City of Riverside Special Transportation
8095 Lincoln Avenue
Riverside, CA 92504
Agency Safety Plan
Adopted [Date]
_____________________________________
____________
Signature of Accountable Executive Date
8/15/2025
Contents
Definitions ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Section 1 Transit Agency Information ........................................................................................................... 5 Subsection 1.1 Accountable Executive ......................................................................................................... 6 Subsection 1.2 Chief Safety Officer ............................................................................................................... 6 Section 2 Plan Development, Approval, and Updates .................................................................................. 6 Subsection 2.1 Drafting the Plan................................................................................................................... 6 Subsection 2.2 Signature by the Accountable Executive and Approval by the Board .................................. 7 Subsection 2.3 Certification of Compliance .................................................................................................. 7 Subsection 2.4 Safety Committee ................................................................................................................. 7 Subsection 2.5 Plan Review and Updates ..................................................................................................... 7 Section 3 General Annual Safety Performance Targets (SPTs) ..................................................................... 8 Subsection 3.1 Target Development ............................................................................................................. 8 Section 4 Annual Safety Performance Targets for the Safety Risk Reduction Program ............................... 9 Section 5 Coordination with Metropolitan, Statewide, and Non-metropolitan Planning Processes ......... 10 Section 6 Safety Risk Reduction Program ................................................................................................... 10 Subsection 6.1 Risk Reduction Program for Mitigating Safety Events/Injuries .......................................... 10 Subsection 6.2 Risk Reduction Program for Mitigating Transit Worker Assaults ....................................... 10 Section 7 Safety Committee Establishment, Membership, and Procedures .............................................. 11 Section 8 Overview of the Agency’s Safety Management Systems (SMS) ................................................. 13 Section 9 Safety Management Policy.......................................................................................................... 13 Subsection 9.1 Safety Management Policy Statement ............................................................................... 13 Subsection 9.2 Safety Management Policy Communication ...................................................................... 14 Subsection 9.3 Employee Safety Reporting Program ................................................................................. 15 Subsection 9.4 SMS Authorities, Accountabilities, and Responsibilities .................................................... 16 Subsection 9.4.1 Accountable Executive .................................................................................................... 16 Subsection 9.4.2 Chief Safety Officer .......................................................................................................... 16 Subsection 9.4.3 Safety Committee ............................................................................................................ 17 Subsection 9.4.4 Agency Leadership and Executive Management ............................................................ 17 Subsection 9.4.5 Key Staff ........................................................................................................................... 18 Section 10 Safety Risk Management (SRM) ................................................................................................ 18 Subsection 10.1 Hazard Identification ........................................................................................................ 18 Subsection 10.2 Safety Risk Assessment .................................................................................................... 20
Subsection 10.3 Safety Risk Mitigation ....................................................................................................... 21 Section 11 Safety Assurance ....................................................................................................................... 22 Subsection 11.1 Safety Performance Monitoring and Measurement ........................................................ 23 Subsection 11.2 Continuous Improvement ................................................................................................ 24 Section 12 Safety Promotion ...................................................................................................................... 25 Subsection 12.1 Safety Communication ..................................................................................................... 25 Section 13 Additional Information .............................................................................................................. 27 APPENDIX A: VERSION HISTORY TABLE....................................................................................................... 28 APPENDIX B: SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES ............................................................................. 29 APPENDIX C: SAFETY PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND PERFORMANCE TARGETS .................................... 33 APPENDIX D: ORGANIZATIONAL CHART ..................................................................................................... 34 APPENDIX E: LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................... 35
Definitions
Accident means an Event that involves any of the following: a loss of life; a report of a serious injury to a person; a collision of public transportation vehicles; an evacuation for life safety reasons.
Accountable Executive m eans the single, identifiable person who has ultimate responsibility for carrying out the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan of the Agency; responsibility for carrying out the Agency’s Transit Asset Management Plan; and control or direction over the human and capital resources needed to develop and maintain both the Agency’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. § 5329(d), and the Agency’s Transit Asset Management Plan in accordance with 49 U.S.C. § 5326.
Agency or Transit Agency m
eans City of Riverside Special Transportation.
City Council means governing body of City of Riverside.
Caltrans means the California Department of Transportation Chief Safety Officer means the adequately trained individual who has responsibility for safety and reports directly to the Transit Agency’s chief executive officer.
CFR means Code of Federal Regulations.
Event means any Accident, Incident, or Occurrence.
FTA means the Federal Transit Administration, an operating administration within the United States Department of Transportation.
Hazard m eans any real or potential condition that can cause injury, illness, or death, damage to or loss of the facilities, equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure of the system, or damage to the environment.
Incident means an Event that involves any of the following: a personal injury that is not a serious injury, one or more injuries requiring medical transport, or damage to facilities, equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure that disrupts the operations of the Transit Agency.
Investigation m eans the process of determining the causal and contributing factors of an accident, incident, or hazard, for the purpose of preventing recurrence and mitigating risk.
National Public Transportation Safety Plan m eans the plan to improve the safety of all public transportation systems that receive federal financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53.
Occurrence means an Event without any personal injury in which any damage to facilities, equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure does not disrupt the operations of the Transit Agency.
Part 673 m eans 49 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 673.
Performance Measure means an expression based on a quantifiable indicator of performance or condition that is used to establish targets and to assess progress toward meeting the established targets.
Performance target m eans a quantifiable level of performance or condition, expressed as a value for the measure, to be achieved within a time period required by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Risk m
eans the composite of predicted severity and likelihood of the potential effect of a hazard.
Risk mitigation means a method or methods to eliminate or reduce the effects of hazards.
Safety Assurance means processes within the Transit Agency’s Safety Management Systems that function to ensure the implementation and effectiveness of safety risk mitigation, and to ensure that the Transit Agency meets or exceeds its safety objectives through the collection, analysis, and assessment of information.
Safety Management Policy m eans the Transit Agency’s documented commitment to safety, which defines the Transit Agency’s safety objectives and the accountabilities and responsibilities of its employees in regard to safety.
Safety Management Systems ( SMS) means the formal, top-down, organization-wide approach to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of a Transit Agency’s safety risk mitigation. SMS includes systematic procedures, practices, and policies for managing risks and hazards.
Safety Pe rformance T arget (SPT) means a Performance Target related to safety management activities.
Safety Promotion means a combination of training and communication of safety information to support SMS as applied to the Transit Agency’s public transportation system.
Safety Ris k A ssessment (SRA) means the formal activity whereby the Transit Agency determines Safety Risk Management priorities by establishing the significance or value of its safety risks.
Safety Risk Management (S RM) means a process within the Transit Agency’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan for identifying hazards and analyzing, assessing, and mitigating safety risk.
Serious injury m eans any injury which: (1) requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within seven days from the date the injury was received, (2) results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or noses), (3) causes severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle, or tendon damage; (4) involves any internal organ, or (5) involves second or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than five percent of the body surface.
State of Go od R epair (SGR) means the condition in which a capital asset is able to operate at a full level of performance.
Transit Asset Management Plan m eans the strategic and systematic practice of procuring, operating, inspecting, maintaining, rehabilitating, and replacing transit capital assets to manage their performance, risks, and costs over their life cycles, for the purpose of providing safe, cost-effective, and reliable public transportation, as required by 49 U.S.C. 5326 and 49 CFR part 625.
U.S.C. means United States Code.
