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Threat Assessment Response Protocol and Evaluation Methodology 47 Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Transit Metro Transit Operator Assault Procedure, Metro Transitâs Bus Operatorâs Rule Book and Guide Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Transit has established operator assault procedure to âensure the proper response to assaults which occur on metro transit buses toward operatorsâ¦â If there is a threat to the operator, but there are no weapons involved and no physical contact has occurred, Metro Transit Police (MTP) is dispatched to the scene. If MTP is not available, local police are notified. Metro Transitâs District Supervisor will also respond to check the operatorâs welfare when appropriate. Unlawful attacks on an operator that do not include the use of a weapon and do not result in serious or aggravated injury are captured under the category of âInterference with Operator.â These events include simple assaults, minor assaults, assault and battery, injury by culpable negligence, and all attempts to commit these offenses. When these assaults occur, medical personnel are notified and MTP is dispatched. If the MTP is unavailable, local law enforcement is notified. The District Supervisor is dispatched to the scene to meet with the operator and the peer support procedure is engaged. In addition, the bus camera video tape is removed for review. If an operator sustains a blow to the neck or head, the operator will be taken off the run. If the injuries do not result in the employee being transported to a medical facility, the operator is transported to the home garage for reporting purposes. The most serious assault events, those that include the use of a weapon or display of a weapon in a threatening manner or if the operator suffers severe or aggravated bodily injury, are categorized as âAggravated AssaultâSerious Incident/Injury.â The responses to aggravated assaults are consistent with those response efforts engaged when there has been an interference with operator occurrence. Transit Agency Response Protocol Table 19. (Continued). Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
48 The FTA recognizes the importance of reporting and tracking all incidents and threats in the prevention of operator assaults. It recog- nizes that these data can be analyzed to identify and resolve problems before critical incidents occur, such as knowing the time periods and locations when assaults are most likely to occur and areas in which improvements to security procedures are needed. Tracking data over time can help evaluate the effectiveness of an agencyâs safety program. Reporting to law enforcement and the NTD is required for Part I and Part II assaults, including simple assaults, aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, and homicides. For Part II assaults, incidents that result in an arrest are all types of assaults such as harassment, verbal abuse, and injuries that do not require transport from the scene. TCRP Synthesis 93 found concerns about underreporting of nonphysical assaults raised by some transit agencies. Several agencies noted that operator assaults are not tracked separately and are combined with assaults on passengers. The FTA suggests recording âall security incidents, security near-misses and employee security concerns.â The FRA has funded a voluntary Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) to improve safety practices based on learning about potentially unsafe conditions, or close call events that pose the risk of more serious consequences for railroad carriers and their employees.14 Currently New Jersey Transit and SEPTA are participating in the program. Agencies should consider including assaults as one of the close call reportable items in C3RS. Identifying and collecting data related to employee assaults (both for internal hazard analysis and for FTA national trend analysis) allow the transit agency to analyze the agencywide data for root causes, hazard identification and to determine additional risk control strategies. A key step to help transit agencies prevent assaults is the use of a data tracking system to record all security incidents, security near-misses and employee security concerns, including vandalism, poor lighting, suspicious activity, threatening behavior, and other security hazards. FTA Bus Safety Oversight (BSO) Program Roadmap to Excellence, 2015 C H A P T E R 5 Reporting This section discusses methods for identifying and collecting data related to employee assaults (both for internal hazard analysis and for FTA national trend analysis). Reporting and tracking incidents and threats provides data for use during hazard identification and determining additional risk control strategies. 14According to the FRA, the C3RS system âaccepts close call reports; analyzes close calls to identify trends, new sources of risk, and corrective actions to address them; and distributes reports on trends and other information for use by participating parties.â Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reporting 49 Data Collection It is critical to have accurate numbers of incidents to understand the prevalence and trends of the problem. A data collection strategy identi- fies formal procedures and forms to guide employees in handling and documenting incidents, both threats and assaults and identifies: ⢠Who is going to collect the data? ⢠What data are going to be collected? ⢠What methods will be used to collect the data? ⢠How will privacy and confidentiality concerns be addressed? ⢠When will the data be collected (frequency and timing)? ⢠Where and how will the data be managed, analyzed and stored? TCRP Synthesis 93 described a variety of ways in which assault data are collected and reported at transit agencies including âassault char- acteristics, such as frequently occurring assault types, time period of occurrence, assault frequency, and causes of assaults or contributing factors.