DOT launches in-house safety policy

“Safety is our number one priority.”

I’ve said this many times over the past two and a half years, both on this blog and in person. And while I might sound like a broken record, it is absolutely true that, at DOT, we do think about the safety of the American people every day.

However, it’s hard to keep the American people safe if we don’t also practice what we preach. So our DOT Safety Council and Safety Culture Action Team have been working hard to keep our own house in order and make DOT a leader in safe workplace practices. They've identified several steps we can take to strengthen our existing safety culture, and we are going to pursue those.

First, we are making it crystal clear that safety is a key corporate value in DOT work culture. That's why, last month, I signed an internal safety policy.

This new policy--accesible to DOT employees here--makes it clear that each of our employees should be provided with a safe working environment and know how to respond to emergencies and avoid unnecessary risks. It also emphasizes the responsibility of all DOT employees to conduct themselves in a way that does not pose unnecessary risks, or put themselves or others in danger.

Jo Strang, Asso. Admin. for Railroad Safety, says, “Safety is 24-7-365."

As Jo Strang, who leads our Safety Culture Action Team, said, "Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and it doesn’t matter if you are at home, at work, or on your way."

Safety of those using America's transportation system begins with DOT, and the ability to carry out our responsibilities is directly tied to the health of our workforce.  With dedicated professionals working hard to make our safety culture the strongest it can be, I know we’ll continue to meet those responsibilities. And I can continue to say that safety is--without a doubt--our number one priority.

Comments

[Chris Lynch]

Is a link available to the actual document so that it can be read? If not, where can DOT employees find this document? Thanks.

[Shelby Mudarri]

It's wonderful to see DOT doing this. Dot is in a position to set an example for the rest of us to follow.