Section 1 Transit Agency Information
The City of Riverside is a municipal authority formed by the City Charter of the City of Riverside, as authorized under Article XI, Section 3 of the California Constitution, which operates paratransit services in the City of Riverside in Riverside County, California. The City of Riverside does not purchase transportation services from any subcontractor. The City of Riverside Special Transportation is a recipient/subrecipient of Section 5307 and 5339 funds. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the City of Riverside provides paratransit services within the city limits of Riverside on behalf of the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA). The City of Riverside serves a large urbanized area within UZA 60420-Riverside-San Bernardino Area.
Subsection 1.1 Accountable Executive
The City of Riverside’s Accountable Executive is the Transit Manager. The Transit Manager is the single, identifiable person who has ultimate responsibility for carrying out this Agency Safety Plan and the City of Riverside’s Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan, and control or direction over the human and capital resources needed to develop and maintain both this Plan and the TAM Plan.
The Transit Manager is accountable for ensuring that the Agency’s Safety Management Systems (SMS) is effectively implemented throughout the Agency’s public transportation system. The Transit Manager is accountable for ensuring action is taken, as necessary, to address substandard performance in the Agency’s SMS. The Transit Manager may delegate specific responsibilities, but the ultimate accountability for the Transit Agency’s safety performance cannot be delegated and always rests with the Transit Manager.
Subsection 1.2 Chief Safety Officer
The Transit Manager designates the Field Operations Supervisor as the City of Riverside Special Transportation’s Chief Safety Officer who has the authority and responsibility for day- to-day implementation and operation of the Agency’s SMS. The Chief Safety Officer holds a direct line of reporting to the Accountable Executive, and has a strong working relationship with the operations and asset management functions at the City of Riverside.
Section 2 Plan Development, Approval, and Updates
Caltrans developed the contents of City of Riverside’s plan to meet requirements specified in 49 CFR Part 673 and comply with Part 673.11(d) regarding Caltrans’ responsibility to develop an ASP for any small public transportation provider that is located in California. This Plan is based on the four (4) principles or pillars of the Safety Management Systems (SMS). SMS is defined as the formal, top-down, organization-wide, data-driven approach to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of safety mitigations. It includes systematic policies, procedures, and practices for the management of safety risk. The four principles or pillars of SMS are: (1) Safety Management Policy; (2) Safety Risk Management; (3) Safety Assurance; and (4) Safety Promotion.
Subsection 2.1 Drafting the Plan
Caltrans drafted this Plan, thus meeting the requirements of 49 CFR Part 673.11(d). FTA will oversee compliance with the requirements of Part 673 through the existing Triennial Review processes.
Should the City of Riverside no longer meet the definition of a small public transportation provider or choose to opt-out of the Caltrans Agency Safety Plan, within one year from the date of notifying the State of either development the City of Riverside will draft and certify its own Agency Safety Plan. If the City of Riverside operates more than 100 vehicles the City of Riverside must fulfill requirements of systems operating more than 100 vehicles.
Subsection 2.2 Signature by the Accountable Executive and Approval by the Board Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 673.11 (a)(1), this Agency Safety Plan and subsequent updates must be signed by the Accountable Executive and approved by the City of Riverside’s City Council.
Documentation of City Council approval is found in Attachment “A”.
Subsection 2.3 Certification of Compliance
Pursuant to 49 CFR Parts 673.13(a) and 673.13(b), Caltrans certifies that it has established this Agency Safety Plan, meeting the requirements of 49 CFR Part 673 by July 20, 2020 and will certify its compliance with 49 CFR Part 673.
After Caltrans initial certification, and on an annual basis the City of Riverside must update this Agency Safety Plan by July 20 in perpetuity. All Agency Safety Plan updates shall be signed by the Accountable Executive and approved by Riverside’s City Council by September.
FTA does not require this plan to be submitted to FTA. Instead, Caltrans will certify that it has established this Safety Plan, which fulfills the requirements under Part 673. FTA annually amends and issues the list of Certifications and Assurances. Caltrans will review such guidance for incorporation into the safety program as necessary.
Subsection 2.4 Safety Committee
The Safety Committee is comprised of an equal number of representatives from management and frontline workers designated by the labor union. The composition and operations of the committee is described in its Ground Rules and Guidelines. This PTASP has been reviewed and approved by this committee (see Appendix A) which meets at least quarterly to review risk- based mitigations or strategies to reduce the likelihood and severity of consequences of accidents, to identify mitigations or strategies that may be ineffective, inappropriate, or were not implemented as intended; and to identify safety deficiencies for purposes of continuous improvement. The committee will also establish and monitor performance targets using a 3-year rolling average of NTD data for measures described in FTA’s National Public Transportation Safety Plan.
The Safety Committee will discuss, evaluate, and address all safety and security issues related to employee and passenger safety. All relevant safety/security data will be shared with all committee members so that they can engage in discussions to propose safety/security programs, policies, and protocols that are based on this data. If safety performance targets are not met, the committee will assess ongoing risks and propose reasonable mitigations.
While either party (Management or Labor) may bring a safety/security topic to the committee, the Safety Committee is not authorized nor will it engage in any collective bargaining, grievance processing, or meet and confer activities.
Subsection 2.5 Plan Review and Updates
The City of Riverside updates this Safety Plan when information, processes or activities change within the Agency and/or when Part 673 undergoes significant changes, or annually, whichever comes sooner. As the City of Riverside collects data through its Safety Risk Management and Safety Assurance processes, shared with Caltrans and the local Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) as described in subsection 3.1 below, the MPO and Caltrans will evaluate City of Riverside’s safety performance targets (SPTs) to determine whether they need to be changed, as well.
This PTASP is meant to be a living document that has the flexibility to address additional safety and security issues as needed. The PTASP will be reviewed at least annually, by the City of Riverside’s Transit Management Team, to make necessary updates, corrections, and modifications in accordance with FTA guidelines. By July of each year, this Plan will be reviewed and updated by the Safety Committee, with the assistance of subject matter experts.
The Safety Committee will approve the plan annually, then forward on to the Accountable Executive for signature. Finally, the PTASP will then be submitted for approval by City Council (see Appendix A for PTASP approval history).
This Plan may need to be reviewed and updated more frequently based on the following:
• We determine our approach to mitigating safety deficiencies is ineffective; • We make significant changes to service delivery;
• We introduce new processes or procedures that may impact safety; • We change or re-prioritize resources available to support SMS; • We significantly change our organizational structure.
Section 3 General Annual Safety Performance Targets (SPTs) Subsection 3.1 Target Development
The City of Riverside includes SPTs in this Safety Plan. These targets are specific numerical targets set by the City of Riverside and based on the safety Performance Measures established by FTA in the National Public Transportation Safety Plan. A detailed list of these safety performance targets are found in Appendix C.
The City of Riverside developed safety performance targets that it will review and update annually. The specific safety performance targets are based on the safety performance measures established under the National Public Transportation Safety Plan and the safety performance goals set by Caltrans based on the past three (3) Calendar years of data. The Safety Performance Targets for the City of Riverside for the year 2025 is expected to stay within 1% +/- of previous three years data pertaining to fatalities, injuries, safety events, and system reliability.
Note: Baseline data for each target will need to be provided by each agency for Caltrans to develop goals.
