FTA Supports Industry with Implementation of New General Directive to Protect Workers from Assaults

VERONICA VANTERPOOL
Deputy Administrator
FTA

The Biden-Harris Administration, through USDOT and FTA, have been focused on protecting America’s transit workers. No one should have to go to work worried they won’t come home or that they will get hurt at work. With that in mind, FTA recently published General Directive 24-1: Required Actions Regarding Assaults on Transit Workers.

Through this directive, FTA is calling upon the nation’s largest transit agencies to take concrete steps to protect critical frontline workers who have endured verbal and physical attacks far too often. This is FTA’s first General Directive, and it requires more than 700 agencies nationwide to take action to protect frontline transit workers from the risks of assaults by December 26, 2024.

Safety is FTA’s—and USDOT’s—number-one priority. This includes protecting workers who operate and maintain our nation’s transit systems. From 2018 to 2023, the fatality and injury rate from assaults on transit workers almost doubled. To put it simply, this is absolutely unacceptable. By requiring agencies to do all they can to minimize these assaults, we expect to reverse this alarming trend.

To better evaluate, address, and monitor risks to the safety of frontline transit workers, transit agencies must conduct assessments of risks of assaults on their workforce, specifically on transit vehicles and/or at revenue facilities, using its safety management system processes. Agencies who completed these safety risk assessments in the 12 months before this directive’s issuance may use those prior results to fulfill the requirement.

If a transit agency’s safety risk assessment finds a high level of risk of assaults on workers, it must prioritize and develop risk mitigation strategies to improve safety. Agencies serving large, urbanized areas (with a population of 200,000 or more) must involve the joint labor-management Safety Committee when identifying safety risk mitigations.

FTA developed and published resources on its website to help transit agencies conduct safety risk assessments and develop safety risk mitigation strategies. Available resources include:

Technical assistance on identifying hazards related to transit worker assaults
A review of the safety risk assessment process and practices for developing safety risk mitigation strategies
De-escalation training

Transit agencies must provide information to FTA demonstrating how they are assessing, mitigating, and monitoring safety risks associated with assaults on workers via SMS Report by December 26, 2024 (90 days from the directive’s publication date). SMS Report is FTA’s new reporting tool, housed on the same platform as other frequently used FTA applications.

On October 15, 2024, FTA hosted a webinar to provide guidance on fulfilling the requirements of this directive and using SMS Report. This webinar is available on FTA’s website. Additionally, on December 4, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, FTA will conduct live technical training to assist transit agencies in reporting through the new tool. Applicable agencies can register for these trainings.

Safety risk assessments are a critical tool in helping transit agencies understand risks related to assaults on workers on the public transportation systems they operate and identify mitigation strategies to improve safety. Information reported to FTA, as required by this directive, will help FTA better identify safety risk trends throughout the industry and inform further FTA efforts to reduce violence against transit workers.

FTA has taken more actions to improve safety under the Biden-Harris Administration than in our nation’s history. This directive is part of FTA’s ongoing efforts to initiate regulations and new programs to increase transit safety and protect our transit workforce.

Responses for this directive are due December 26, 2024. Thank you in advance for your part in helping FTA work to address assaults nationwide.