Research Roundups

Research Roundup: Transit frontline worker safety and health resources

TWC’s Resource Center features numerous resources on safety and health, ranging from training materials to research reports and best practice guides, with a focus on the health and safety of the frontline workforce. This post will highlight these resources and present key takeaways. Click any of the following links to easily find resources on safety and health topics:

Transit assault mitigation and operator protection

Data collected by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and made available through the National Transit Database (NTD) have shown an increase in assaults occurring on transit vehicles and properties since 2014. Reporting requirements changed in 2023 to require greater detail on the incidents be included in transit locations’ submissions to NTD, allowing deeper analysis of the frequency and nature of transit assaults. NTD safety data are available on the FTA website.  

TWC’s Resource Center features several reports and other resources highlighting strategies intended to protect transit operators, prevent transit assaults, and mitigate the effects of assaults. Two recent Transit Cooperative Research Program reports – TCRP Research Report 247: Assessing Lifecycle and Human Costs of Bus Operator Workstation Design and Components and TCRP Research Report 249: Bus Operator Barrier Design: Guidelines and Considerations – investigated the topic of bus operator compartment and barrier redesign. The latter focuses specifically on protective barriers and includes survey results, barrier design concept examples, and evaluations of design concepts based on specific risk mitigation targets including assault prevention, air quality, and visibility. Another featured resource collects documentation of the collaborative Bus Design Innovation Program led by ATU International, ATU local 113, Centennial College, and Toronto Transit Commission.  

The Resource Center also includes FTA reports and technical assistance/training materials focused on responding to the challenge of transit assaults. FTA General Directive 24-1: Required Actions Regarding Assaults on Transit Workers required some transit agencies to provide updates to the federal government on their progress towards addressing transit assaults, including completing safety risk assessments. A summary of responses to General Directive 24-1 was released earlier this year. Ninety percent of transit agencies responding to the General Directive conducted safety risk assessments in response, while 10% had conducted an assessment sometime in the prior year. Sixty-eight percent of agencies reported that the risk assessment had identified necessary mitigations to reduce the risk associated with transit assaults.  

Strategies to reduce transit assaults are one of many topics included in Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASPs), which transit locations submit to FTA. Related FTA resources include the PTASP TA Center, which provides technical assistance to transit locations in the development of agency safety plans, and the De-Escalation Training Resource Directory, a collection of resources focused on the effective use of de-escalation as an assault mitigation tool. ATU International has also developed a safety plan review training initiative to support locals in their participation in the development of PTASPs through joint safety committees. The Resource Center also includes content from sessions at TWC’s Making Connections 2024 national transit workforce conference on related topics including operator compartments and barriers, PTASP implementation, and de-escalation training, with presentations from stakeholders from ATU International and Maryland Transit Administration’s / ATU Local 1300’s joint safety committee, among others.

Frontline worker health and wellness

Maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for transit operators can improve retention and the overall safety and efficiency of transit operations. TCRP Research Report 247, mentioned previously, outlined methods for evaluating bus operator workstation design based on ergonomics and safe vehicle operations, with a focus on mitigating musculoskeletal problems among transit operators (and impacts including accidents and turnover). Other potential challenges affecting transit operators include respiratory health problems and limited access to restroom facilities. These issues are addressed in a TRB Insight Event summary on Air Quality in Transit Buses and TCRP Research Report 216: Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access. ATU International and TWU International have also produced safety resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other occupational safety and health challenges.  

TCRP Research Report 217: Improving the Health and Safety of Transit Workers with Corresponding Impacts on the Bottom Line, connects health and safety directly to return on investment and efficiency. Operator health is also relevant to agencies’ priority of ensuring that operators are alert and able to safely operate a motor vehicle. Relevant resources include guidance from US DOT on Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs, and FTA’s Fatigue Resources for Transit Operations. 

Recent research has highlighted the critical importance of centering transit workers’ mental health. TCRP Report 245: Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers built upon APTA’s workforce shortage reports to explore the prevalence of mental health challenges among transit workers through a survey, interviews, and focus groups. The TCRP study identified promising practices at transit locations that support workers’ mental health and wellness, including on-site counseling services and resources provided through Employee Assistance Plans and local unions. FTA maintains a page containing Mental Health Resources for Transit Workers, covering a range of relevant topics and including example materials from transit agencies. Content from a Making Connections 2024 session on mental health and psychological safety for transit workers is also available on the Resource Center.

Training and standards

Transit workers deal with safety-sensitive equipment and technology. Training standards are critical to ensuring safe transit operations. TWC’s Resource Center hosts several resources covering relevant occupational safety and training topics. 

In 2024, FTA finalized a Rail Transit Roadway Worker Protection rule setting minimum standards for the protection of transit rail workers whose work requires entering roadways. Covered agencies must establish a Roadway Worker Protection program by December 2, 2025. FTA’s Standards Development Program previously published a report on existing standards and best practices for Roadway Worker Protection. FTA has also released a report on MARTA’s demonstration of a roadway worker protection (RWP) warning technology designed to protect workers in rail rights-of-way.  

The Resource Center also hosts safety-related training materials from FTA and from TWC’s partner FTA technical assistance centers, such as National RTAP’s Resource Catalogue. Transit safety and security training resources from the Transportation Safety Institute are also available; transit workers in safety roles and those serving on joint safety committees can explore opportunities for Safety Management System familiarization and other training.

Users can find resources on the low-no transition, which involves dealing with new technologies including high voltage systems, including APTA’s Maintenance Training Standards. Under the Standards topic area, the Resource Center also includes APTA standards for other frontline maintenance and operations roles and national apprenticeship standards. In addition, several TCRP reports featured on the Resource Center have documented current practice in safe operations and training, including TCRP Synthesis 107: Rail Transit Track Inspection Practices, TCRP Synthesis 126: Successful Practices and Training Initiatives to Reduce Accidents and Incidents at Transit Agencies, and TCRP Research Report 199: Transit Technical Training (Volumes 1 & 2). 

Passenger safety

Keeping riders safe is of the utmost importance for transit agencies. The Resource Center features several materials that support training and awareness for frontline workers around passenger safety. CTAA’s Passenger Assistance, Safety and Sensitivity (PASS) Program Handbook provides guidelines on best practices for supporting riders requiring extra care or assistance. A 2023 TCRP report on Transportation for People with Disabilities and Older Adults During COVID-19 also outlined strategies for supporting riders who require extra assistance.  

Public transportation can be a critical venue in which to identify signs of human trafficking. A 2024 APTA webinar highlighted the resources available to transit agencies and the vital role of frontline transit workers in identifying and assisting victims of trafficking.  

Transit assaults affect both riders and passengers. The resources discussed previously include strategies aimed at protecting riders. Other relevant resources include the Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS) Advancing Rider and Worker Safety Report, which recommends labor-management safety collaboration, de-escalation and other frontline worker training initiatives, and enhanced security in transit facilities; and Understanding the Prevalence of Mental Health and Behavioral Distress in Transit Assaults, a research report from the Mineta Transportation Institute, which outlines training approaches to support transit workers in recognizing signs of mental health distress and intervening in situations where worker and rider safety could be impacted