HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 12c - Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan
DATE: July 6, 2021
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Jason Kruckeberg, Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director
Philip A. Wray, Deputy Director of Development Services/City Engineer
By: Linda Hui, Transportation Services Manager
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 7370 APPROVING AND CERTIFYING THE CITY OF
ARCADIA PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AGENCY SAFETY PLAN
Recommendation: Adopt
SUMMARY
The City of Arcadia, as a transit operator and recipient of Federal Transit Administration
(“FTA”) funding, is required to develop and certify a Public Transportation Agency Safety
Plan (“PTASP”) under Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”), Part 673. The City
has drafted a PTASP for Arcadia Transit in accordance with the FTA programs and rules.
The City’s PTASP is required to be approved and certified by the City Council by July 20,
2021. It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7370 approving and
certifying the City of Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan.
BACKGROUND
As part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (“MAP-21”), which was
reauthorized in 2015, Congress directed FTA to establish a comprehensive Public
Transportation Safety Program, one element of which is the requirement for all public
transportation agencies/operators that receive financial assistance under the statute to
have a safety plan in place. The purpose of the mandate was to strengthen the safety of
public transportation systems across the country. In response, the FTA published the
agency safety regulations, 49 CFR Part 673, which require a set of safety management
systems principles and methods. The regulations also include an implementation plan as
well as annual updates and coordination with the metropolitan planning organization and
state agency. Finally, the regulations also direct states to draft and certify a safety plan
on behalf of any small public transportation provider located inside of that particular state.
The effective date of the regulation was July 19, 2019, at which time states and local
public transit agencies were given one year to establish and certify an agency safety plan.
Resolution 7370 Approving and Certifying the City of Arcadia Public
Transportation Agency Safety Plan
July 6, 2021
Page 2 of 3
FTA acknowledged that transit agencies experienced substantial operational challenges
due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, which seriously affected the ability of
many transit agencies to meet the compliance and certification requirements by the
deadline. Subsequently, FTA extended the deadline to July 20, 2021.
DISCUSSION
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is responsible for developing a
PTASP on behalf of any small public transportation provider that is located in California.
Arcadia Transit, with its fleet of 18 vehicles, is considered a small operator. The City has
an option to opt out of Caltrans program and develop our own safety plan. However, it is
more efficient to join Caltrans’ program.
Caltrans developed the contents of the City of Arcadia’s safety plan to meet requirements
specified in 49 CFR Part 673. This plan is based on the four safety management systems
principles, consisting of (1) Safety Management Policy; (2) Safety Risk Management; (3)
Safety Assurance; and (4) Safety Promotion. The safety management systems
encompass a comprehensive, collaborative approach in bringing management and labor
together to build on the transit industry’s existing safety foundation to control risk better,
detect and correct safety problems earlier, share and analyze safety data more
effectively, and measure safety performance more carefully. It includes systematic
policies, procedures, and practices for the management of safety risk.
Once the City Council adopts the safety plan, the final plan will be forwarded to Caltrans.
Caltrans will compile all agency safety plans from all of the operators it represents and
will forward them to the FTA. The City will ensure the safety provisions in the plan are
implemented by First Transit, the City’s operator of Arcadia Transit. The City is required
to provide an annual update of the plan to FTA.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental
Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the
environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact related to adoption of the safety plan. The implementation of the
safety plan will be completed by existing City staff, and the plan will be incorporated into
the contract with First Transit.
Resolution 7370 Approving and Certifying the City of Arcadia Public
Transportation Agency Safety Plan
July 6, 2021
Page 3 of 3
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action does not constitute a
project and is therefore, exempt under, the California Environmental Quality Act
(“CEQA”); and adopt Resolution No. 7370 approving and certifying the City of Arcadia
Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan.
Attachments: Resolution No. 7370
The City of Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan
City of Arcadia
Development Services Department
240 West Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91007
Arcadia Transit Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan
Adopted
July 6, 2021
Jason Kruckeberg
Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director
Date
2021 The City of Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan | Page 2 of 19
Contents
Definitions .................................................................................................................................. 3
Section 1 Transit Agency Information ......................................................................................... 5
Subsection 1.1 Accountable Executive ...................................................................................... 5
Subsection 1.2 Chief Safety Officer ............................................................................................ 5
Section 2 Plan Development, Approval, and Updates ................................................................ 5
Subsection 2.1 Drafting the Plan ................................................................................................ 6
Subsection 2.2 Signature by the Accountable Executive and Approval by the Board ................. 6
Subsection 2.3 Certification of Compliance ................................................................................ 6
Subsection 2.4 Plan Review and Updates .................................................................................. 6
Section 3 Safety Performance Targets (SPTs) ........................................................................... 7
Subsection 3.1 Target Development .......................................................................................... 7
Section 4 Overview of the Agency’s Safety Management Systems (SMS) ................................. 7
Section 5 Safety Management Policy ......................................................................................... 8
Subsection 5.1 Safety Management Policy Statement ............................................................... 8
Subsection 5.2 Safety Management Policy Communication ....................................................... 9
Subsection 5.3 Employee Safety Reporting Program ................................................................. 9
Subsection 5.4 SMS Authorities, Accountabilities, and Responsibilities ....................................10
Subsection 5.4.1 Accountable Executive..................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Subsection 5.4.2 Chief Safety Officer ........................................................................................11
Subsection 5.4.3 Agency Leadership and Executive Management ...........................................12
Subsection 5.4.4 Key Staff ........................................................................................................12
Section 6 Safety Risk Management (SRM) ...............................................................................13
Subsection 6.1 Safety Hazard Identification ..............................................................................13
Subsection 6.2 Safety Risk Assessment ...................................................................................14
Subsection 6.3 Safety Risk Mitigation .......................................................................................16
Section 7 Safety Assurance ......................................................................................................16
Subsection 7.1 Safety Performance Monitoring and Measurement ...........................................16
Section 8 Safety Promotion .......................................................................................................18
Subsection 8.1 Safety Communication ......................................................................................18
2021 The City of Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan | Page 3 of 19
Definitions
Accident means an Event that involves any of the following: a loss of life; a report of a serious
injury to a person; a collision of public transportation vehicles; an evacuation for life safety
reasons.