â Reports, including all pertinent details of the incident, were typically requested from the operator on the same day. It is important to collect information that describes the circumstances surrounding the incident along with the details of the incident itself, such as: ⢠Where did the incident occur? ⢠Was the perpetrator a stranger, a regular passenger, a co-worker or otherwise familiar? ⢠Were any threats made before the incident occurred? ⢠What were the main factors that contributed to the incident? ⢠What could have prevented or minimized the damage caused by this incident? Underreporting of Assaults Gathering actual agency assault data on all incidents including threats and spitting is impor- tant. In order to effectively address the problem, it is critical to accurately identify its magnitude. Recognizing the difficulty of measuring the actual amount of all driver assaults, there have been concerns raised about underreporting of assaults especially verbal assaults and spitting. When cameras were installed on transit agency vehicles, the agency detected many assaults that had gone unreported. The operators found these incidences âso routineâ that they did not report them. There are approaches to address the issue of underreporting that can be put in place at transit agencies. Using focus groups and/or conducting periodic surveys that are then compared to the reported data provide a good start. In addition, where buses are equipped with driver facing cameras, and data capture and storage are available and utilized (e.g., auto upload and download of video feeds), there are increasingly sophisticated automated recognition systems that can extract all incidents occurring on a bus. Such data capture and analysis could, in fact, be utilized for all on-board camera systems. For large bus systems, this would entail systematic sample analysis and purging of data files so the storage requirements do not become too burdensome. A related mechanism is to provide operators with a hand-held device that is pre-programmed with incident fields (such as listed in Appendix E for Threat Assessment) on which the opera- tor would enter her/his incident experience on each run on a route at the turn or terminus for each run. Such a device could be GPS equipped and these data could be automatically uploaded and date and time stamped so that the periodicity of incidents could be identified. Typical Assault Data Elements Collected ⢠Date and time of the incident ⢠Description or type of incident ⢠Operator name ⢠Run/line ⢠Seniority of the operator ⢠Whether other incidents involving the operator had occurred ⢠Assailant information ⢠Police involvement (officer name, badge no.) ⢠Weapon(s) used, if any ⢠Cause or situational factors ⢠Whether customer was removed and/or arrested ⢠Injury description ⢠Treatment received TCRP Synthesis 93 Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
50 Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators: User Guide Again, an automated sampling algorithm would be necessary to reduce data storage so that it does not become burdensome. Regardless, all such data would then be available for threat assess- ment teams (which would have to be established) for their periodic analysis and development of recommendations. Beyond such automated techniques, a random post-run de-brief of operators to obtain data on all events the operator experienced on the run would provide âfreshâ reporting on an operatorâs run on a given route at a given schedule time, day and week. Another mechanism that could be developed and utilized by agencies is to have an agency employee (not necessarily identified to the public) ride buses on a random basis to record all incidents on the bus on a given run and route. Compilation and analysis of these data by threat assessment teams are steps that could be implemented by agencies to combat underreporting. Clearly, providing operator training (and periodic refresher training) on identifying incidents, reporting all incidents, etc. is a very straightforward approach to reducing underreporting (adopting the recommended actions in Appendix E for Threat Assessment will go a long way to reduce underreporting). Finally, adopting and utilizing one or more of the possible incident reporting forms listed below is a good start to reducing underreporting. Examples of Reports The NTD Safety and Security Manual along with reporting forms including Safety and Security (S&S) 40 Form (Major Incident Report Form) is available online at the FTA website. The following are other examples of reports that can be used to capture accurate assault data and assist in tracking the trends over time. Reporting Form Samples: ⢠Security Incident Report Form Template, U.S. DOT, Federal Transit Administration, Office of Safety and Security ⢠Amtrak Workplace Violence Form ⢠AFSCME Workplace Violence Incident Report Form (adapted from âViolence on the Job: A Guidebook for Labor and Managementâ published by the Labor Occupational Health Program, University of California Berkeley) ⢠Personal Injury/Assault/Violent Acts Checklist, U.S. DOT, Federal Transit Administration, Bus Safety Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reporting 51 Incident Summary Date and time incident occurred: Date and time incident report was completed: Did police, fire, or EMS respond? Report department and names here (badge numbers if applicable): Location of incident: Description of incident: Security Incident Reporting Form (FTA) Report No. __________ Person reporting incident Name: Job title: Work phone: Mobile phone: Email address: Names and contact information of witnesses: Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
