Page 6 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 MBTA Launches Quality, Compliance, and Oversight Office to Address FTA Safety Management Inspection Report BOSTON – The MBTA this week launched the Quality, Compliance, and Oversight Office to address the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) fi ndings contained in the Safety Management Inspection report. MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak also detailed the MBTA’s progress to date on addressing the report’s fi ndings, several of which the MBTA has already completed or is undertaking now. The MBTA announced Katie Choe, an over20-year veteran of construction management and safety oversight, will focus solely on launching the Quality, Compliance, and Oversight Offi ce, which will operate outside of the T’s current organizational structure and implement actions to address the report’s fi ndings. The Offi ce will also report publicly every month on the T’s progress toward implementing the FTA’s directives. “The MBTA’s number one priwww.eight10barandgrille.com We Have Reopened for Dine-In and Outside Seating every day beginning at 4 PM ority remains safety for both our riders and our employees. We are grateful to the FTA for their recommendations as we build on numerous actions and initiatives already in place across the organization to strengthen our safety management,” said General Manager Poftak. “Under the leadership of Katie Choe, I am confi dent that through the Quality, Compliance, and Oversight Offi ce, the MBTA will be better positioned to address the challenges it has faced and implement changes to the organization and system to provide a safer and more reliable T.” The FTA’s August 31 SMI reWE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 STAY SAFE! port found four categories for the MBTA to improve upon. They included: • Managing the impact of operations, maintenance, and capital projects requirements on the available workforce; • Prioritization of Safety Management Information; • Eff ectiveness of Safety Communication; and • Operating conditions and policies, procedures, and training. To address these areas, the FTA ordered the MBTA to carry out 53 total actions. Today, the MBTA has either implemented or began the process of implementing half of those including: • Safety has facilitated multiple new safety risk management workshops over the past two months in coordination with management and subject matter experts from outside departments. The workshops have allowed for proactive hazard identifi cation and mitigation in areas including hiring, training & certifi cation, and fi eld-based exercises working with Operations, Maintenance, Training, and Human Resources. • The Safety Department has also expanded its safety meeting framework to include performance-focused safety data reviews with senior managers and executives, and will continue to use this meeting framework for review and discussion of datadriven safety analyses and risk management. • Radio dead spots have been confi rmed with frontline staff , and a regular reporting and confi rmation has been established with the majority of spots resolved. The MBTA will begin working on the additional actions immediately and will continue to seek FTA approval as it progresses through the directives. Building on the MBTA’s safety management plan as well as initiatives and projects in place, the MBTA has established the Quality, Compliance, and Oversight Offi ce led by Katie Choe, reporting directly to the General Manager to implement all of the FTA’s recommended actions. The Quality, Compliance, and Oversight Offi ce will focus on assessing, recruiting, and hiring as part of workforce management, collecting and analyzing safety data, instilling safety culture across the organization, and improving operating practices. Progress on these initiatives will be reported monthly to the MBTA Board of Directors. “The Quality, Compliance, and Oversight Offi ce will help support the MBTA’s over-6,000 employees, from track walkers to inspectors to operators and motorpersons by giving them the tools they need to succeed, including training, documentation, and support systems as we continue to implement the recommended actions presented in the FTA’s report,” said MBTA Director of Quality, Compliance, and Oversight Katie Choe. “I have seen fi rst-hand, through countless New England winters, events like championship parades and in their everyday work, the perseverance, effort, and focus of the MBTA workforce and I am confi dent that they will rise to the occasion again.” Katie Choe has currently served as the MBTA’s Chief of Capital Delivery since January 2020, where she has led and delivered on many major infrastructure projects that support and transform the entirety of MBTA’s subway, MBTA | SEE Page 9 Monogram D4 Double siding Cedar impression half rounds Harvey Vinyl 64 Replacement Windows Custom Aluminum Trim work Windows & Doors Top quality Vinyl Siding! •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Roofing •Free Estimates •Replacement Windows •Fully Licensed •Fully Insured
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