A breakdown in security communication on the MBTA led to 4 “near misses” previously 30 days, incidents the place workers had been nearly struck by trains.
Chief Safety Officer Ron Ester mentioned Thursday that two close to misses in March occurred when workers had been engaged on the tracks with out authorization, and a 3rd incident concerned a practice operator who disobeyed a flag-hand sign to cease and as an alternative picked up pace when T staff had been in the appropriate of approach.
Another close to miss occurred earlier this month when the ultimate eastbound Green Line practice, which had been delayed and thus was late, unexpectedly handed by way of an space the place workers had been engaged on the tracks, Ester informed the T’s security subcommittee.
“How does that even happen?” subcommittee member Bob Butler requested pointedly after Ester relayed that the close to miss on March 13 occurred when a piece crew that was speculated to be checking for observe defects at Sullivan Square station modified their location to State Street with out authorization.
The workers on this occasion had been practically hit by a check practice working by way of the State Street space, Ester mentioned, pointing to “poor communication” between the observe staff, the Operations Control Center dispatcher, and the development logistics supervisor, who has to authorize right-of-way work.
“How does that happen in this day and age, with everything going on at the MBTA?” Butler mentioned. “That could have killed people out in the tracks.”
The third close to miss that occurred in March, on the twenty fourth, prompted the MBTA to subject a “safety stand-down,” prohibiting proper of approach entry till dispatchers and personnel had been briefed on correct procedures, Ester mentioned.
The repeated security failures additionally caught the eye of the Department of Public Utilities, which issued a direct corrective motion letter to the MBTA. The DPU didn’t instantly present the Herald with a duplicate of this letter, however Ester mentioned it pertained to proper of approach entry “from an observation they had done.”
New MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng mentioned these incidents had been “avoidable” and “should not be happening.” He was in touch with each oversight authorities, the DPU and Federal Transit Administration, after the close to miss on April 7, he mentioned, and emphasised the significance of everybody following correct procedures.
“Because at the end of the day, it’s about employee safety,” Eng mentioned. “It’s about getting the work done safely and making sure everyone who came to work goes home to their family.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”