OVERALL DESCRIPTION

The Safety Officer will coordinate and cooperate with all levels of Authority management and collective bargaining unit employees to provide expert assistance toward identifying, assessing, and prioritizing line management’s prevention of safety, health, and environmental hazards. The Safety Officer must be able to satisfy rigorous and demanding work schedules, which include non-traditional working hours (nights and weekends), and short-term deadlines.

The Safety Officer’s work effort will be concentrated in one of the five (5) primary specialty areas; Operational Safety, Occupational Safety and Health, Construction Safety, Accident Prevention and Investigation, and/or Safety Regulatory Compliance. To maintain a diverse and broad level of subject matter expertise that is needed to perform all the Division’s responsibilities, the required expertise and responsibilities will vary for each hire and be based on the current status of vacancies and needs of the division.
Based on the vacancies and needs of the Division. The Safety Officer will be required to be experienced in one of these five (5) areas and would be expected to perform functions based on the specific responsibilities selected for the position at that time and identified in the job posting. The Chief Safety Officer, Deputy Chief Safety Officer, System Safety and/or the Department Director will make this determination of what responsibilities are required based on the current staffing needs at the time of posting.
 

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Facilitates and assists audits of Authority’s operational systems conducted by Authorities Having Jurisdiction, including FRA, NTSB, FTA, State Safety Oversight (PennDOT), and APTA.
2. Implements and facilitates activities as required by the Code of Federal Regulations for both the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
3. Inspects Authority operations and equipment to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and standards. Recommends cost effective enhancements to existing safety programs.
4. Conducts compliance audits of Operational Rules and Practices. Must be knowledgeable in SEPTA’s operating rules.
5. Develops and executes audit protocols and checklists to assess compliance with operational practices, operational training, rules, and vehicle maintenance activities as related to their safety critical elements for all modes of operation. Provides safety support and consultation for these functions.
6. Assesses compliance with various regulations and interfaces with regulatory agency personnel including
7. Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation State Safety Oversight Agency, (PA DOT SSOA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration, emergency response personnel and local municipalities.
8. Reviews accident and incident statistics to identify trends and develops programs with the various Operation departments to reduce, if not eliminate, accidents and incidents.
9. Develops, updates, and assesses compliance with Operational Safety programs including, but not limited to, the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan, System Safety Program Plan, Hours of Service Program, and Currency & Proficiency Program.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree in (Engineering, Safety Management, Operations Management, Emergency Management, Transportation, Business Management, Quality Management, Systems Management) preferred, or related field; five (5) years’ experience in System Safety, Transportation Operations or Maintenance, Project Management, or Engineering.
• An equivalent combination of experience and education (one year of formal education equating to two years of work experience) may be considered in lieu of the above requirements.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license.
• Experience in operations in the Public Transportation Industry preferred.
• Must demonstrate the ability to pursue/perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Must have excellent verbal and strong technical writing skills.
• PC experience with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint required.

IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• USDOT Transportation Institute Transit (TSI) Safety and Security Program (TSSP- Rail and/or TSSP-Bus) certificate.
• Federal Transit Administration Public Transportation Safety Certification Training Program Certification (PTSCTP).
• Working knowledge of the DHS Homeland Security Emergency and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).
• Knowledge of Military Standard 882, identification of safety hazards and mitigation.
• Experience in Transit Safety and Security.
• Knowledge of the FTA Safety and Security Certification Handbook.