Bus Operator Workstation Design for Improving Occupational Health and Safety (2016)

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110 Annex to Appendices A N N E X T O A P P E N D I C E S This annex to the appendices summarizes key information provided in Appendices D, E, and F, which address the research methodology for TCRP Project C-22. The summary of Appendix D explains the interview and survey process that led to the suggested steps for bus operator workstation procurement and for training (described in Chapters 2 and 3) and lists the survey questions. The summary of Appendix E lists the questions posed in telephone interviews to industry experts. The summary of Appendix F gives a brief overview of the transit agencies interviewed for the research. The complete, unedited content of Appendices D, E, and F may be accessed from the TCRP Project C-22 webpage. Summary of Appendix D: Transit Agency Procurement and Bus Operator Workstation Considerations: Research Methods and Results Sampling The research sample was designed to recruit input from transit agencies, ranging in size and geographic location, that addressed bus operator workstation health and safety in their procurement activities. The research target was to complete interviews with staff at ten transit agencies and at least five union representatives at the participating agencies. Initial contacts consisted of the transit agency members of the APTA Bus Safety Committee and three additional transit agencies that had been identified by industry experts as potential sources for good practice but which were not on the committee. Industry experts were identified from the research literature and via recommendations by other specialists in the field. Three international unions were asked to distribute a survey to their selection of local union affiliates. Based on the researchers’ experience with union surveys, 25 responses were expected. Recruitment A total of 56 transit agencies were asked by email to describe their procurement practices in telephone interviews. Email or telephone contacts were made with twelve industry experts: three in bus cab ergonomics and manufacturing, two in transit procurement policy and practice, and seven in ergonomics and occupational health research. Some of these were made on referral by the initial targets.

Annex to Appendices 111 The survey was distributed to local union representatives by an international union representing bus operators in the United States and Canada, and returned directly to the research team. One international union did not respond to the researchers’ request to participate, and one was not able to distribute the survey. Email invitations to participate in a follow-up interview were sent directly to 13 local union presidents, who had either asked to be contacted on the union surveys or whose members worked at one of the interviewed transit agencies. Data Collection and Processing All interviews were carried out between February and May of 2015. Each transit agency telephone interview was based on a set of 14 questions. The industry experts were asked six questions. Interviews typically took between 45 and 90 minutes and were recorded using MP3 Skype Recorder software with the permission of the respondents. When recording was not possible for technical or time reasons, the interviewer made extensive manual notes during the interview using the questionnaire template. Interview data were transcribed and edited for clarity, and the content was coded using MaxQDA qualitative analysis software. Union survey data were entered into Microsoft Excel, cleaned, and tabulated. Responses Management representatives from twelve transit agencies responded to the email recruitment. Three declined to participate in the interview, although they were all interested in the research and provided synopses of their procurement processes. Seventeen telephone interviews were held with respondents from ten transit agencies, lasting an average of one hour. In five locations, both union and management participated; in four, only management was interviewed, and in one only the union was interviewed. Twenty-five union surveys were completed. Union leaders representing bus operators at six transit agencies were interviewed, five from locations where management was also interviewed and one from a union that had reported a procurement team on their survey response. One local union represented members in two of the agencies but provided responses about only one of those. One transit agency was not unionized. The four industry experts who agreed to be interviewed were a governmental researcher involved in participatory ergonomics, a former bus operator with extensive experience in bus operator health and safety, a participatory design specialist, and an experienced transit agency manager who is involved in procurement training development and with national procurement policy. Despite initial interest, the manufacturing contacts declined to be interviewed. Transit Agency Characteristics Five of the responding transit agencies were large (more than 250 transit buses in regular service), two were medium (50 to 249 buses), and two small (less than 50 buses). Larger agencies represented a slightly greater proportion of those interviewed (78%) than those who were initially recruited (55%). Although the transit agencies were recruited from throughout the United States, those agreeing to be interviewed were from the West (5), South (2), and East (2) of the United States; no Midwestern transit agencies responded. Each transit agency’s respondents, procurement process, and bus operator’s role are described in Appendix F: Description of Transit Agencies Interviewed.