FTA requires Caltrans to coordinate with the City of Riverside and the Southern California Council of Governments (SCAG) to the maximum extent practicable. Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 673.15(a), the City of Riverside will make safety performance targets available to SCAG to aid in the planning process upon certification of this plan. Additionally, the City of Riverside will transmit performance data against the safety performance targets to Caltrans and the SCAG on an annual basis.
Caltrans will conduct coordination meetings with the SCAG for the selection of State and MPO safety performance targets and goals.
Section 4 Annual Safety Performance Targets for the Safety Risk Reduction Program The City of Riverside’s Safety Risk Reduction Program aims to improve safety performance by reducing the number and rates of accidents, injuries, and assaults on transit workers, including:
• a reduction of vehicular and pedestrian accidents involving buses that includes measures to reduce visibility impairments for bus operators that contribute to accidents, including retrofits to buses in revenue service and specifications for future procurements that reduce visibility impairments; and
• the mitigation of assaults on transit workers, including the deployment of assault mitigation infrastructure and technology on buses, including barriers to restrict the unwanted entry of individuals and objects into the workstations of bus operators when a risk analysis performed by the transit agency’s Safety Committee determines that such barriers or other measures would reduce assaults on transit workers and injuries to transit workers.
The FTA identifies the below eight measures for the safety risk reduction program. The City of Riverside’s Safety Committee will use these measures to set targets for the safety risk reduction program, as required by 49 U.S.C. 5329(d) and 49 CFR § 673.19(d)(2). Under the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requirements, the Safety Committee must establish these targets using a 3-year rolling average of the data the agency submits to the NTD.
Required Safety Risk
Reduction Program Measure
Description
1 Major Events This includes all safety and security major events as defined by the NTD.
2 Major Event Rate This includes all safety and security major events as defined by the NTD, divided by VRM.
3 Collisions This includes all collisions reported to the NTD. 4 Collision Rate This includes all collisions reported to the NTD, divided by VRM.
5 Injuries This includes all injuries as defined by the NTD. 6 Injury Rate This includes all injuries as defined by the NTD, divided by VRM.
7 Assaults on Transit
Workers
This includes all assaults on transit workers as defined by the NTD.
8 Rate of Assaults on Transit
Workers
This includes all assaults on transit workers as defined by the NTD, divided by VRM.
Section 5 Coordination with Metropolitan, Statewide, and Non-metropolitan Planning Processes During the development of the original PTASP, the City of Riverside coordinated with Caltrans and the local Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). FTA requires Caltrans to coordinate with the City of Riverside and the SCAG to the maximum extent practicable. Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 673.15(a), the City of Riverside will make safety performance targets available to SCAG to aid in the planning process upon certification of this plan. Additionally, the City of Riverside will transmit performance data against the safety performance targets to Caltrans and the SCAG on an annual basis.
Section 6 Safety Risk Reduction Program
The City of Riverside has initiated several risk reduction programs based on data to continuously advance safety and reduce the risk of injuries.
Subsection 6.1 Risk Reduction Program for Mitigating Safety Events/Injuries The City of Riverside has initiated several safety programs based on data to continuously advance safety and reduce the risk of injuries through the following:
• Installing signal flashers on all side mirrors for improved visibility to other drivers which contributes to overall road safety.
• Restricting seating directly behind the bus driver to enhance operator safety by minimizing distractions and creating a controlled environment that supports driver focus and secure vehicle operation.
Subsection 6.2 Risk Reduction Program for Mitigating Transit Worker Assaults Automatic Vehicle Location - The implementation of Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems on all buses significantly enhances the safety of transit workers by providing real-time tracking and location data during their routes. In the event of an incident, AVL enables dispatchers to quickly identify the exact location of a bus, allowing for rapid response and intervention. This real-time tracking can help prioritize emergency assistance, ensuring that help is dispatched without delay. Additionally, AVL systems can act as a deterrent to potential offenders, knowing that their actions are being monitored. The ability to review location history and provide accurate data further supports investigations, helping to ensure accountability and improve overall security for transit workers.
Communication Protocols
- The passengers served by the Special Transportation Department primarily consist of elderly and disabled individuals. To ensure the safety of both staff and passengers, clear policies and procedures are in place to guide staff when interacting with passengers who may have unique needs. These policies are designed to promote empathy, understanding, and a safe environment for both passengers and staff.
Signage Informing Riders of Surveillance/Penalties
– The prominent display of signs stating,
"Warning! Your activities on this vehicle may be recorded by an audio and video surveillance system," serves to remind passengers that their behavior is being monitored, creating an environment where both riders and transit employees are aware of the potential for accountability. This proactive measure has significantly contributed to the mitigation of
aggressive behaviors, fostering a safer atmosphere for our workforce while enhancing the overall security of transit operations.
Video/Audio Surveillance – The City of Riverside Special Transit agency has implemented video and audio surveillance systems on all buses to enhance the safety of transit workers. These surveillance measures serve as a deterrent to potential offenders and provide a valuable tool for monitoring and addressing any incidents that may arise. The presence of these systems has significantly reduced the likelihood of assaults on employees, fostering a safer working environment and enabling timely responses to any threats or incidents. This proactive approach aligns with our commitment to ensuring the well-being of our staff and passengers.
De-E
scalation T raining - De-Escalation training is now required for all employees, public- and non-public facing. Refresher training is conducted as needed. The De-Escalation training covers:
• defining and recognizing escalation
• preparing for situations that may escalate
• preventing escalation
• de-escalation techniques
• reporting and next steps if/when an event escalates
Subsection 6.3 Risk Reduction Identified by the Safety Committee The safety risk mitigations identified and recommended by the Safety Committee based on a safety risk assessment for the safety risk reduction program shall be included in this section or incorporated by reference in the ASP. The Safety Committee has requested De-escalation training for all transit staff in the past, which is now required and incorporated into the ASP.
Section 7 Safety Committee Establishment, Membership, and Procedures The City of Riverside established a Safety Committee that is appropriately scaled to the size, scope, and complexity of its operations. This Safety Committee was convened through a joint labor-management process to ensure fair representation and operational integrity. The Safety Committee is chaired by the Chief Safety Officer and consists of an equal number of frontline transit worker representatives and management representatives. The labor organization representing the plurality of the agency’s frontline transit workers (including employees, contractors, and volunteers) is responsible for selecting the frontline transit worker representatives. Committee size may vary based on staffing levels but will always maintain equal representation. While formal training is not required, information related to the Agency Safety Plan and the processes, activities, and tools used to support the SMS will be provided upon request.
Meeting agendas and notices will be developed and distributed at least five business days before each meeting via email or printed copy if requested. Meeting minutes will be recorded by the Senior Office Specialist (or designee), reviewed and approved by Safety Committee members, and stored electronically on the shared drive for a minimum of five years.
Safety Committee participation is recognized as paid time for both labor and management representatives. Members will be compensated at their regular hourly rate for all meeting and training hours.
The Safety Committee may request technical experts, including mechanics, dispatchers, and contracted specialists, to provide advisory input during meetings. Committee members will also have access to safety records, relevant policies and procedures, training logs, and hazard reports through the Chief Safety Officer. Additionally, the Chief Safety Officer will regularly provide data from the transit worker safety reporting program to Committee members for review and analysis.
