Bus Safety; Security; Emergency Management; and Safe, Effective, and Clean Transit Excellence Awards Application

Creating a safety culture within the organization begins at the top. The organization should be able to demonstrate a high level of resource allocation and management participation in the development and implementation of safety initiatives.

When considering whether or not your program should be entered, ask yourself

• “Does the program/project have a clear focus with specific intended results?” The organization should also be able to demonstrate solid and progressive results tied to overall agency goals and objectives.
• “Is there before/after data that will support the efficacy of the program/project?” At a minimum, each organization must submit their safety data for the previous three years to demonstrate how the program or practice has effectively influenced the achievement of goals and objectives.
• “Does data support that reductions are being sustained?” Data must be clearly defined and all data submitted must be validated and approved in writing by the organization’s chief executive officer (president, general manager).
• “Can the program/project be reasonably assumed to have led to the improvements?”

Other types of data to document safety performance might include:

• Statistics on accident claims paid indicating the economic benefit of safety improvements
• Data reflecting reduction in on-the-job injuries related to a specific initiative
• Trend data on public comments related to operator driving safety

The bottom-line of an effective safety program should be reflected in the organization’s key performance metrics. Organizations should submit evaluations of safety projects, programs, and initiatives that reflect the benefits the organization has derived from the program or practice. Organizations should be able to demonstrate gains or efficiencies in a variety of formats by being able to address some of the following questions:

• What net financial benefits were accrued through implementation of this program/project?
• How do direct savings compare to the program/project costs?
• What indirect or non-financial benefits were achieved?
• Did the program/project address a significant issue facing the agency?

Bus transportation is a dynamic environment that is constantly changing and challenging organizations to adapt to new situations. A systematic approach to safety must include consideration of on-going changes within this public environment. The organization should be able to demonstrate methods used to advance safety issues that address these external or internal circumstances.

Organizations should submit descriptions of innovative efforts having a positive effect on the operating environment and the safety of drivers, pedestrians, passengers or otherwise principal inhabitants of that environment. Your submittal should illustrate the following:

• How does this program/project differ from traditional approaches to the problem?
• Does the program/project enhance common practices?
• Does the program/project reflect a totally new or unusual approach?
• How do the unique or innovative attributes of this project/program contribute to the effectiveness/ benefits achieved?

To truly be considered an Industry Leading Effective Practice, other transit providers must be able to replicate the program and implement it with similar results. Programs and practices must be described in such a way that other operators benefit from the success that others have had. Measures viewed as promising can then be implemented within other systems, and in doing so, the entire industry is improved over time. Organizations should submit descriptions of initiatives they developed that can address the following:

• Does this program/project address an issue that is significant to many agencies?
• Can the program/project be reasonably incorporated by other agencies?
• Is the program/project likely to be more attractive than other existing approaches to the same types of safety issues?

These questions and examples are provided only to invoke ideas. A single program could relate to multiple criteria.