Accountable Executive means the single, identifiable person who has ultimate responsibility for
carrying out the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan of the Agency; responsibility for
carrying out the Agency’s Transit Asset Management Plan; and control or direction over the
human and capital resources needed to develop and maintain both the Agency’s Public
Transportation Agency Safety Plan, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. § 5329(d), and the Agency’s
Transit Asset Management Plan in accordance with 49 U.S.C. § 5326.
Agency or Transit Agency means the City of Arcadia.
City Council means governing body of the City of Arcadia.
Caltrans means the California Department of Transportation
Chief Safety Officer means the adequately trained individual who has responsibility for safety
and reports directly to the Transit Agency’s chief executive officer.
CFR means Code of Federal Regulations.
Event means any Accident, Incident, or Occurrence.
FTA means the Federal Transit Administration, an operating administration within the United
States Department of Transportation.
Hazard means any real or potential condition that can cause injury, illness, or death, damage to
or loss of the facilities, equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure of the system, or damage to the
environment.
Incident means an Event that involves any of the following: a personal injury that is not a serious
injury, one or more injuries requiring medical transport, or damage to facilities, equipment,
rolling stock, or infrastructure that disrupts the operations of the Transit Agency.
Investigation means the process of determining the causal and contributing factors of an
accident, incident, or hazard, for the purpose of preventing recurrence and mitigating risk.
National Public Transportation Safety Plan means the plan to improve the safety of all public
transportation systems that receive federal financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53.
Occurrence means an Event without any personal injury in which any damage to facilities,
equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure does not disrupt the operations of the Transit Agency.
Part 673 means 49 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 673.
Performance Measure means an expression based on a quantifiable indicator of performance or
condition that is used to establish targets and to assess progress toward meeting the
established targets.
Performance target means a quantifiable level of performance or condition, expressed as a
value for the measure, to be achieved within a time period required by the Federal Transit
Administration (FTA).
2021 The City of Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan | Page 4 of 19
Risk means the composite of predicted severity and likelihood of the potential effect of a hazard.
Risk mitigation means a method or methods to eliminate or reduce the effects of hazards.
Safety Assurance means processes within the Transit Agency’s Safety Management Systems
that function to ensure the implementation and effectiveness of safety risk mitigation, and to
ensure that the Transit Agency meets or exceeds its safety objectives through the collection,
analysis, and assessment of information.
Safety Management Policy means the Transit Agency’s documented commitment to safety,
which defines the Transit Agency’s safety objectives and the accountabilities and
responsibilities of its employees in regard to safety.
Safety Management Systems (SMS) means the formal, top-down, organization-wide approach
to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of a Transit Agency’s safety risk
mitigation. SMS includes systematic procedures, practices, and policies for managing risks and
hazards.
Safety Performance Target (SPT) means a Performance Target related to safety management
activities.
Safety Promotion means a combination of training and communication of safety information to
support SMS as applied to the Transit Agency’s public transportation system.
Safety Risk Assessment (SRA) means the formal activity whereby the Transit Agency
determines Safety Risk Management priorities by establishing the significance or value of its
safety risks.
Safety Risk Management (SRM) means a process within the Transit Agency’s Public
Transportation Agency Safety Plan for identifying hazards and analyzing, assessing, and
mitigating safety risk.
Serious injury means any injury which: (1) requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours,
commencing within seven days from the date the injury was received, (2) results in a fracture of
any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or noses), (3) causes severe hemorrhages,
nerve, muscle, or tendon damage; (4) involves any internal organ, or (5) involves second or
third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than five percent of the body surface.
State of Good Repair (SGR) means the condition in which a capital asset is able to operate at a
full level of performance.
Transit Asset Management Plan means the strategic and systematic practice of procuring,
operating, inspecting, maintaining, rehabilitating, and replacing transit capital assets to manage
their performance, risks, and costs over their life cycles, for the purpose of providing safe, cost-
effective, and reliable public transportation, as required by 49 U.S.C. 5326 and 49 CFR part
625.
