Orange County NC Website
Orange County Transportation Services Agency Safety Plan <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Safety Communication <br />OCTS believes safety promotion is critical to the success of an SMS and aids in ensuring that the <br />organization understands safety policies, procedures, and structure. Further, safety promotion <br />involves establishing an organizational and workplace culture that recognizes safety as a core value, <br />training employees in safety principles, and allowing open communications of safety issues. <br /> <br />OCTS’s safety communication activities focus on requirements established in 49 CFR Part 673 (Part <br />673): That a transit agency must communicate safety and safety performance information <br />throughout its organization which conveys information on hazards and safety risks relevant to <br />employees' roles and responsibilities and informs employees of safety actions taken in response to <br />reports submitted through the employee safety reporting program. <br /> <br />OCTS maintains safety communication through: <br /> Employee trainings, <br /> Safety Communication Board, <br /> Daily Safety Announcements/Messages, <br /> Monthly Safety Meetings for Drivers and Maintenance Techs, <br /> Driver Award Programs, and <br /> Safety section of employee handbook. <br /> <br />Positive safety culture must be generated from the top-down. The actions, attitudes, and decisions <br />at the policy- making level must demonstrate a genuine commitment to safety. Safety must be <br />recognized as the responsibility of each employee with the ultimate responsibility for safety resting <br />with the Transportation Services Director of OCTS. Employees must trust that they will have <br />management support for decisions made in the interest of safety while recognizing that intentional <br />breaches of safety will not be tolerated. <br /> <br />The primary goal of safety promotion at OCTS is to develop a positive safety culture that allows SMS <br />to succeed. A <br />positive safety culture at OCTS is defined as one which is: <br /> <br />A. An Informed/Learning Culture <br /> Employees understand the hazards and risks involved in their areas of operation; <br /> Employees are provided with the necessary knowledge, training and resources; and <br /> Employees work continuously to identify and overcome threats to safety. <br /> <br />B. A Just Culture <br /> Employees know and agree on what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior per policies <br />outlined in their respective employee handbooks; and <br /> Human errors must be understood but negligence and willful violations cannot be tolerated. <br /> <br /> <br />77