To support productive collaboration, the Safety Committee will operate by consensus where possible. All decisions and votes will be recorded in the meeting minutes. The Committee submits annual updates of the PTASP to the Accountable Executive who presents them to the City Council for approval. In the event that a disagreement arises that cannot be resolved through discussion, the following dispute resolution process will apply:
1. Tabling of Disputed Items - Disputed items may be tabled for further review and analysis. During this period, the co-chairs will work jointly to identify relevant background information, operational data, or subject matter expertise that may assist in resolving the disagreement.
2. Technical Advisory Input - The Committee may invite one or more neutral technical experts — including staff with specialized experience, contracted consultants, or relevant agency personnel — to provide advisory input on the issue. Their role will be to inform Committee deliberations, not to render decisions.
3. Documentation of Positions - If consensus remains unachievable, the Committee will document both perspectives in the meeting minutes, along with any relevant analysis or supporting information. This documentation will be submitted to the Accountable Executive for review.
4. Final Determination of Operational Issues - While the Safety Committee plays a critical role in identifying safety concerns and recommending mitigations, final decisions regarding implementation, resource allocation, and operational actions rest with agency management. In line with §673.19(c)(8), the Accountable Executive shall not be involved in resolving Committee disputes but may review documented input when making final determinations related to agency operations.
The Safety Committee is responsible for the following core activities:
• Review and approve the Agency Safety Plan and any updates. • Set annual safety performance targets for the Safety Risk Reduction Program. • Support the SMS by:
o Identifying and recommending mitigations for safety risks, particularly those related to unmet performance targets.
o Identifying mitigations that are ineffective or misapplied.
o Identifying safety deficiencies and promoting continuous improvement in safety performance.
Section 8 Overview of the Agency’s Safety Management Systems (SMS) SMS is a comprehensive, collaborative approach that brings management and labor together to build on the transit industry’s existing safety foundation to control risk better, detect and correct safety problems earlier, share and analyze safety data more effectively, and measure safety performance more carefully. The City of Riverside’s SMS focuses on applying resources to risk and is based on ensuring that the City of Riverside has the organizational infrastructure to support decision-making at all levels regarding the assignment of resources. Some key parts of the City of Riverside’s SMS include:
• Defined roles and responsibilities;
• Strong executive safety leadership;
• Formal safety accountabilities and communication;
• Effective policies and procedures; and
• Active employee involvement
Furthermore, the City of Riverside’s SMS have four distinct components, which are discussed in subsequent sections to this Safety Plan:
• Safety Management Policy
• Safety Risk Management
• Safety Assurance
• Safety Promotion
Section 9 Safety Management Policy
The first component of the City of Riverside’s SMS is the Safety Management Policy, which is the foundation of the City of Riverside’s safety management system. It clearly states the organization’s safety objectives and sets forth the policies, procedures, and organizational structures necessary to accomplish the safety objectives. The Safety Management Policy clearly defines management and employee responsibilities for safety throughout the organization. It also ensures that management is actively engaged in the oversight of the system’s safety performance by requiring regular review of the Safety Management Policy, budget and program by the designated Accountable Executive.
Subsection 9.1 Safety Management Policy Statement
Safety is a core value at the City of Riverside, and managing safety is a core business function.
The City of Riverside will develop, implement, maintain, and continuously improve processes to ensure the safety of our customers, employees, and the public. The City of Riverside’s overall safety objective is to proactively manage safety hazards and their associated safety risk, with the intent to eliminate unacceptable safety risk in our transit operations.
The City of Riverside will:
• Clearly, and continuously explain to all staff that everyone working within The City of Riverside must take part and be responsible and accountable for the development and operation of the Safety Management System (SMS).
• Work continuously to minimize safety risks. Work to comply with and, wherever possible, exceed legislative and regulatory requirements and standards for passengers and employees.
• Work to ensure that all employees are provided appropriate safety information and training, are competent in safety matters, and assigned tasks commensurate with duties and skills.
• Reaffirm that responsibility for making our operations safer for everyone lies with all employees – from executive management to frontline employees. Each manager is responsible for implementing the SMS in their area of responsibility and will be held accountable to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to perform activities established through the SMS.
• Work in cooperation with frontline transit worker representatives of the joint labor- management Safety Committee to discuss, evaluate, and address all safety and security issues related to employee and passenger safety. All relevant safety/security data will be shared with all committee members so that they can engage in discussions to propose safety/security programs, policies, and protocols that are based on this data. If safety performance targets are not met, the committee will assess ongoing risks and propose reasonable mitigations.
Caltrans established safety performance targets to help measure the overall effectiveness of our processes and ensure we meet our safety objectives. The City of Riverside will keep employees informed about safety performance goals and objectives to ensure continuous safety improvement.
Subsection 9.2 Safety Management Policy Communication
The Safety Management Policy is communicated throughout the Agency, to all employees, managers, and executives, as well as contractors, and to the City Council.
This is accomplished through various processes such as:
• Workshops/training sessions - Conducted for Senior Management, Directors, Managers, Supervisors. Once this Plan or any update to this Plan has been approved by the Safety Committee, signed by the Accountable Executive, approved by the City Council, and certified by Caltrans, it will become standard practice in perpetuity so that SMS becomes standard business practice.
• New Hire Safety Orientation – All new employees regardless of their classifications will be trained about their roles and responsibilities pertaining to PTASP and the principles of SMS.
• Safety bulletins, email safety newsletter blasts to staff, toolbox/tailgate safety meetings and/or Safety Committee meetings.
Subsection 9.3 Employee Safety Reporting Program
The City of Riverside implemented a process that allows employees [and contracted employees] to report safety conditions to senior management with protections for employees who report safety conditions to senior management. The purpose, description, and protections for employees to report unsafe conditions and hazards are described in the Employee Safety Reporting Program as below:
Purpose:
a) To establish and implement a system for The City of Riverside transit workers to report safety concerns, including assaults on transit workers, near-misses, and unsafe acts and conditions to senior management without fear of reprisal. However, disciplinary action could result if the condition reported reveals the employee willfully participated in or conducted an illegal act, gross negligence or deliberate or willful disregard of regulations or procedures, including reporting to work under the influence of controlled substances, physical assault of a coworker or passenger, theft of agency property, unreported safety events, unreported collisions, and unreported passenger injuries or fatalities.
b) To provide guidelines for facilitating the timely correction of unsafe conditions or hazards by The City of Riverside management.
Description:
a) This program provides a method for The City of Riverside management to identify, evaluate, and correct or avoid unsafe conditions or hazards, procedural deficiencies, design inadequacies, equipment failures, or near misses that adversely affect the safety of employees.
Examples of voluntary safety reports include:
• Safety hazards in the operating environment (for example, county or city road conditions),
• Policies and procedures that are not working as intended (for example, insufficient time to complete pre-trip inspection),
• Events that senior managers might not otherwise know about (for example, near misses), and
• Information about why a safety event occurred (for example, radio communication challenges).
b) The program also involves recommending corrective actions and resolutions of identified unsafe conditions or hazards and/or near miss.
c) All employees have the obligation to report immediately any unsafe conditions or hazards and near misses to their immediate supervisor /department manager and may do so without fear of reprisal.
d) Unsafe conditions or hazards may also be identified as a result of occupational injury or illness investigations and/or by accident investigation.
e) Other means by which hazards may be identified are inspections/audits or observations made by the supervisors/management staff as referenced in agency’s Safety Inspection Program.
f) Findings will be published immediately following mitigation actions. If employee identification is available, direct feedback regarding mitigation will be provided.
