National Public Transportation Safety Program How You Can Position Your Agency to Be Ready

Federal Level FTA mandated by legislation to develop 1)A National Public Transportation Safety Plan — FTA has chosen to integrate a Safety Management System Approach (first time FTA has had authority over safety since 1964) 2)A Transit Asset Management system

National Public Transportation Safety Plan 1.Safety performance criteria for all modes of public transportation 2.Definition of state of good repair, implemented through national TAM (transit asset management) system 3.Public transportation safety certification training program 4.Minimum safety performance standards for transit vehicles (not regulated through other federal agency)

National Transit Asset Management FTA defines “state of good repair” w/objective standards for measuring asset conditions FTA establishes performance measures FTA recipients/subrecipients must develop an asset management plan Asset inventories, condition assessments, and performance targets must be reported to FTA FTA must provide TA to recipients, including an analytical process or decision support tool, to estimate and prioritize capital investment needs

Local Level Who: o Large urbans (>200,000)—develop own plan o Small urbans/rural recipients of 5307/5311—state can provide templates/certify plans o Subrecipients What will be required: o Transit Asset Management plan, with annual SGR performance targets and reported to NTD o Transit Agency Safety Plan, using the SMS (Safety Management System) approach o Safety and TAM plans incorporated into MPO long-range plans and TIPs and STIP

Transit Asset Management Plan Agencies adopt strategic approach to thinking about life-cycle of assets and prioritize investment: Capital asset inventory (leverage reporting already done for NTD) Condition assessment Investment prioritization SGR performance targets, based on FTA SGR definition (direct recipients set for subrecipients) Community Transportation Association

Transit Agency Safety Plan Recipient must establish a comprehensive public transportation agency safety plan to include: o Board or equivalent entity must approve the safety plan o Methods for identifying/evaluating safety risks o Strategies to minimize exposure o Process/timeline for conducting annual safety plan review o Performance targets (safety performance criteria + SGR standards) o Safety Officer, reporting to management o Comprehensive staff training program Community Transportation Association

Safety Management ‘Safety Management’ is the systematic and comprehensive management of the safety hazards and risks associated with transit system operations and related maintenance activities to achieve high levels of safety performance.

Safety Performance Management Network Community Transportation Association

Safety Management Systems (SMS) The goal of SMS is to ensure that public transit agencies have a strategic decision-making process to proactively identify, prioritize, and control emerging safety risks before these risks become critical system failures.

How is Safety defined in an SMS? Safety is the state in which the risk of injury to persons or damage to property is reduced to, and maintained at or below, an acceptable level through a continuing process of hazard identification and risk management.

4 questions that SMS will facilitate answering What is most likely to be the cause of your next accident or serious incident? How do you know that? What are you doing about it? Is it working? Slide 12

Key Elements 1)Agree on outcomes critical to safety performance 2)Select metrics for monitoring outcomes 3)Gather baseline data on current conditions 4)Set specific targets—measurable, acceptable, consistent w/state/fed---and dates for reaching these targets 5)Collect data regularly to assess if targets are being met 6)Analyze performance data and reporting results 7)Integrate performance results in decision ‐ making.

SMS Framework 1.Safety Management Policy 2.Safety Risk Management 3.Safety Assurance 4.Safety Promotion

Community Transportation Association

Safety Management Policy Accountable Executive Roles and responsibilities—management and employee Management commitment Integration with existing programs Safety performance objectives Positive safety culture Documentation

Safety Risk Management Proactively identifying safety hazards Evaluating potential consequences of safety hazards Developing risk controls to mitigate consequences

Safety Assurance Monitoring individual safety performance Monitoring organizational safety performance Evaluating effectiveness of risk controls Measuring if safety objectives are met Managing risk involved in change Continuously improving SMS

Safety Promotion Ensuring organization-wide safety communication Training to proficiency on safety skills and competence Training on SMS roles and responsibilities

Benefits of a SMS Direct and indirect cost savings due to accident/loss prevention and reduction in insurance premiums Increased competitive business advantage through a marketable record of safe operations Logical prioritization of safety needs based on the level of risk involved Continuous improvement of operational and maintenance processes