112 Bus Operator Workstation Design for Improving Occupational Health and Safety As shown in Table D-1, the contacts made directly or via the APTA Bus Safety Committee represented operations, maintenance, safety, human resources, and executive teams. These contacts often referred the researchers to others in their agencies who they thought would be better able to contribute. Five of the interview respondents were in operations, four in engineering or technical services, four in maintenance, three in safety, and two in procurement. Table D-1. Transit Agency Outreach and Respondent Areas Area by Title Contacted N = 56 Participated in Interview N = 17 Operations 27% 29% Maintenance 4% 24% Engineering/Technical 7% 24% Safety 54% 12% Procurement 0% 12% Executive 7% 0% Human Resources 2% 0% Transit Union Surveys The 26 union officers who returned surveys represented members at 36 transit agencies across Canada (four, 15% of the respondents) and the United States (seven respondents in the East and five each in the Midwest, South, and West). Most of the survey response content referred to their members at larger agencies (14), with 10 medium and two small. An employer bus procurement or design group was reported by union officers at 16 of the 36 transit agencies. In 17 agencies, the union officer reported there was no group. In three of the agencies, the union did not know if there was a group. Only four union respondents reported that their members serve on the procurement committees. Two unions are involved in procurement, design, or retrofit activities but are not on the committee, and 17 stated that they are not involved at all. Interview Questions Appendix D describes the responses to each interview question, with quotations illustrating the current practices described. To conserve space while giving an idea of the research methodology, this annex reproduces the survey questions. The complete Appendix D may be accessed from the TCRP Project C-22 webpage.

Annex to Appendices 113 Interview Section 1: Who Is Involved in the Bus Procurement and Retrofitting Processes Question 1. Please describe your bus design/procurement group: who participates? Question 2. Is there a separate team or committee for bus assessment, refitting or retrofitting? What departments or individuals contribute to this stage? Interview Section 2: How the Procurement Process Works to Enhance Operator Health and Safety. Question 3. How does your group work? Question 4. Can you summarize the practical steps your organization takes for new bus procurement and for retrofit? Question 4.a. Practical steps for new bus procurement Question 4.b. Practical steps for refit/retrofit of existing vehicles or when problems develop Question 5. What are the strengths of your process and your group – what makes them effective? Question 6. What external documents or sources have you used in procurement and retrofitting? Interview Section 3: What Is Involved in the Training and Preparation of the Procurement Group Question 7. Do group members receive any training to help them do their jobs better? If yes, please describe. Question 8. Could you provide examples of any training plans or materials that you use? Question 9. Are there members with specific qualifications, skills or knowledge that make your group more effective? Interview Section 4: Barriers and Needs Encountered in the Bus Procurement or Refit Processes Question 10. Is there anything that limits the effectiveness of your procurement, refit or retrofit processes? Question 11. What could be done to improve the bus operator workstation procurement processes in your agency? Question 12. In particular, what training would be helpful for your group? Question 13. How can or could transit agencies assist each other in improving the procurement process? Question 14. What could be done to improve the processes across the transit industry?

114 Bus Operator Workstation Design for Improving Occupational Health and Safety Summary of Appendix E: Industry Expert Interviews Twelve industry experts were identified from the research literature and via recommendations by other specialists in the field. Emails were sent to request a telephone interview. Four agreed to be interviewed. The four interview subjects had experience in academic research, in transportation ergonomics, in bus operator health and workstation ergonomics, in participatory ergonomics, and in procurement practice, policy, and training. Interview Questions Question 1. Please describe your experience with the workplace design and procurement process. Have you worked with vehicle design? With transit agencies? Question 2. Can you describe a project exemplifying an effective design and procurement process that enhances employee health, safety and wellness? Question 3. Who have the experts observed participating in procurement? Question 4. What is the ideal role of employees? Question 5. What skills do you observe or recommend in design and procurement teams? Question 6. What training have you observed that supports effective groups? If not maximal, what additional skills and training do you recommend? Question 7. What kind of communication and decision-making processes have you observed that enhance effective design and procurement within companies, and what would you recommend? Appendix E summarizes the responses to these questions. Summary of Appendix F: Description of Transit Agencies Interviewed Information about procurement practices at 10 agencies was collected in 15 interviews, 10 with transit agency staff and 5 with union representatives. Seven of the transit agencies represented provide bus and rail or subway service, and three provide bus service only. County-wide and regional transit agencies made up 40 percent of the total, and two each were state-wide, small city, and metro area transit agencies. Four of the 10 transit agencies reported that there was no real committee working on bus procurement and that the process was coordinated by one or two people. This occurred in small and in large locations. Others described well-established teams either made up of representatives from all stakeholder groups or involving them as needed. In most but not all locations, bus operators and safety staff were consulted at some point during the bus procurement process. Appendix F provides additional information about each transit agency.

Abbreviations and acronyms used without definitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAST Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (2015) FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012) NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTSB National Transportation Safety Board PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration SAE Society of Automotive Engineers SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005) TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program TDC Transit Development Corporation TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998) TRB Transportation Research Board TSA Transportation Security Administration U.S.DOT United States Department of Transportation

TRA N SPO RTATIO N RESEA RCH BO A RD 500 Fifth Street, N W W ashington, D C 20001 A D D RESS SERV ICE REQ U ESTED Bus O perator W orkstation D esign for Im proving O ccupational H ealth and Safety TCRP Report 185 TRB ISBN 978-0-309-37544-3 9 7 8 0 3 0 9 3 7 5 4 4 3 9 0 0 0 0