U.S.C. means United States Code.
2021 The City of Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan | Page 5 of 19
1 Transit Agency Information
The City of Arcadia (hereinafter referred to as “City”) is a municipal authority formed by
the Municipal Authorities Act of 1945 etc., which operates fixed route and demand
response in the City of Arcadia, Los Angeles County, California. The City purchases
transportation services from First Transit Group. The City is a recipient of Section 5307
funds. The City does not provide transportation services on behalf of another entity.
1.1 Accountable Executive
The City’s Accountable Executive is Assistant City Manager/Development Services
Director. The Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director is the single,
identifiable person who has ultimate responsibility for carrying out this Agency Safety
Plan and the City’s Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan, and control or direction over
the human and capital resources needed to develop and maintain both this Plan and the
TAM Plan.
The Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director is accountable for ensuring
that the Agency’s Safety Management Systems (SMS) is effectively implemented
throughout the Agency’s public transportation system. The Assistant City
Manager/Development Services Director is accountable for ensuring action is taken, as
necessary, to address substandard performance in the Agency’s SMS. The Assistant
City Manager/Development Services Director may delegate specific responsibilities, but
the ultimate accountability for the Transit Agency’s safety performance cannot be
delegated and always rests with the Assistant City Manager/Development Services
Director.
1.2 Chief Safety Officer
The Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director designates the City
Engineer/Deputy Development Services Director as the City’s Chief Safety Officer who
has the authority and responsibility for day-to-day implementation and operation of the
Agency’s SMS. The Chief Safety Officer holds a direct line of reporting to the
Accountable Executive, and has a strong working relationship with the operations and
asset management functions at the City.
2 Plan Development, Approval, and Updates
Caltrans developed the contents of this City of Arcadia’s plan to meet requirements
specified in 49 CFR Part 673 and comply with Part 673.11(d) regarding Caltrans’
responsibility to develop an ASP for on behalf of any small public transportation provider
that is located in California. This Plan is based on the four (4) principles or pillars of the
Safety Management Systems (SMS). SMS is defined as the formal, top-down, organization-
wide, data-driven approach to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of safety
mitigations. It includes systematic policies, procedures, and practices for the management
of safety risk. The four principles or pillars of SMS are: (1) Safety Management Policy; (2)
Safety Risk Management; (3) Safety Assurance; and (4) Safety Promotion.
2021 The City of Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan | Page 6 of 19
2.1 Drafting the Plan
Caltrans drafted this Plan, thus meeting the requirements of 49 CFR Part 673.11(d).
FTA will oversee compliance with the requirements of Part 673 through the existing
Triennial Review processes.
Should the City no longer meet the definition of a small public transportation provider or
choose to opt-out, within one year from the date of notifying the State of this
development it will draft and certify its own plan compliant with requirements of systems
operating greater than 100 vehicles.
2.2 Signature by the Accountable Executive and Approval by the Board
Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 673.11 (a)(1), this Agency Safety Plan and subsequent
updates must be signed by the Accountable Executive and approved by the City’s
Board. Documentation of Board approval is found in Appendix I.
2.3 Certification of Compliance
Pursuant to 49 CFR Parts 673.13(a) and 673.13(b), Caltrans shall certify that it has
established this Agency Safety Plan, meeting the requirements of 49 CFR Part 673 by
July 20, 2021 and will certify its compliance with 49 CFR Part 673 on an annual basis.
FTA does not require this plan to be submitted to FTA. Instead, Caltrans will certify that
it has established this Safety Plan, which fulfills the requirements under Part 673. FTA
annually amends and issues the list of Certifications and Assurances. Caltrans will
review such guidance for incorporation into the safety program as necessary.
2.4 Plan Review and Updates
The City of Arcadia updates this Safety Plan when information, processes or activities
change within the Agency and/or when Part 673 undergoes significant changes, or
annually, whichever comes sooner. As the City collects data through its Safety Risk
Management and Safety Assurance processes, shared with Caltrans as described in
subsection 3.1 below, Caltrans will evaluate its safety performance targets (SPTs) to
determine whether they need to be changed, as well.
This Plan will be jointly reviewed and updated by the Chief Safety Officer, Chief Safety
Officer and First Transit’s General Manager, with the assistance of subject matter
experts, each May. The Accountable Executive will approve any changes, then forward
on to the City Council for approval by July 1 each year.
This Plan may need to be reviewed and updated more frequently based on the
following:
• We determine our approach to mitigating safety deficiencies is ineffective;
• We make significant changes to service delivery;
• We introduce new processes or procedures that may impact safety;
• We change or re-prioritize resources available to support SMS;
• We significantly change our organizational structure.
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Section 3 Safety Performance Targets (SPTs)
Subsection 3.1 Target Development
Caltrans includes SPTs in this Safety Plan. These targets are specific numerical targets
set by Caltrans and based on the safety Performance Measures established by FTA in
the National Public Transportation Safety Plan. In the most recent version, the 2017
NSP3, FTA adopted four initial safety Performance Measures: (1) Fatalities, (2) Injuries,
(3) Safety Events, and (4) System Reliability.