Subsection 9.4 SMS Authorities, Accountabilities, and Responsibilities This Plan has assigned specific SMS authorities, accountabilities, and responsibilities to the designated Accountable Executive; Chief Safety Officer; Agency’s Leadership/Executive Management; and Key Staff/Employees as described below:
Subsection 9.4.1 Accountable Executive
The City of Riverside’s Accountable Executive is the Transit Manager. The City of Riverside is accountable for ensuring that the Agency’s SMS is effectively implemented throughout the Agency’s public transportation system. The Transit Manager is accountable for ensuring action is taken, as necessary, to address substandard performance in the Agency’s SMS.
The Transit Manager may delegate specific responsibilities, but the ultimate accountability for the City of Riverside’s safety performance cannot be delegated and always rests with the Transit Manager. The Transit Manager is accountable for ensuring that the Agency’s SMS is effectively implemented, and that action is taken, as necessary, to address substandard performance in the Agency’s SMS. The Accountable Executive may delegate specific responsibilities, but not accountability for the City of Riverside’s safety performance.
The Transit Manager’s roles include, but are not limited to:
• Decision-making about resources (e.g. people and funds) to support asset management, SMS activities, and capital investments;
• Signing SMS implementation planning documents;
• Endorsing SMS implementation team membership; and
• Ensuring safety concerns are considered and addressed in the agency’s ongoing budget planning process.
• Ensuring transparency in safety priorities: for the City Council and for the employees. • Establishing guidance on the level of safety risk acceptable to the agency. • Assuring safety policy is appropriately communicated throughout the agency. • Implementing safety risk mitigations for the safety risk reduction program that are including in the Agency Safety Plan.
• Receiving and considering all other safety risk mitigations recommended by the Safety Committee.
• Other duties as assigned/necessary.
Subsection 9.4.2 Chief Safety Officer
The Chief Safety Officer holds a direct line of reporting to the Accountable Executive and has the authority and responsibility for day-to-day implementation and operation of the City of Riverside’s SMS.
Chief Safety Officer’s Roles include:
• Decision-making about resources (e.g., people and funds) to support asset management, SMS activities, and capital investments;
• Overseeing the safety risk management program by facilitating hazard identification, safety risk assessment, and the development and implementation of safety risk mitigations.
• Monitoring safety risk mitigation activities;
• Providing periodic reports on safety performance;
• Chair of the Safety Committee
• Briefing the Accountable Executive and City Council on SMS implementation progress; • Planning safety management training; and
• Developing and organizing annual audits/reviews of SMS processes and the Agency Safety Plan to ensure compliance with 49 CFR Part 673 requirements. • Maintaining safety documentation.
• Other duties as assigned/necessary.
Subsection 9.4.3 Safety Committee
The Safety Committee is comprised of an equal number of representatives from management and frontline workers designated by the labor union.
Safety Committee responsibilities include:
• Review and approve the Agency Safety Plan and any updates. • Set annual safety performance targets for the Safety Risk Reduction Program. • Support the SMS by:
o Identifying and recommending mitigations for safety risks, particularly those related to unmet performance targets.
o Identifying mitigations that are ineffective or misapplied. o Identifying safety deficiencies and promoting continuous improvement in safety performance.
Subsection 9.4.4 Agency Leadership and Executive Management The Division’s Management Team comprise Agency Leadership/Executive Management.
Some of their responsibilities include:
• Day-to-day implementation of the Agency’s SMS throughout their department and the organization.
• Communicating safety accountability and responsibility from the frontline employees to the top of the organization.
• Ensuring employees are following their working rules and procedures, safety rules and regulations in performing their jobs, and their specific roles and responsibilities in the implementation of this Agency Safety Plan and the Agency’s SMS. • Ensuring that employees comply with the safety reporting program and are reporting unsafe conditions and hazards to their department management; and making sure reported unsafe conditions and hazards are addressed in a timely manner.
• Ensuring that resources are sufficient to carry out employee training/certification and re- training as required by their job classifications.
Subsection 9.4.5 Key Staff
The agency Key Staff/Employees may include managers, supervisors, specialists, analysts, database administrators, and other key employees who are performing highly technical work and overseeing employees performing critical tasks and providing support in the implementation of this Agency Safety Plan and SMS principles in various departments throughout the agency.
The City of Riverside’s Key Staff/Employees responsibilities include:
• Ensuring that employees are complying with the safety reporting program. • Ensuring supervisors are conducting their toolbox safety meetings • Promoting safety in employee’s respective area of responsibilities – That means: zero accidents; absence of any safety concerns; perfect employee performance; and compliance with agency rules and procedures and regulatory requirements. • Ensuring safety of passengers, employees, and the public. • Responding to customer complaints and expectations for frequency, reliability, and convenience of service.
• Replacing and maintaining aging facilities, equipment, and infrastructure. • Meeting increasing demands for paratransit service.
• Developing and maintaining programs to gather pertinent data elements to develop safety performance reports and conduct useful statistical analyses to identify trends and system performance targets.
• Establishing clear lines of safety communication and holding accountability for safety performance.
• Assisting as subject matter experts in safety risk assessment and safety risk mitigation processes.
Section 10 Safety Risk Management (SRM)
The second component of the City of Riverside’s SMS is Safety Risk Management, which includes processes and procedures to provide an understanding of the Agency’s operations and vehicle maintenance to allow individuals to identify hazards associated with those activities.
The City of Riverside has implemented a Safety Risk Management process for all elements of its transportation system. The Safety Risk Management process includes the following activities:
hazard identification, safety risk assessment, and safety risk mitigation.
Subsection 10.1 Hazard Identification
Hazard identification is the first step in the Safety Risk Management process and a key component. It involves these fundamental safety-related activities: Identifying hazards and their consequences; assessing the risks associated with the consequences of the hazards; and developing mitigations to reduce the potential consequences of the identified hazards.
The following is the City of Riverside’s methods and processes to identify hazards. The Agency considers, as a source for hazard identification:
i. Data and information provided by an oversight authority, including but not limited to FTA, the State, or as applicable, the State Safety Oversight Agency having jurisdiction; ii. Data and information regarding exposure to infectious disease provided by the CDC or a State health authority; and
iii. Safety concerns identified through Safety Assurance activities carried out under § 673.27.
Hazards are identified through a variety of sources, including:
• Employee safety reporting,
• Review of vehicle camera footage,
• Review of monthly performance data and safety performance targets, • Observations from supervisors,
• Maintenance reports,
• Comments from customers, passengers, and third parties, • Safety committee, driver and all-staff meetings,
• Results of audits and inspections of vehicles and facilities, • Results of training assessments
• Investigations into safety events, incidents and occurrences, and • Information from FTA and oversight authorities.
When a hazard has been identified, whatever the source, it is reported to the City of Riverside Chief Safety Officer, who enters it into the Hazard Log. The Chief Safety Officer also may enter hazards into this log based on reviews of operations and maintenance activities and procedures.
The Chief Safety Officer will investigate hazards to collect information and determine if hazards need to be entered into the safety risk assessment process. In following up on identified hazards, the Chief Safety Officer may:
• Reach out to the reporting party, if available, to gather all known information about the reported hazard,
• Conduct a walkthrough of the affected area, assessing the possible hazardous condition, generating visual documentation (photographs and/or video), and taking any measurements deemed necessary,
• Conduct interviews with employees in the area to gather potentially relevant information on the reported hazard,
• Review any documentation associated with the hazard (records, reports, procedures, inspections, technical documents, etc.),
• Contact other departments that may have association with or technical knowledge relevant to the reported hazard,
• Review any past reported hazards of a similar nature, and • Evaluate tasks and/or processes associated with the reported hazard.
