MBTA must submit new worker safety plan to FTA by Monday

The MBTA has until Monday to submit a new worker safety plan to federal regulators, otherwise workers will be banned from being on the tracks after the transit agency's initial plan was rejected.

Earlier this month, the T submitted a Right of Way Rules Compliance and Safety Work Plan to the Federal Transit Administration to address concerns, but the FTA deemed the MBTA’s Work Plan insufficient. The T has to revise and resubmit it by Monday, with improved safety procedures to be implemented sooner than first proposed. The FTA said it will schedule a follow up meeting with the MBTA.

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“I applaud the FTA for looking at the safety quite frankly of the people who have to go on those tracks every day,” said Jim Rooney, a former track laborer who worked at the MBTA for more than two decades.

Rooney, who spoke with NBC10 Boston earlier this week, said he's glad federal regulators are holding the MBTA accountable.

The T's original plan laid out long-term safety improvements with completion dates at the end of this year and into 2024. The FTA responded that it wasn't soon enough, calling for revisions that can be applied within the next 60 days.

“It sounds like they did not project the sense of urgency that the FTA is looking for in terms of timing and thoroughness of the plan,” Rooney said.

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Documents show that during a one-month time span between March and April, the MBTA had five close calls and one serious employee injury. They were described by the T as "near-miss events."

One of those incidents was captured on surveillance video back in March, showing a worker on the tracks climbing out of the right-of-way, as the lights from a train can be seen approaching in the tunnel.

“When you’re dealing with third rails, and trains, you’re talking life-or-death safety," Rooney said. "This isn’t just something where someone could cut themselves or have a recoverable injury so this is serious stuff.”

This all comes on top of critical MBTA staffing shortages. The FTA is also asking for weekly updates on hiring.