Agenda - 09-06-2022; 8-l - Orange County Transportation Services - Agency Safety Plan Update

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