Caltrans developed safety performance targets that it will review and update annually. The
specific safety performance targets are based on the safety performance measures
established under the National Public Transportation Safety Plan and the safety
performance goals set by Caltrans based on the past three (3) Calendar years of data. The
Safety Performance Targets for the City for the year 2021 is expected to stay within 1% +/-
of previous three years data pertaining to fatalities, injuries, safety events, and system
reliability.
FTA requires the Caltrans to coordinate with FTA Region 9 and the Metropolitan
Planning Organization (MPO) Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
to the maximum extent practicable. Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 673.15(a), Caltrans will
make safety performance targets available to SCAG to aid in the planning process upon
certification of this plan. Additionally, the City will transmit performance data against the
safety performance targets to Caltrans and SCAG on an annual basis.
Caltrans will conduct coordination meetings with the Metropolitan Planning Organization(s)
(MPO) – SCAG in the selection of State and MPO safety performance targets.
Section 4 Overview of the Agency’s Safety Management Systems (SMS)
SMS is a comprehensive, collaborative approach that brings management and labor
together to build on the transit industry’s existing safety foundation to control risk better,
detect and correct safety problems earlier, share and analyze safety data more
effectively, and measure safety performance more carefully. The City’s SMS focuses on
applying resources to risk and is based on ensuring that the City has the organizational
infrastructure to support decision-making at all levels regarding the assignment of
resources. Some key parts of the City’s SMS include:
Safety Performance Targets
Mode of Transit
Service
Fatalities
Total
Fatalities
Rate*
Injuries
Total
Injuries
Rate*
Safety
Events
Safety
Events
Rate*
System
Reliability**
Fixed Route 0 0.00 0 0.01 <1 0.06 100,000
Demand Response 0 0.00 0 0.01 <1 0.03 100,000
*Per 100k VRM
**Vehicle mileage before major mechanical failures
2021 The City of Arcadia Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan | Page 8 of 19
• Defined roles and responsibilities;
• Strong executive safety leadership;
• Formal safety accountabilities and communication;
• Effective policies and procedures; and
• Active employee involvement
Furthermore, the City’s SMS have four distinct components, which are discussed in
subsequent sections to this Safety Plan:
• Safety Policy
• Safety Risk Management
• Safety Assurance
• Safety Promotion
5 Safety Management Policy
The first component of the City’s SMS is the Safety Management Policy, which is the
foundation of the City’s safety management system. It clearly states the organization’s
safety objectives and sets forth the policies, procedures, and organizational structures
necessary to accomplish the safety objectives. The Safety Management Policy clearly
defines management and employee responsibilities for safety throughout the
organization. It also ensures that management is actively engaged in the oversight of
the system’s safety performance by requiring regular review of the Safety Management
Policy, budget and program by the designated Accountable Executive.
5.1 Safety Management Policy Statement
Safety is a core value at the City, and managing safety is a core business function. The
City will develop, implement, maintain, and continuously improve processes to ensure
the safety of our customers, employees, and the public. The City overall safety objective
is to proactively manage safety hazards and their associated safety risk, with the intent
to eliminate unacceptable safety risk in our transit operations.
The City will:
• Clearly, and continuously explain to all staff that everyone working within the City
must take part and be responsible and accountable for the development and
operation of the Safety Management System (SMS).
• Work continuously to minimize safety risks. Work to comply with and, wherever
possible, exceed legislative and regulatory requirements and standards for
passengers and employees.
• Work to ensure that all employees are provided appropriate safety information
and training, are competent in safety matters, and assigned tasks commensurate
with duties and skills.
• Reaffirm that responsibility for making our operations safer for everyone lies with
all employees – from executive management to frontline employees. Each
manager is responsible for implementing the SMS in their area of responsibility
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and will be held accountable to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to
perform activities established through the SMS.
Caltrans established safety performance targets to help measure the overall
effectiveness of our processes and ensure we meet our safety objectives. The City will
keep employees informed about safety performance goals and objectives to ensure
continuous safety improvement.
5.2 Safety Management Policy Communication
The Safety Management Policy is communicated throughout the Agency, to all
employees, managers, and executives, as well as contractors, and to the City Council.
This is accomplished through various processes such as:
• Workshops/training sessions - Conducted for Senior Management, Directors,
Managers, Supervisors. Once this Plan or any update to this Plan has been
signed by the CEO/General Manager approved by the Board of Directors and
certified by Caltrans it will become standard practice in perpetuity so that SMS
becomes standard business practice. All Union representatives will be kept
informed.
• New Hire Safety Orientation – All new employees regardless of their
classifications will be trained about their roles and responsibilities pertaining to
PTASP and the principles of SMS.
• Safety bulletins, email safety newsletter blasts to staff, toolbox/tailgate safety
meetings and/or safety committee meetings
5.3 Employee Safety Reporting Program
The City implemented a process that allows employees [and contracted employees] to
report safety conditions to senior management, protections for employees who report
safety conditions to senior management. The purpose, description and protections for
employees to report unsafe conditions and hazards are described in the Employee
Safety Reporting Program as below:
Purpose:
a) To establish a system for the City employees to identify unsafe conditions or hazards
at work and report them to their department management without fear of reprisal.
