At its December meeting, the NYCTRC welcomed Cheryl Kennedy, VP of the NYCT Office of System Safety, to update the members on 2011 activites. Kennedy was accompanied by James Wincek who is the Senior Director of Hazard Assessment. Their office functions in an oversight capacity. The focus is two-fold: employee safety and rider safety. The Office of System Safety, with 88 employees, reports directly to the President of NYCT. There are six major areas of attention:
Bus and Rail Field Operations — evaluates operating division compliance with safety regulations, policies and procedures, and conducting the Internal Safety Review program.
Environmental Protection & Industrial Hygiene — responsible for compliance, oversight, and technical assistance on generation, handling, and control of hazardous materials to minizmize any releases to air, water and soil and existence and exposure to health hazards from an industrial hygiene perspective.
Hazard Assessment — conducts hazard assessment where changes to rules, operations and equipment are proposed so as to evaluate and mitigate potential hazards; and manages NYCT’s extensive lead and asbestos programs.
Investigations — performs investigations of all collisions and derailments on both the mainline and yard tracks at NYCT and the Staten Island Railway; and on fatal employee accidents.
Operations Support — responsible for maintaining, analyzing and reporting on NYCT’s safety statistics.
Risk Assessment, Fire Safety & New Tech — reviews plans and specifications for design, construction and renovation of facilities, structure, and rolling stock and equipment. Also, participates in the development of procedures and training programs to assure safe use of facilities and equipment.
You may recognize some of the customer awareness safety programs that were initiated by the Office of System Safety: surfing, hold the pole, moving between cars, and platform gaps. Bus messages addressed safe boarding/alighting, not distracting the driver, and holding on while moving. To see the full presentation click here.