52 Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators: User Guide List injured persons and medical facilities transported to: Incident Summary Effects of incident on transit system (include financial): Transit System Response Actions taken to respond to incident: Actions taken or to take to prevent similar incidents: Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reporting 53 Accident/Incident Documentation Form (AMTRAK) Date of accident/incident: Time of accident/incident: Location of accident/incident: Description of accident/incident: Employees (other people) involved in the accident/incident: Witnesses: Phone Number: Phone Number: Phone Number: 1. Was there loss of life as a result of the accident?Yes , No 2. Was medical treatment provided (away from the scene of the accident) as a result of the accident/incident? Yes , No 3. Was there disabling damage to any of the involved vehicles? Yes , No If you answer yes to any of the above questions the FTA requires drug and alcohol testing Was an alcohol test performed within 2 hours? Yes (date & time). No , Why not? Was a drug test performed within 32 hours? Yes (date & time). No , Why not? Can the covered employee(s)â conduct be completely discounted as contributing factor to the accident/incident? Yes , No . If yes, the supervisor does not have to test the employee. However, document the reasoning for not testing the covered employee(s) involved. *Note: You must always test in the event of a fatality. Was post-accident testing done under the company policy authority or FTA ? Was law enforcement involved? Yes , No , if yes, badge Number: Name of the authority: __ Notes: Supervisor Date Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
54 Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators: User Guide Workplace Violence Incident Report Form This incident report was adapted from âViolence on the Job: A Guidebook for Labor and Managementâ published by the Labor Occupational Health Program, University of California, Berkeley. As soon as reasonably possible, the local union representative should document incidents (or even close calls) of workplace violence. Workers who were involved in the incident as well as any workers who may have witnessed what happened should be interviewed. This form may be completed by the worker involved in the incident or the union representative. PERSONAL INFORMATION 1. Name (optional) 2. Job title ______________________________ 3. Facility/employer address Male Female 4. Years in current job ____________________ INCIDENT DESCRIPTION 5. Date incident occurred 6. Time incident occurred 7. Location where incident occurred (be specific) 8. Describe the incident 9. Type of incident (check all that apply) Grabbed Pushed Slapped Kicked Scratched Hit with fist Hit with object Bitten Knifed (or attempted) Shot (or attempted) Sexually assaulted Assaulted with weapon Threatened with weapon Verbally harassed Verbally threatened Bomb threat Animal attack Robbery Vandalism (employerâs property) Vandalism (own property) Arson Other 10. What type of weapon was used? How was the weapon obtained? 11. Were you working alone? If no, who was with you that may have witnessed the incident? 12. Was security personnel on duty at the time of the assault? If yes, was security notified? Did security respond? When? 13. Who threatened or assaulted you? Client/customer Student Co-worker Supervisor/manager Stranger Passenger Animal Spouse or partner Former spouse or partner Robber/burglar Other 14. Were any threats made before the incident occurred? If yes, did you ever report to your supervisor or manager that you were threatened, harassed or suspicious that the attacker may become violent? INCIDENT ANALYSIS 15. Has this type of incident occurred before at the workplace? _________________________ 16. What do you think were the main factors that contributed to the incident? 17. What could have prevented or at least minimized the damage caused by this incident? POST-INCIDENT RESPONSE 18. Did you require medical attention as a result of the incident? 19. Did you miss work as a result of the incident? 20. Did you apply for workersâ compensation? 21. Was the incident reported to a supervisor or manager? 22. Was a police report filed? Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reporting 55 Date ________________________________ Phone number ________________________________ E-mail: ________________________________ 23. Was immediate counseling provided to affected employees and witnesses who desired it? 24. Was critical incident debriefing provided to all affected staff who desired it? 25. Was post-trauma (follow-up) counseling provided to all affected staff who desired it? 26. Was all counseling provided by a professional counselor? 27. Was the counseling effective?______________ 28. Was the victim advised about legal rights? Report completed by Department/Job Title/Union Position Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Volume 2: User Guide Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