However, disciplinary action could result if the condition reported reveals the employee
willfully participated in or conducted an illegal act, gross negligence or deliberate or
willful disregard of regulations or procedures, including reporting to work under the
influence of controlled substances, physical assault of a coworker or passenger, theft of
agency property, unreported safety events, unreported collisions, and unreported
passenger injuries or fatalities.
b) To provide guidelines for facilitating the timely correction of unsafe conditions or
hazards by the City management.
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Description:
a) This program provides a method for the City management to identify, evaluate, and
correct or avoid unsafe conditions or hazards, procedural deficiencies, design
inadequacies, equipment failures, or near misses that adversely affect the safety of
employees.
Examples of voluntary safety reports include:
• Safety hazards in the operating environment (for example, county or city road
conditions),
• Policies and procedures that are not working as intended (for example,
insufficient time to complete pre-trip inspection),
• Events that senior managers might not otherwise know about (for example, near
misses), and
• Information about why a safety event occurred (for example, radio
communication challenges).
b) The program also involves recommending corrective actions and resolutions of
identified unsafe conditions or hazards and/or near miss.
c) All employees have the obligation to report immediately any unsafe conditions or
hazards and near miss to their immediate supervisor /department manager and may do
so without fear of reprisal.
d) Unsafe conditions or hazards may also be identified as a result of occupational injury
or illness investigations and/or by accident investigation.
e) Other means by which hazards may be identified are inspections/audits or
observations made by the supervisors/management staff as referenced in agency’s
Safety Inspection Program.
f) Findings will be published immediately following mitigation actions. If employee
identification is available, direct feedback regarding mitigation will be provided.
5.4 SMS Authorities, Accountabilities, and Responsibilities
This Plan has assigned specific SMS authorities, accountabilities, and responsibilities to
the designated Accountable Executive; Chief Safety Officer; Agency’s
Leadership/Executive Management; and Key Staff/Employees as described below:
5.4.1 Accountable Executive
The City’s Accountable Executive is Assistant City Manager/Development Services
Director. The Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director is accountable for
ensuring that the Agency’s SMS is effectively implemented throughout the Agency’s
public transportation system. The Assistant City Manager/Development Services
Director is accountable for ensuring action is taken, as necessary, to address
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substandard performance in the Agency’s SMS. The Assistant City
Manager/Development Services Director may delegate specific responsibilities, but the
ultimate accountability for the City’s safety performance cannot be delegated and
always rests with the Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director. The
Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director is accountable for ensuring that
the Agency’s SMS is effectively implemented, and that action is taken, as necessary, to
address substandard performance in the Agency’s SMS. The Accountable Executive
may delegate specific responsibilities, but not accountability for the City’s safety
performance.
The Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director roles include, but are not
limited to:
• Decision-making about resources (e.g. people and funds) to support asset
management, SMS activities, and capital investments;
• Signing SMS implementation planning documents;
• Endorsing SMS implementation team membership; and
• Ensuring safety concerns are considered and addressed in the agency’s ongoing
budget planning process.
• Ensuring transparency in safety priorities: for the Board of Directors and for the
employees.
• Establishing guidance on the level of safety risk acceptable to the agency.
• Assuring safety policy is appropriately communicated throughout the agency.
• Other duties as assigned/necessary.
5.4.2 Chief Safety Officer
The Chief Safety Officer has the authority and responsibility for day-to-day
implementation and operation of the City’s SMS.
Chief Safety Officer’s Roles include:
• Decision-making about resources (e.g., people and funds) to support asset
management, SMS activities, and capital investments;
• Overseeing the safety risk management program by facilitating hazard
identification, safety risk assessment, and the development and implementation
of safety risk mitigations.
• Monitoring safety risk mitigation activities;
• Providing periodic reports on safety performance;
• Briefing the Accountable Executive and the City Council on SMS implementation
progress;
• Planning safety management training; and
• Developing and organizing annual audits/reviews of SMS processes and the
Agency Safety Plan to ensure compliance with 49 CFR Part 673 requirements.
• Maintaining safety documentation.
• Other duties as assigned/necessary.
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5.4.3 Agency Leadership and Executive Management
The City Manager, Assistant City Manager, and Department Directors comprise Agency
Leadership/Executive Management. Some of their responsibilities include:
• Day-to-day implementation of the Agency’s SMS throughout their department
and the organization.
• Communicating safety accountability and responsibility from the frontline
employees to the top of the organization.
• Ensuring employees are following their working rules and procedures, safety
rules and regulations in performing their jobs, and their specific roles and
responsibilities in the implementation of this Agency Safety Plan and the
Agency’s SMS.
• Ensuring that employees comply with the safety reporting program and are
reporting unsafe conditions and hazards to their department management; and
making sure reported unsafe conditions and hazards are addressed in a timely
manner.
• Ensuring that resources are sufficient to carry out employee training/certification
and re-training as required by their job classifications.