Benefits of an SMS Demonstrated due diligence when accidents occur; Improved communications and employee morale – spreads responsibility for safe operations throughout all levels of org. Increased collaboration between stakeholders on safety initiatives to mitigate risk, especially in emergency preparedness activities

FTA Support for Bus Safety Program

Voluntary Onsite Reviews State DOT Orientation Seminars Bus Safety Program Website Industry Coordination and Outreach

FTA Resource Website Library of 1,300 resources Safety news and events Self-assessment tool ( identify safety gaps ) Case studies ( support emergency planning and decision-making ) Currently in redesign ( w/ E-learning modules) 1,600 registered users, 520,000 downloads of resources

Voluntary Onsite Reviews Scheduled by request from transit agencies, state DOTs, FTA regions Onsite for 1–3 days Voluntary; designed to provide safety guidance Post-visit report and technical assistance safety materials 53 Reviews done to date NTD data indicates significant reduction in accidents in year after a review

Orientation Seminars Co-sponsored by state DOTs / state transit associations Publicizes bus program / encourages attendees to use program resources Provides safety training, guidance, technical assistance Demonstrates Bus Program website Allows dialogue on transit safety needs

Program Outreach Initiatives include: ­Presentations o CTAA EXPOs o FTA regional conferences o National rural conferences o MTAP/SCOPT annual meetings o Tribal transit conferences o State transit association conferences ­Blast s ­Panels at conferences ­Outreach to transit associations

2 trainings from CTAA: Certified Safety and Security Officer (CSSO) Community Transportation Safety & Security Accreditation (CTSSA) Community Transportation Association

CSSO and CTSSA Trainings Community Transportation Association As a partner to FTA’s Bus Safety and Security program, CSSO and CTSSA programs are two-part process to provide Provide education, support, and recognition to individuals and transit organizations in critical areas of safety and security. Give transit systems a comprehensive set of tools necessary to meet this critical safety, security, and emergency preparedness responsibility and to recognize individual and agency mission accomplishments.

Certified Safety and Security Officer (CSSO) Training offered by Community Transportation Assn. of America Community Transportation Association

Certified Safety and Security Officer (CSSO) Community Transportation Association A CSSO is trained to assist in improving the preparedness of public and community transportation operations, and to maximize a transit system’s ability to provide safe and secure transit.

Community Transportation Association CSSOs o Review existing system safety standards o Identify and address FTA safety program benchmarks o Highlight system strengths o Identify areas for improvement o Develop a safety, security and emergency preparedness program Certified Safety and Security Officer (CSSO)

8 Core Areas of the Training o System leadership and administration o Transit operations o Maintenance and technology o Personnel management o Training and development o Security initiatives o Safety initiatives o Emergency preparedness

Community Transportation Association System Self-Assessment Tool

Community Transportation Safety and Security Accreditation (CTSSA) Training offered by Community Transportation Assn. of America Community Transportation Association

Community Transportation Safety and Security Accreditation (CTSSA) For CTAA, accreditation is a process by which community and public transit systems, not individuals, are reviewed to determine whether they meet certain standards of quality. Community Transportation Association

This program is designed to promote the safety and security of the customers of community and public transportation systems… Community Transportation Association Community Transportation Safety and Security Accreditation (CTSSA)

…and to promote the safety and security of the women and men who deliver these services and provide mobility for the riding public every day. Community Transportation Association

o It reflects the quality by which your organization conducts its business. o It speaks to a sense of public trust, as well as high professional standards o It provides a publicly recognized badge signifying excellence in, and commitment to, the safety and security of your passengers o Accreditation is an extremely positive step in reducing agency liability and the cost of insurance o It provides impartial evaluation on a periodic basis by professional colleagues. o Accreditation provides assurance to your passengers and the general public that your transportation system is engaged in continuous quality review and improvement and that it meets the Federal Transit Administration – endorsed standards of their Bus Safety and Security Program. Community Transportation Association Why is this accreditation important?