Any identified hazard that poses an immediate risk to transit operations, the health and safety of employees or the public, or equipment must immediately be brought to the attention of the Accountable Executive and placed through the Safety Risk Management process for safety risk assessment and mitigation. Otherwise, hazards will be prioritized for further Safety Risk Management activity.
Subsection 10.2 Safety Risk Assessment
Safety risk assessment defines the level or degree of the safety risk by assessing the likelihood and severity of the consequences of hazards and prioritizes hazards based on the safety risk. The Chief Safety Officer, with assistance from key staff subject matter experts, is responsible for assessing identified hazards and ratings using the safety risk matrix below. Prioritizing safety risk provides the Accountable Executive with the information needed to make decisions about resource application.
The following matrix, adopted from the Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) Participation Guide – SMS Principles for Transit, facilitates the ranking of hazards based on their probability of occurrence and severity of their outcome.
Probability Levels
Description Level Specific Individual Item Fleet Inventory Frequent A Likely to occur often in the life of an item. Continuously experienced.
Probable B Will occur several times in the life of an
item. Will occur frequently.
Occasional C Likely to occur sometime in the life of an item. Will occur several times.
Remote D Unlikely, but possible to occur in the life
of an item.
Unlikely, but can reasonably be expected
to occur.
Improbable E
So unlikely, it can be assumed occurrence
man not be experienced in the life of an
item.
Unlikely to occur, but possible.
Eliminated F
Incapable of occurrence. This level is used
when potential hazards are identified and
later eliminated.
Incapable of occurrence. This level is used
when potential hazards are identified and
later eliminated.
The measuring goes from A to F with A being frequent or likely to occur frequently and E being improbable or expected that this event will most likely never occur. The designation F is used when potential hazards are identified and later eliminated.
Severity Levels
Description Level Mishap Result Criteria
Catastrophic 1
Could Result in one or more of the following: death, permanent total disability, irreversible significant environmental impact, or monetary loss equal to or exceeding $10M
Critical 2
Could result in one or more of the following: permanent partial disability, injuries or occupational illness that may result in hospitalization of at least three personnel, reversible significant environmental impact, or monetary loss equal to or exceeding $1M but less than $10M
Marginal 3
Could result in one or more of the following: injuries or occupational illness resulting in one or more lost work day(s), reversible moderate environmental impact, or monetary loss equal to or exceeding $100k but less than $1M
Negligible 4
Could result in one or more of the following: injuries or occupational illness not resulting in lost work day, minimum environmental impact. Or monetary loss less than $100k.
The Safety Risk Severity Table presents a typical safety risk. It includes four categories to denote the level of severity of the occurrence of a consequence, the meaning of each category, and the assignment of a value to each category using numbers. In this table, 1 is considered catastrophic meaning possible deaths and equipment destroyed and 4 is considered negligible or of little consequence with two levels in between.
Safety Risk Probability and Safety Risk Severity are combined into the Safety Risk Index Ranking to help prioritize safety risks according to the table below.
Safety Risk Assessment Matrix
Severity →
Probability ↓
Catastrophic
1 Critical
2 Marginal
3 Negligible
4 A-Frequent 1A 2A 3A 4A
B- Probable 1B 2B 3B 4B
C-Occasional 1C 2C 3C 4C
D- Remote 1D 2D 3D 4D
E- Improbable 1E 2E 3E 4E
F- Eliminated
Safety Risk Index Ranking
1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B High Unacceptable
1D, 2C, 3A, 3B Serious Undesirable - With management decision required 1E, 2D, 2E, 3C, 3D, 3E, 4A, 4B, Medium Acceptable - with review by management 4C, 4D, 4E Low Acceptable - without review
The Chief Safety Officer documents recommendations regarding hazard rating and mitigation options and reports this information to the Accountable Executive.
Subsection 10.3 Safety Risk Mitigation
The Chief Safety Officer, assisted by Key Staff subject matter experts, reviews current safety risk mitigations and establish procedures to 1) eliminate; 2) mitigate; 3) accept specific risks.
Prioritization of safety remediation measures is based on risk analysis and a course of action acceptable to the City of Riverside management. Safety risk mitigations are tracked and updated in the Hazard Log by the Chief Safety Officer.
The safety risk must be mitigated if ranked as Unacceptable (High- Red). Those safety risks that have been mitigated, even those mitigated risks shown as Acceptable status (Low -Green) undergo regular and consistent monitoring to ensure the mitigation strategy is effective. Once the hazard has been corrected or risk has been mitigated, the Chief Safety Officer is responsible for documenting the resolution. If the risk from the unsafe condition is not or cannot be mitigated, a reason should be provided, and it shall be elevated to the Safety Committee.
As a source for safety risk mitigation, the City of Riverside considers guidance provided by an oversight authority, if applicable, and FTA; and guidelines to prevent or control exposure to infectious diseases provided by the CDC or a State health authority.
Key strategies to minimize the types of risks that potentially exist include:
• Development and deployment of policies and procedures that address known hazards and risks,
• Discussion of other actions, strategies and procedures that might help safeguard against unknown/unforeseen risks,
• Training of drivers and other agency staff on all safety policies and procedures, • Training of drivers and other agency staff on methodologies for handling emergencies, and
• Training of drivers and staff on proper and effective use of emergency equipment and communication technologies and protocol.
In identifying safety risk mitigations for the safety risk reduction program related to vehicular and pedestrian safety events involving transit vehicles, including to address a missed safety performance target set by the Safety Committee under § 673.19(d)(2), the City of Riverside and its Safety Committee consider mitigations to reduce visibility impairments for transit vehicle operators that contribute to accidents, including retrofits to vehicles in revenue service and specifications for future procurements that reduce visibility impairments.
As part of identifying safety risk mitigations for the safety risk reduction program related to assaults on transit workers, including to address a missed safety performance target set by the Safety Committee under § 673.19(d)(2), the City of Riverside and its Safety Committee consider deployment of assault mitigation infrastructure and technology on transit vehicles and in transit facilities. Assault mitigation infrastructure and technology includes barriers to restrict the unwanted entry of individuals and objects into the workstations of bus operators.
When the Safety Committee, as part of the transit agency’s safety risk reduction program, identifies and recommends under § 673.19(c)(6) safety risk mitigations, including mitigations relating to vehicular and pedestrian safety events involving transit vehicles or assaults on transit workers, based on a safety risk assessment conducted under § 673.25(c), the City of Riverside must include or incorporate by reference these safety risk mitigations in its ASP pursuant to § 673.11(a)(7)(iv).
If the Safety Committee recommends a safety risk mitigation unrelated to the safety risk reduction program, and the Accountable Executive decides not to implement the safety risk mitigation, the Accountable Executive must prepare a written statement explaining their decision, pursuant to recordkeeping requirements at § 673.31. The Accountable Executive must submit and present this explanation to the transit agency’s Safety Committee and City Council.
Section 11 Safety Assurance
The third component of the Agency’s SMS is Safety Assurance, which ensures the performance and effectiveness of safety risk controls established under safety risk management. Safety assurance also helps ensure that the organization meets or exceeds its safety objectives through the collection, analysis, and assessment of data regarding the organization's performance. Safety assurance includes inspection activities to support oversight and performance monitoring.
