Due to increasing trends of safety incidents involving MTA workers, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has developed a special directive, Special Directive No. 24-6 Notice No. 1, that has set reforms for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT). This directive, the letter is dated August 13, 2024, and clearly describes the egregious problem regarding NYCT’s Roadway Worker Protection (RWP) program safety initiatives; the institution has not sufficiently addressed safety risks despite prior warnings.
NYCT’s subway system is one of the largest and most complex rapid transit systems in the United States and is staffed by several thousands of employees who are exposed to numerous risks with the likelihood of coming into contact with moving trains and other electrical risks each working day. Recent audits by the FTA uncovered alarming trends: a worker fatality in November 2023 a major injury in June 2024, and a 58% rise in near-misses for transit workers in a year as reported by CBS News. The Special Directive of the FTA highlights a major blind spot in NYCT’s Safety Risk Management (SRM) because it indicates that the agency has failed to offer sufficient support to its workers involved in safety-related accidents.
Therefore, the FTA has asked NYCT to undertake a risk assessment of the RWP program in the next sixty days and develop a mitigation plan based on the risk evaluations. It also has to start weekly internal assessments of RWP compliance and a Corrective Action Plan to address it. These measures are intended to address so-called systemic failures that have been identified as the cause of numerous safety failures.
This directive comes after a fatal accident on November 29, 2023, which involved Hilarion Joseph, aged 57, an MTA employee, who was working on a maintenance track alongside other co-workers at 34th Street-Herald Square station where he was struck dead by a train. According to information retrieved by CBS News, Joseph was a new MTA employee at the time of the accident and was also involved in flagging activities. Unfortunately, he died a preventable death before his time, which sadly affected his family and highlighted the importance of improving safety standards. CBS News reported on this fatality, which has sparked concerns about the adequacy of MTA’s safety measures. This enters Transport Workers Union Local 100 demanding safety inspections to protect the employees or guarantee their safety.
This has shifted most of the burden back to NYCT and they have been forced to conduct more assessments and come up with measures that can prevent the occurrence of such incidences in the future. The directive needs no condemnation as the FTA seeks to save the lives of transit workers besides enhancing safety on the road. If you or your family member has an injury at the workplace, please contact us for a free consultation and possible legal remedies.
