Metrolink peer review report - Ventura County Star

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METROLINK COMMUTER RAIL SAFETY PEER REVIEW PANEL Final Report – January 5, 2009 Issue Papers A culture that supports safety comes from an alignment of organizational structure, policies, systems, processes, communications, and behavior. This alignment begins at the Board and filters through every level of the organization and even to the customer. Creating a more unified culture that supports safety can be a significant organizational development effort in any organization, and SCRRA is no exception. Skarlicki, D.P. & Latham, G.P. (1997). “Leadership training in organizational justice to increase citizenship behavior within a labor union: A replication.” Personnel Psychology, 50(3), 617-633. 24
METROLINK COMMUTER RAIL SAFETY PEER REVIEW PANEL Final Report – January 5, 2009 Issue Paper #2: SCRRA Organizational Structure Issue Papers The roles and responsibilities of some safety-related operational functions at Metrolink are not as defined as they could be. SCRRA’s organizational structure plays a role in how safety functions are performed. Observations Observations focus on: 1) SCRRA and contactor responsibility overlap, 2) allocation of resources and 3) organizational structure and vacancies. • The definitions of SCRRA’s and the contractor’s responsibilities for some tasks could and should be sharpened. In some cases it is not clear where responsibilities lie. Examples include: incident response; vehicle-troubleshooting training, and rules testing. • The process of allocating resources within SCRRA and between SCRRA and its contractors could improve so that safety-critical functions receive priority. Key operations management positions at SCRRA are vacant and key oversight staffing and skills positions could be created. While such resources may have been in place at Metrolink’s inception, it appears that it has not kept good pace with the growth in Metrolink’s service and the growth in the number of contracts the Agency oversees. SCRRA managers responsible for overseeing the several operating and maintenance contracts have independent processes for overseeing the contractors’ rules-testing programs. This issue is discussed in Issue Paper #4: “Safety Performance Measurement.” In the headcount allocation process, it appears that the filling of key operational positions is being influenced by the Human Resources Group and budget constraints. This may not be the best way to establish staffing priorities for operations. There may be an opportunity to increase the focus on safety by adjusting the roles that Human Resources and Operations Management play in determining which positions to establish and which to fill. • Contract oversight resources need to keep better pace with Metrolink’s growth in service and number of contracts, especially in the last few years. Chart 4 illustrates that the operations oversight resources need to keep better pace with growth of service, changes in the contractual environment and the growing sophistication of the regulatory and system safety requirements. Over the past nine (9) years between 2000 and 2008 there has been a slow growth of operational oversight positions. During this nine year period the SCRRA operational oversight staff has increased by three positions or 14% (21 positions to 24 positions). During this same period of time, the Contractors personnel has increased by 22.5% and the number of train miles operated increased by 34%. This trend continues in the Operating Budget projected for 2009. • The top safety manager at SCRRA reports to the Assistant Executive Officer, Operating Services. Instead, the Panel recommends an Agency-wide safety oversight function. This issue is discussed in Issue Paper #3: Systems Safety Program Plan. • Key operations management positions at SCRRA are vacant and key oversight staffing and skills positions could be created, such as Operating Rules Specialists and Road Foreman-equivalent skills positions, to oversee contractor programs and employees. • Communications among departments could be enhanced to minimize the “silo effect”. 25
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Metrolink peer review report - Ventura County Star

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