The City of Riverside monitors its operations and maintenance protocols and procedures, and any safety risk mitigations to ensure that it is implementing them as planned. Furthermore, the
City investigates safety events and any reports of non-compliance with applicable regulations, standards, and legal authority. Finally, the City continually monitors information reported to it through any internal safety reporting programs, including the employee safety reporting program.
The Safety Committee assists in overseeing safety performance monitoring by identifying safety risk mitigations that may be ineffective, inappropriate, or were not implemented as intended, including safety risk mitigations associated with any instances where the transit agency did not meet an annual safety performance target in the safety risk reduction program.
Some of the key elements of the City of Riverside’s Safety Performance Monitoring and Measurement are shown below in subsection 11.1:
Subsection 11.1 Safety Performance Monitoring and Measurement As part of the Safety Assurance Process, the City of Riverside:
• Monitors the system for compliance with, and sufficiency of, the Agency’s procedures for operations and maintenance through:
o Safety audits,
o Informal inspections,
o Regular review of on-board camera footage to assess drivers and specific incidents,
o Safety surveys,
o Employee safety reporting program,
o Investigation of safety occurrences,
o Safety review prior to the launch or modification of any facet of service, o Daily data gathering and monitoring of data relating to the delivery of service, o Regular vehicle inspections and preventative maintenance, and o Continuous feedback loop between leadership and all levels of the agency. • Monitors its operations to identify any safety risk mitigations that may be ineffective, inappropriate, or were not implemented as intended through:
o Reviewing results from accident, incident, and occurrence investigations, o Monitoring employee safety reporting,
o Reviewing results of internal safety audits and inspections, and o Analyzing operational and safety data to identify emerging safety concerns. • Conducts investigations of safety events to identify causal factors; and • Monitors information reported through any internal safety reporting programs. o The Chief Safety Officer routinely reviews safety data captured in employee safety reports, safety meeting minutes, customer complaints, and other safety communication channels. When necessary, the Chief Safety Officer ensures that the issues and concerns are investigated or analyzed through the safety risk assessment process.
o The Chief Safety Officer also reviews the results of internal and external reviews, including audits and assessments, with findings affecting safety performance,
compliance with operations and maintenance procedures, or the effectiveness of safety risk mitigations. The Chief Safety Officer discusses relevant safety issues and concerns with the Accountable Executive and executive management and documents the results of these reviews in the Hazard Log.
In the event of a fatality, the City of Riverside complies with all FTA drug and alcohol requirements.
In California, every driver involved in an accident that results in death, injury, or property damage over $1000, effective January 1, 2017, must report the accident on a Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California (SR 1) form to DMV. The report forms are available at www.dmv.ca.gov, by calling 1-800-777-0133, and at CHP and DMV offices. Also, under California Vehicle Code §16002(b) the driver of a vehicle that is owned or operated by a publicly owned or operated transit system, or that is operated under contract with a publicly owned or operated transit system, and that is used to provide regularly scheduled transportation to the general public or for other official business of the system shall, within 10 days of the occurrence of the accident, report to the transit system any accident of a type otherwise required to be reported pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 16000 . The City of Riverside requires
driver notification to the City of Riverside immediately and maintains records of any report filed pursuant to this paragraph.
Subsection 11.2 Continuous Improvement
The City of Riverside is committed to continuous improvement in safety management and performance and has established a process to assess its safety performance annually. This process includes:
• Identification of deficiencies in the Safety Management System (SMS). • Evaluation of the agency’s performance against its established safety performance targets.
• Identification of any deficiencies in the agency’s performance against annual safety performance targets established by the Safety Committee for the safety risk reduction program.
The Safety Committee plays a central role in this continuous improvement process, consistent with the requirements of § 673.19(d)(3)(iii) and 673.27(d)(1)(ii).
The City of Riverside
monitors safety performance throughout the year against annual safety performance targets set by the Safety Committee for the safety risk reduction program. These targets are designed to address safety risk areas such as vehicular and pedestrian safety events and assaults on transit workers. If the agency does not meet a safety risk reduction program safety performance target set by the Safety Committee:
1. The agency assesses the associated safety risk using the safety risk assessment process.
2. Based on the results of the assessment, the agency mitigates the safety risk using the safety risk mitigation process in § 673.25(d).
3. These mitigations are documented and included or incorporated by reference into the Agency Safety Plan pursuant to § 673.11(a)(7)(iv), 673.25(d)(5), and 673.27(d)(3)(ii).
4. The agency allocates its safety set-aside funds in the following fiscal year to safety- related projects that are eligible under 49 U.S.C. 5307 that reasonably likely to help the agency meet missed safety performance targets in future years.
Under the direction of the Accountable Executive and the Chief Safety Officer, the City of Riverside develops and implements corrective action plans to address any deficiencies identified through the safety performance assessment process. These plans include safety risk mitigations developed in response to unmet safety performance targets in the safety risk reduction program, as required by § 673.27(d)(3)(ii) and 673.27(d)(4).
Section 12 Safety Promotion
The fourth component of the Agency’s SMS is Safety Promotion, which includes a combination of training and communication of safety information to employees to enhance the Agency’s safety performance. Safety Promotion sets the tone for the SMS and helps the City of Riverside to establish and maintain a robust safety culture. Safety Promotion has two-components: (1) Safety Communication; and (2) Competencies and Training.
Subsection 12.1 Safety Communication
The City of Riverside communicates safety and safety performance information throughout the transit agency’s organization that, at a minimum, conveys information on:
• hazards and safety risk relevant to transit workers’ roles and responsibilities • safety actions taken in response to reports submitted through the transit worker safety reporting program
• results of cooperation with the Safety Committee
Ongoing safety communication is critical and the City of Riverside ensures communication occurs up, down, and across all levels of the organization. Any lessons learned are communicated to all concerned. Management commitment to address safety concerns and hazards is communicated on a regular basis. Management encourages and motivates employees to communicate openly, authentically, and without concern for reprisal; ensures employees are aware of SMS principles and understand their safety-related roles and responsibilities; conveys safety critical information such as accident data, injuries, and reported safety concerns and hazards and their resolutions to employees. The City of Riverside’s tools to support safety communication include:
• Safety bulletins
• Safety notices
• Posters
• CDs or Thumb drives or online safety video access
• Newsletters
• Briefings or Toolbox talks
• Seminars and workshops
• New employee training and refresher training
• Intranet or social media
• Safety Committee Meetings
Competencies and Training: Executive Management ensures that all transit employees, including maintenance transit workers, attend the training provided to understand their specific roles and responsibilities for the implementation of SMS. The City of Riverside provides SMS training, including refresher training as necessary, in the following areas:
All Employees:
• Understanding of Safety Performance Targets
• Understanding of fundamental principles of SMS
• Understanding of Safety Reporting Program – Reporting unsafe conditions and hazards/near misses
• Understanding of their individual roles and responsibilities under SMS • De-escalation techniques
• Safety concern identification and reporting
Managers and Supervisors
• Understanding of Safety Risk Management
• Understanding of Safety Assurance
• Understanding of Safety Promotion
• Understanding of their individual roles and responsibilities for SMS
Executive Management:
• Understanding of management commitment to and support of all SMS activities.
