority audit findings related to Metro were addressed and labeled as “acceptable” by FTA officials, which means the FTA has reviewed and accepted the proposed actions.
The extensive background and experience of Metro’s expanded Safety Department staff also was highlighted. The new personnel have increased the expertise of the Safety Department’s staff, which now averages 17 years of experience in transit, 10 years of experience in safety and 13 years of experience with Metro. Metro’s safety staff has grown to 58 positions during the past few months with recent hires including a new assistant chief safety officer and deputy chief of rail safety, along with 12 new positions (all filled) and the reassignment of 15 positions to the Bus Quality Assurance Office.
News release issued at 1:53 pm, September 16, 2010.