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Transportation Learning Center Safety Series
Posted February 2015
Transportation Learning Center Safety Series
As with all training, safety is most reliably achieved when labor and management work together in safety partnerships. It is only when frontline workers are engaged in a process where their real world experiences are heard, taken seriously and incorporated into applicable training that a culture shift toward a consistent safety culture is possible. The Center is committed to creating the safest environment for public transportation workers and the riding public and is dedicating the month of February to a series of articles focused on this important topic.
Safety Series Installment I:
TCRP releases Report on Improving Safety Culture in Public Transportation
The Center was part of the research team that produced the Transit Cooperative Research Program’s (TCRP) new Report 174: Improving Safety Culture in Public Transportation. This study presents a working definition of safety culture within public transportation, presents methods and tools for assessing safety culture, and provides strategies and guidelines that public transportation agencies and unions can use to build programs for improving safety culture. Researchers and experts from six groups including the Transportation Learning Center conducted extensive research incorporating a stakeholder survey, mini-case studies over a dozen agencies and in-depth case studies of four.
The report finds that the key components of transit safety culture include:
* Strong leadership, management, and organizational commitment to safety
* Employee/union shared ownership and participation
* Effective safety communication
* Proactive use of safety data, key indicators, and benchmarking
* Organizational learning
* Consistent safety reporting and investigation for prevention
* Employee recognition and rewards
* High level of organizational trust
For more information download the report or contact the Center’s Director of Research Xinge Wang.