5.4.4 Key Staff
The agency Key Staff/Employees may include managers, supervisors, specialists,
analysts, database administrators, and other key employees who are performing highly
technical work and overseeing employees performing critical tasks and providing
support in the implementation of this Agency Safety Plan and SMS principles in various
departments throughout the agency.
The City’s Key Staff/Employees responsibilities include:
• Ensuring that employees are complying with the safety reporting program.
• Ensuring supervisors are conducting their toolbox safety meetings
• Promoting safety in employee’s respective area of responsibilities – That means:
zero accidents; absence of any safety concerns; perfect employee performance;
and compliance with agency rules and procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Ensuring safety of passengers, employees, and the public.
• Responding to customer complaints and expectations for frequency, reliability,
and convenience of service.
• Replacing and maintaining aging facilities, equipment, and infrastructure.
• Meeting increasing demands for fixed route, commuter service and paratransit
service.
• Developing and maintaining programs to gather pertinent data elements to
develop safety performance reports and conduct useful statistical analyses to
identify trends and system performance targets.
• Establishing clear lines of safety communication and holding accountability for
safety performance.
• Assisting as subject matter experts in safety risk assessment and safety risk
mitigation processes.
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6 Safety Risk Management (SRM)
The second component of the City’s SMS is Safety Risk Management, which includes
processes and procedures to provide an understanding of the Agency’s operations and
vehicle maintenance to allow individuals to identify hazards associated with those
activities.
The City has implemented a Safety Risk Management process for all elements of its
transportation system. The Safety Risk Management process includes the following
activities: safety hazard identification, safety risk assessment, and safety risk mitigation.
6.1 Safety Hazard Identification
Hazard identification is the first step in the Safety Risk Management process and a key
component. It involves these fundamental safety-related activities: Identifying safety
hazards and their consequences; assessing the risks associated with the consequences of
the hazards; and developing mitigations to reduce the potential consequences of the
identified hazards.
The following is the City’s methods and processes to identify hazards. The Agency
considers, as a source for hazard identification, data and information provided by an
oversight authority and the FTA. Hazards are identified through a variety of sources,
including:
• Employee safety reporting,
• Review of vehicle camera footage,
• Review of monthly performance data and safety performance targets,
• Observations from supervisors,
• Maintenance reports,
• Comments from customers, passengers, and third parties,
• Safety committee, driver and all-staff meetings,
• Results of audits and inspections of vehicles and facilities,
• Results of training assessments
• Investigations into safety events, incidents and occurrences, and
• Information from FTA and oversight authorities.
When a hazard has been identified, whatever the source, it is reported to the City Chief
Safety Officer, who enters it into the Hazard Log. The Chief Safety Officer also may
enter hazards into this log based on reviews of operations and maintenance activities
and procedures.
The Chief Safety Officer will investigate hazards to collect information and determine if
hazards need to be entered into the safety risk assessment process. In following up on
identified hazards, the Chief Safety Officer may:
• Reach out to the reporting party, if available, to gather all known information
about the reported hazard,
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• Conduct a walkthrough of the affected area, assessing the possible hazardous
condition, generating visual documentation (photographs and/or video), and
taking any measurements deemed necessary,
• Conduct interviews with employees in the area to gather potentially relevant
information on the reported hazard,
• Review any documentation associated with the hazard (records, reports,
procedures, inspections, technical documents, etc.),
• Contact other departments that may have association with or technical
knowledge relevant to the reported hazard,
• Review any past reported hazards of a similar nature, and
• Evaluate tasks and/or processes associated with the reported hazard.
Any identified hazard that poses an immediate risk to transit operations, the health and
safety of employees or the public, or equipment must immediately be brought to the
attention of the Accountable Executive and placed through the Safety Risk Management
process for safety risk assessment and mitigation. Otherwise, hazards will be prioritized
for further Safety Risk Management activity.
6.2 Safety Risk Assessment
Safety risk assessment defines the level or degree of the safety risk by assessing the
likelihood and severity of the consequences of hazards and prioritizes hazards based
on the safety risk. The Chief Safety Officer, with assistance from key staff subject matter
experts, is responsible for assessing identified hazards and ratings using the safety risk
matrix below. Prioritizing safety risk provides the Accountable Executive with the
information needed to make decisions about resource application.
The following matrix, adopted from the TSI Participation Guide – SMS Principles for
Transit, facilitates the ranking of hazards based on their probability of occurrence and
severity of their outcome.
Probability Levels
Description Level Specific Individual Item Fleet Inventory
Frequent A Likely to occur often in the life of an
item. Continuously experienced.
Probable B Will occur several times in the life of
an item. Will occur frequently.
Occasional C Likely to occur sometime in the life of
an item. Will occur several times.
Remote D Unlikely, but possible to occur in the
life of an item.
Unlikely, but can reasonably be
expected to occur.
Improbable E
So unlikely, it can be assumed
occurrence man not be experienced in
the life of an item.
Unlikely to occur, but possible.
Eliminated F
Incapable of occurrence. This level is
used when potential hazards are
identified and later eliminated.
Incapable of occurrence. This level is
used when potential hazards are
identified and later eliminated.
