Washington Metrorail Safety Commission –– Further Roadway Worker Protection Program Revisions Needed
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
Washington Metrorail Safety Commission
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– After an audit of Washington's Metro system's Worker Protection Program, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission found the
According to the Executive Summary of the report, “The audit demonstrates that although Metrorail has
established policies and procedures, rules, training, and oversight of its RWP program, there are still
deficiencies that put the safety of workers at risk. During this audit WMSC personnel observed unsafe
practices contrary to Metrorail policies and procedures at every observation activity conducted.”
The report goes on to say that “As further explained in Finding 1, Metrorail is not effectively ensuring that its personnel on and around the roadway are consistently following the Roadway Worker Protection rules
designed for their safety. This increases the risk that personnel may be injured or killed. Between 2005 and 2010, eight Metrorail employees were struck and killed by rail vehicles. In the years since, there have been several near miss collisions with roadway workers, including a 2016 safety event where two Federal Transit Administration (FTA) track inspectors were forced to jump out of the path of a train traveling at excessive speeds to avoid being hit near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station. Since then, there have been near misses of such events that include workers narrowly escaping a fatal collision, including events that occurred in 2021, 2022, and 2023 that are described in more detail later in this report.”
You can read the entire safety report here.