All employees are required to acquire the competencies and knowledge for the consistent application of their skills as they relate to safety performance objectives. The City of Riverside dedicates resources to conduct effective safety-related skill training. The scope of the safety training is appropriate to each employee’s individual safety-related job responsibilities and their role in SMS. Components of the City of Riverside’s skill-related training include:
• Conducting training needs analyses to ensure that the right information is being taught to the right employees using the most efficient training methods. • Communicating purpose, objectives, and outcome.
• Ensuring relevant content by directly linking training to the trainee’s job experiences so trainees are more motivated to learn.
• Using active hands-on demonstrations and practice to demonstrate skills that are being taught and provide opportunities for trainees to practice skills. • Providing regular feedback during hands-on practice and exercises. • Reinforcing training concepts in the post-training work environment by giving employees opportunities to perform what they’ve learned.
Safety-related skill training programs include:
• Commercial Driver
• Defensive Driver
• Van Driver
• ADA Compliance
• Wheelchair Lift Operation
• Drug & Alcohol
Section 13 Additional Information
Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 673.31, the City of Riverside maintains records related to this Safety Plan and SMS implementation for a minimum of three years. These documents include but are not limited to the results from SMS processes and activities. The City of Riverside will make these documents available to FTA Region 9, Caltrans, and other Federal and state agencies upon request. The Accountable Executive certifies compliance with Part 673 in the Transit Award Management System (TrAMS) by signing and dating the cover page of the Agency Safety Plan.
APPENDIX A: VERSION HISTORY TABLE
Version PTASP Issue Date Safety Committee
Approval
Riverside City
Council Approval
1.0 April 15, 2020 N/A November 3, 2020
2.0 June 25, 2025 August 14, 2025 Pending
APPENDIX B: SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Safety Committee Meeting Minutes
Meeting Date: August 14, 2025
Meeting Time: 11:00 am
Location: Special Transportation – Ron’s Office
Meeting Facilitator: John Burnett
Recorder: David Richardson
1. Call to Order
Time meeting was called to order: 11:02 am
Opening remarks (if any): Safety Moment – COVID is on the rise again!
2. Roll Call / Attendance
Name Management (Y/N) Title Present (Y/N)
John Burnett Y Transit Supervisor Y
Eric Bush N Minibus Driver Y
Jackie Palmerin N Minibus Driver Y
David Richardson Y Transit Analyst Y
3. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
Date of last meeting: May 27, 2025
Motion to approve by: David Richardson
Seconded by: Eric Bush
Result: X Approved ☐ Amended ☐ Denied
4. Old Business / Follow-Up Items
Topic Assigned To Status/Notes
ASP John/David Updates complete pending
Safety Committee approval
5. New Business / Safety Concerns
The Safety Committee set the FY2025/26 Safety Performance Targets for the ASP and approved Version 2 of the ASP by a vote of 4 – 0. Motion to approve by David Richardson and seconded by John Burnett.
The Safety Committee Ground Rules and Guidelines were also approved by a vote of 4 – 0 and will be effective 8/14/2025. Motion to approve by David Richardson and seconded by John Burnett.
Concern/Topic Reported By Discussion
Summary
Action
Required
Assigned To
AED’s John Burnett AED’s will be
purchased for
all buses
Staff training
and
certification on
us of AED’s
John Burnett
Wheelchair lift
covers
Eric Bush Lift cover is a
tripping hazard
when draped
over seats
John suggested
hanging it on
the jump seat.
John Burnett
ASP David
Richardson
ASP is a live
document that
will be updated
at least
annually
ASP approved
annually by the
committee and
sent to CC
John Burnett
Scheduled rides Eric Bush Schedules are
sending drivers
all over town
making them
feel rushed to
keep up
Drivers will
document
specific
incidents for
review and next
meeting
Eric
Bush/Jackie
Palmerin
CPR Training Eric Bush Drivers would
like CPR and
First Aid
training
A Supervisor
becomes a
certified trainer
Ron Profeta
6. Incident/Accident Review (if applicable)
Summary of incidents since last meeting: To be discussed at next meeting.
Root causes identified:
Corrective actions taken or planned:
Recommendations:
7. Safety Inspections / Audits
Reports reviewed: Annual CHP Terminal Audit completed 7/10/2025.
Outstanding issues: no safety issues noted
Plans for follow-up: none
8. Training Updates
Completed trainings: CHP Officer Yager was the guest speaker at the July 15 Safety Meeting Upcoming trainings: De-escalation training performed by RPD Proposed trainings: AED, CPR, and First Aid
9. Suggestions / Feedback from Staff
Summary of submissions (if any):
Eric thanked the team for removing a few decommissioned buses from the yard making it easier to navigate the bus lot.
Eric asked why we don’t provide training for new Class B drivers.
Discussion & outcomes: John explained that the process of training new drivers is expensive and time consuming with no guarantee that the driver will stay with us once certification is completed.
10. Announcements / Reminders
- Next mandatory Safety Meeting is scheduled for September 16, 2025
11. Next Meeting
Date: November 2025
Time:
Location:
12. Adjournment
Time meeting adjourned: 11:56 am
Motioned by: John Burnett
Seconded by: David Richardson
Name (Printed): David Richardson
Date Submitted: August 14, 2025
APPENDIX C: SAFETY PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND PERFORMANCE TARGETS
FY25 TARGETS BASED ON 3-YEAR AVERAGE OF NATIONAL TRASIT DATABASE (NTD)
Methodology
The FY25 safety performance targets shown below were calculated based on a 3-year average of NTD CY22, CY23, and CY24 data (rates are calculated per 100K Vehicle Revenue Miles or VRM).
PARATRANSIT
(DR/DO)
CY 2022 NTD CY 2023 NTD CY 2024 NTD AVERAGE FY25
TARGETS
VRM 335,301 410,574 418,941 388,272 400,000
Major Events
(S&S-40s)
1 0 0 0.3 0
Major Event Rate 0.3 0 0 0.1 0
Collision Rate 0.3 0 0 0.1 0
Pedestrian
Collision Rate
0 0 0 0 0
Vehicular Collision
Rate
0.3 0 0 0.1 0
Fatalities 0 0 0 0 0
Fatality Rate 0 0 0 0 0
Transit Worker
Fatality Rate
0 0 0 0 0
Injuries 4 1 0 2 0
Injury Rate 1.2 0.2 0 0.5 0
Transit Worker
Injury Rate
0.3 0 0 0.1 0
Assaults on
Transit Workers
0 0 0 0 0
Rate of Assaults
on Transit
Workers
0 0 0 0 0
System Reliability
(VRM/failures)
55,884 41,057 20,947 39,296 40,000
APPENDIX D: ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
APPENDIX E: LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS
ADA Americans with Disabilities Act
ASP Agency Safety Plan
AVL Automatic Vehicle Location
CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CHP California Highway Patrol
CSO Chief Safety Officer
CY Calendar Year
DMV Department of Motor Vehicles
FTA Federal Transit Administration
FTE Full Time Equivalent
FY Fiscal Year
MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization
MOU Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
NTD National Transit Database
PRCSD Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department PTASP Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan
RTA Riverside Transit Agency
S&S Safety & Security Major Event
SCAG Southern California Association of Governments
SGR State of Good Repair
SMS Safety Management System
SPTs Safety Performance Targets
SRA Safety Risk Assessment
SRM Safety Risk Management
TAM Transit Asset Management
TrAMS Transit Award Management System
TSI Transportation Safety Institute
U.S.C. United States Code
VRM Vehicle Revenue Miles