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The measuring goes from A to F with A being frequent or likely to occur frequently and
E being improbable or expected that this event will most likely never occur. The
designation F is used when potential hazards are identified and later eliminated.
Severity Levels
Description Level Mishap Result Criteria
Catastrophic 1
Could Result in one or more of the following: death, permanent total disability,
irreversible significant environmental impact, or monetary loss equal to or
exceeding $10M
Critical 2
Could result in one or more of the following: permanent partial disability, injuries
or occupational illness that may result in hospitalization of at least three
personnel, reversible significant environmental impact, or monetary loss equal
to or exceeding $1M but less than $10M
Marginal 3
Could result in one or more of the following: injuries or occupational illness
resulting in one or more lost work day(s), reversible moderate environmental
impact, or monetary loss equal to or exceeding $100k but less than $1M
Negligible 4
Could result in one or more of the following: injuries or occupational illness not
resulting in lost work day, minimum environmental impact. Or monetary loss
less than $100k.
The Safety Risk Severity Table presents a typical safety risk. It includes four categories
to denote the level of severity of the occurrence of a consequence, the meaning of each
category, and the assignment of a value to each category using numbers. In this table,
1 is considered catastrophic meaning possible deaths and equipment destroyed and 4
is considered negligible or of little consequence with two levels in between.
Safety Risk Probability and Safety Risk Severity are combined into the Safety Risk
Index Ranking to help prioritize safety risks according to the table below.
Safety Risk Assessment Matrix
Severity →
Probability ↓
Catastrophic
1
Critical
2
Marginal
3
Negligible
4
A-Frequent 1A 2A 3A 4A
B- Probable 1B 2B 3B 4B
C-Occasional 1C 2C 3C 4C
D- Remote 1D 2D 3D 4D
E- Improbable 1E 2E 3E 4E
F- Eliminated
Safety Risk Index Ranking
1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B High Unacceptable
1D, 2C, 3A, 3B Serious Undesirable - With management decision required
1E, 2D, 2E, 3C, 3D, 3E, 4A, 4B, Medium Acceptable - with review by management
4C, 4D, 4E Low Acceptable - without review
The Chief Safety Officer documents recommendations regarding hazard rating and mitigation
options and reports this information to the Accountable Executive.
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6.3 Safety Risk Mitigation
The Chief Safety Officer, assisted by Key Staff subject matter experts, reviews current
safety risk mitigations and establish procedures to 1) eliminate; 2) mitigate; 3) accept
specific risks. Prioritization of safety remediation measures is based on risk analysis
and a course of action acceptable to the City management.
The safety risk must be mitigated if ranked as Unacceptable (High- Red). Those safety
risks that have been mitigated, even those mitigated risks shown as Acceptable status
(Low -Green) undergo regular and consistent monitoring to ensure the mitigation
strategy is effective.
Key strategies to minimize the types of risks that potentially exist include:
• Development and deployment of policies and procedures that address known
hazards and risks,
• Discussion of other actions, strategies and procedures that might help safeguard
against unknown/unforeseen risks,
• Training of drivers and other agency staff on all safety policies and procedures,
• Training of drivers and other agency staff on methodologies for handling
emergencies, and
• Training of drivers and staff on proper and effective use of emergency equipment
and communication technologies and protocol.
Safety risk mitigations are tracked and updated in the Hazard Log by the Chief Safety
Officer.
7 Safety Assurance
The third component of the Agency’s SMS is Safety Assurance, which ensures the
performance and effectiveness of safety risk controls established under safety risk
management. Safety assurance also helps ensure that the organization meets or
exceeds its safety objectives through the collection, analysis, and assessment of data
regarding the organization's performance. Safety assurance includes inspection
activities to support oversight and performance monitoring.
The City monitors its operations and maintenance protocols and procedures, and any
safety risk mitigations to ensure that it is implementing them as planned. Furthermore,
the Agency investigates safety events, as defined in the City of Arcadia Injury and
Illness Prevention Program (Appendix II), and any reports of non-compliance with
applicable regulations, standards, and legal authority. Finally, the Agency continually
monitors information reported to it through any internal safety reporting programs,
including the employee safety reporting program.
Some of the key elements of the City’s Safety Performance Monitoring and
Measurement are shown below in subsection 7.1:
7.1 Safety Performance Monitoring and Measurement
As part of the Safety Assurance Process, the City:
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• Monitors the system for compliance with, and sufficiency of, the Agency’s
procedures for operations and maintenance through:
o Safety audits,
o Informal inspections,
o Regular review of on-board camera footage to assess drivers and specific
incidents,
o Safety surveys,
o Employee safety reporting program,
o Investigation of safety occurrences,
o Safety review prior to the launch or modification of any facet of service,
o Daily data gathering and monitoring of data relating to the delivery of
service,
o Regular vehicle inspections and preventative maintenance, and
o Continuous feedback loop between leadership and all levels of the
agency.
• Monitors its operations to identify any safety risk mitigations that may be
ineffective, inappropriate, or were not implemented as intended through:
o Reviewing results from accident, incident, and occurrence investigations,
o Monitoring employee safety reporting,
o Reviewing results of internal safety audits and inspections, and
o Analyzing operational and safety data to identify emerging safety
concerns.
