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. Provides 24/7 on-call coverage for all Authority operations and activities when notified about covered accident, incident, injury or other loss-causing event. immediately responds to and investigates those incidents based on the severity and significance of the received incident report. Assures that all regulatory notifications are made on time.
2. Maintains professional currency in safety and health  disciplines - particularly subjects related to the transit industry, by regular review of safety publications; memberships in appropriate professional safety organizations; and attendance at appropriate safety, and health seminars. Develops a communication network with safety and health professionals at other transportation agencies.
3. Participates in Location Safety Committee (LSC) and Joint Health & Safety Committee (JH SC) activities.
4. Plans, develops and conducts safety awareness campaigns for employees, passengers and the public including safety  blitzes and the Operation Lifesaver program.
5. Serves as Acting Director when required.
6. Promote and enforce the Authority's Safety Awareness & Environmental Protection Policy, System Safety Program Plan , and Accident & Illness Prevention Program.
7. Maintain and manage all records and data in all related areas in accordance with Divisional filing protocols.
8. Perform any other duties as assigned by the Chief of System Safety and/or Director of Accident Prevention & Investigation.
9. Assists with training SEPTA personnel during the Basic Accident Investigation class and other System Safety course(s).

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES CONTD.

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 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.
7. Reviews accident and incident statistics to identify trends and develops programs with the various Operation departments to reduce, if not eliminate, accidents and incidents.
8. 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.

DISCIPLINE RESPONSIBILITIES

IV.     Accident Prevention & Investigation

1. Being the 24/7 on-call Investigator in Charge for multiple 7-day intervals throughout the calendar year.
2. Conduct full-scale investigations into accidents, incidents, and near-misses across all operational modes with the cooperation of labor and management. Uses specialized equipment and knowledge to reconstruct and analyze accidents and other occurrences. Prepares final reports and makes recommendations where required.
3. Analyzes equipment conditions and vehicle response evaluates human factors and fatigue related issues and its relativity to crash avoidance.
4. Provides Director, Accident Prevention and investigation and/or the AGM, System Safety with 24-hour preliminary report of investigated accidents or incidents.
5. Collect, document, and analyze evidence including field observations, interviews, and operational data. Generates chain of custody as required by department procedures.

6. Perform structured root cause analysis (RCA) to identify causal and contributing factors. Develop clear, defensible findings distinguishing root cause, contributing factors, and human/system influences. About to conduct a thorough 5-why root cause analysis into all safety events. Prepare and submit comprehensive investigative reports within 30 days or less.
7. Develops, updates, and assesses SEPTA's Accident/Incident Investigation Program. Provides training to managers and conducts periodic audits to ensure compliance.

DISCIPLINE RESPONSIBILITIES CONTD.

1. Audits other departments' accident and injury reports to assure adequacy of investigation and action taken to prevent recurrence. Prepares trend analysis and other special reports based on these accidents. Assures that proposed remedial action is implemented and is effective.
2. Reviews accident and incident statistics to identify trends and develops programs with the various departments to reduce, if not eliminate, accidents and incidents.
3. Interfaces and coordinates with various Authorities Having Jurisdiction including, but not limited to, Federal Transit Administration , Federal Railroad Administration , National Transportation Safety Board, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Public Utilities Commission with regard to Authority accidents and incidents.
4. Conduct rules compliance checks across all modes of transportation. Perform field observations, ride checks, and operational assessments. Identify and document non-compliance with operating rules, procedures, and safety standards.

5. Conduct inspections of work zones, maintenance activities, and facilities. Identify hazardous conditions, procedural deficiencies, and safety risks. Thoroughly document findings and support corrective action implementation.

5. Required to work during nights, weekends, and emergency response situations.
6. Successful completion of all trainings, including the following: Transportation Safety Institute (Bus and Rail), book of rules for all SEPTA transportation modes, RWP, QPE, and System Safety trainings.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree in safety-related or engineering disciplines plus five (5) to seven (7) years’ experience in Accident Investigation field required. An equivalent combination of education and experience (two (2) years of related experience equating to one year of post high school education) may be considered in lieu of the degree requirement.
• Strong knowledge of at least two (2) of the following: the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), NFPA, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and PennDOT and applicable, local, state and federal regulations required.
• Strong knowledge of SMS (Safety Management System)
• Must demonstrate the ability to pursue/perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Must have a strong understanding of union and management environment and demonstrate the ability to address health and safety matters directly to union employees.
• Must be able to review and analyze accident data and participate in the development of corrective action plans to resolve complex safety and health issues.
• Must be able to satisfy rigorous and demanding work schedules, which include non-traditional working hours, and short-term deadlines.
• Must have valid driver’s license.
• Must have advanced experience using the Microsoft Suite applications (specifically Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
• Must have excellent verbal and technical writing skills with experience writing technical reports and Standard Operating Procedures.
• Experience in Public Transportation Operations preferred.
• Experience in VMIS, SMART, PowerPoint and Access preferred.
• SAM employees are eligible to apply for open positions (transfer/promotion) after six (6) months from the date of assignment for their current position. A review of the previous one (1) year performance appraisal ( to ensure minimum standard of “Meets Expectations” for overall rating) will be conducted. A review of Discipline record, to ensure no discipline actions occurred during previous 1 year of employment will also be conducted.*

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.
• Strong knowledge of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and PennDOT and applicable, local, state and federal regulations preferred.