CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The MBTA must submit a new Worker Safety Plan to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) by Monday.
Their plan was rejected because the FTA deemed its long-term safety improvements as insufficient. They called for revisions that can be applied within the next 60 days.
The FTA, which mandated a range of safety fixes at the T after an investigation that happened last summer, in April, flagged a series of “near misses” between the subway trains and its workers and ordered the transit agencies to improve employee safety.
Between March and April, the MBTA had five close calls and one serious employee injury. This all comes on top of critical MBTA staffing shortages. The FTA is also asking for weekly updates on hiring.
Federal Transit Administration Chief Safety Officer Joe DeLorenzo said on May 19th that if the MBTA fails to “appropriately revise” their work plan and comply with other requirements that the federal safety officials outlined, the T will be prohibited from right-of-way access.