• Conducts investigations of safety events to identify causal factors; and
• Monitors information reported through any internal safety reporting programs.
o The Chief Safety Officer routinely reviews safety data captured in
employee safety reports, safety meeting minutes, customer complaints,
and other safety communication channels. When necessary, the Chief
Safety Officer ensures that the issues and concerns are investigated or
analyzed through the safety risk assessment process.
o The Chief Safety Officer also reviews the results of internal and external
reviews, including audits and assessments, with findings affecting safety
performance, compliance with operations and maintenance procedures, or
the effectiveness of safety risk mitigations. The Chief Safety Officer
discusses relevant safety issues and concerns with the Accountable
Executive and executive management and documents the results of these
reviews in the Hazard Log.
In the event of a fatality, the City complies with all FTA drug and alcohol requirements.
In California, every driver involved in an accident that results in death, injury, or property
damage over $1000, effective January 1, 2017, must report the accident on a Report of
Traffic Accident Occurring in California (SR 1) form to DMV. The report forms are
available at www.dmv.ca.gov, by calling 1-800-777-0133, and at CHP and DMV
offices. Also, under California Vehicle Code §16002(b) the driver of a vehicle that is
owned or operated by a publicly owned or operated transit system, or that is operated
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under contract with a publicly owned or operated transit system, and that is used to
provide regularly scheduled transportation to the general public or for other official
business of the system shall, within 10 days of the occurrence of the accident, report to
the transit system any accident of a type otherwise required to be reported pursuant to
subdivision (a) of Section 16000 . The City requires driver notification to the City
immediately and maintains records of any report filed pursuant to this paragraph.
8 Safety Promotion
The fourth component of the Agency’s SMS is Safety Promotion, which includes a
combination of training and communication of safety information to employees to
enhance the Agency’s safety performance. Safety Promotion sets the tone for the SMS
and helps the City to establish and maintain a robust safety culture. Safety Promotion
has two-components: (1) Safety Communication; and (2) Competencies and Training.
8.1 Safety Communication
The City communicates safety and safety performance information throughout the
organization that, at a minimum, conveys information on hazards and safety risks
relevant to employees’ roles and responsibilities and informs employees of safety
actions taken in response to reports submitted through an employee safety reporting
program.
Ongoing safety communication is critical and the City ensures communication occurs
up, down, and across all levels of the organization. Any lessons learned are
communicated to all concerned. Management commitment to address safety concerns
and hazards is communicated on a regular basis. Management encourages and
motivates employees to communicate openly, authentically, and without concern for
reprisal; ensures employees are aware of SMS principles and understand their safety-
related roles and responsibilities; conveys safety critical information such as accident
data, injuries, and reported safety concerns and hazards and their resolutions to
employees. the City’s tools to support safety communication include:
• Safety bulletins
• Safety notices
• Posters
• CDs or Thumb drives or online safety video access
• Newsletters
• Briefings or Toolbox talks
• Seminars and workshops
• New employee training and refresher training
• Intranet or social media
• Safety Committee Meetings
Competencies and Training: Executive Management ensures that all employees
attend the training provided to understand their specific roles and responsibilities for the
implementation of SMS. The City provides SMS training in the following areas:
All Employees:
• Understanding of Safety Performance Targets
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• Understanding of fundamental principles of SMS
• Understanding of Safety Reporting Program – Reporting unsafe conditions and
hazards/near misses
• Understanding of their individual roles and responsibilities under SMS
Managers and Supervisors
• Understanding of Safety Risk Management
• Understanding of Safety Assurance
• Understanding of Safety Promotion
• Understanding of their individual roles and responsibilities for SMS
Executive Management:
• Understanding of management commitment to and support of all SMS activities.
All employees are required to acquire the competencies and knowledge for the
consistent application of their skills as they relate to safety performance objectives. The
City dedicates resources to conduct effective safety-related skill training. The scope of
the safety training is appropriate to each employee’s individual safety-related job
responsibilities and their role in SMS. Components of the City’s skill-related training
include:
• Conducting training needs analyses to ensure that the right information is being
taught to the right employees using the most efficient training methods.
• Communicating purpose, objectives, and outcome.
• Ensuring relevant content by directly linking training to the trainee’s job
experiences so trainees are more motivated to learn.
• Using active hands-on demonstrations and practice to demonstrate skills that are
being taught and provide opportunities for trainees to practice skills.
• Providing regular feedback during hands-on practice and exercises.
• Reinforcing training concepts in the post-training work environment by giving
employees opportunities to perform what they’ve learned.
The City’s contractor, First Transit, conducts refresher training monthly during
mandatory employee safety meetings. First Transit’s Safety Plan is attached as
reference (Appendix III).
9 Documentation
Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 673.31, the City maintains records related to this Safety Plan
and SMS implementation for a minimum of three years. These documents include but
are not limited to the results from SMS processes and activities. The City will make
these documents available to FTA Region 9, Caltrans, and other Federal and state
agencies upon request.