Board says: Metro security culture actually requires work

  • 27-January-2021

Metro's security culture went under examination Tuesday as specialists revealed that track laborers were left powerless against train traffic or electric stun and different workers dreaded retaliation for raising worries about wellbeing.

The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, an autonomous board Congress made three years back to screen security at the travel organization, given discoveries at its gathering from three examinations directed the previous fall. The tests stressed Metro's need to make, refresh and fortify security norms something the organization has promised after the arrival of a September review that included 21 wellbeing disappointments or worries inside its Rail Operations Control Center.

The commission's review incorporated a few wellbeing worries that have gone uncertain for quite a long time, yet additionally noted social issues that specialists say made an air of racial and lewd behavior, unshakable obliviousness of security conventions, and low confidence that has added to an understaffed control community.

Metro has rebuilt management of its ROCC and recruited another chief for the middle to battle issues. Wellbeing Commission Chief Operating Officer Sharmila Samarasinghe said Tuesday the commission has affirmed 20 of 21 restorative activity plans Metro was needed to submit after the review.

Be that as it may, she said actualizing a considerable lot of the fixes could require years.

“Metro had not made substantial progress in many of these areas over several years, so recovering from these would not be a quick task, either,” she said.

Free jolts recognized in two late Metro train partitions on Red Line

While Metro is chipping away at changing its ROCC, the cases the commission nitty gritty Tuesday show issues that likewise incorporate track wellbeing and coordination between laborers on the ground and in the control community.

Metro representative Ian Jannetta said Tuesday that as a feature of a culture change in the ROCC, “we are working to modify and enhance our safety protocols for accessing track,” which incorporates better interchanges preparing and refreshed innovation.

On Aug. 11, a train moved in reverse and incidentally connected to another train while laborers were performing tests, security commission monitor Manuel Lopez said. Instead of leaving the scene immaculate for security examiners, a traffic regulator at the rail yard advised a train administrator to get the trains out of control.

“The train operator correctly refused to manipulate the scene of a safety event and the event was eventually properly reported,” Lopez said.

In any case, the occurrence further showed why Metro should fortify its obligation to protect proof, security authorities said, an issue that has been refered to in any event twice before by the commission.

In the review of its Rail Operations Control Center, the commission found an absence of satisfactory chain-of-care methodology for proof recuperated after episodes happen. In the interim, laborers in October performed tests on gear from a train partition that security reviewers didn't need contacted.

In another episode, a track assessment group was working on the Red Line on Aug. 27 close to the Takoma Park station while rail traffic hadn't been halted.

The group had mentioned a stoppage, yet the ROCC advised it to hold on. The group started working in the territory and was astounded by an approaching train, monitors said.

Individuals from the group told security agents they weren't looking for train traffic since they expected the ROCC was keeping an eye out for them.

“Communication breakdowns, efficiency pressures and an apparent acceptance for not adhering to written procedures contributed to this event,” commission investigator Bruce Walker said Tuesday.

“The investigation suggests that Metrorail has allowed procedures to be ignored. This is dangerous and suggests that [Metro] must place a renewed focus on safety, promotion and safety insurance efforts to ensure that workers understand safety rules and that they properly implement those rules.”

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