Dan Genz, The Examiner
2008-01-03 08:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

Metro tapped a Maryland Transit Administration official to become its new chief safety officer Wednesday, appointing Ronald Keele to head efforts to improve rail and bus safety after several accidents killed pedestrians and employees in the past two years.

“I feel like safety pays for itself,” Keele said, calling it his top priority, “just creating the idea that we’re the safest transit property in the nation.”

Formerly the MTA’s executive director of safety, quality assurance and risk management, Keele will bring 15 years of transportation safety experience to the post.

“Maryland Transit is very similar to Washington Metro, just a little smaller,” Keele said.

Metro’s efforts will involve assessing problem areas and developing new programs to address bus driver crashes, employee deaths along the rails, and other safety concerns for workers, riders and the public.

Keele said he was familiar with Metro’s top issues and planned to start the work quickly, but did not have specific timelines for addressing the problems.

One plan is to enroll Metro in a federal pilot program targeting the safety of staffers working along the rails.

“Ron Keele has the knowledge and know-how to improve Metro’s safety performance,” said Polly Hanson, assistant general manager for safety, security and emergency management.

The union serving 7,500 Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority employees has decided to make safety its top issue in 2008 and will be working with Keele to highlight workers’ concerns, said Jackie Jeter, president of the Local 689 of the Amalgamated Transit Workers.

“The concern that we have more than any other is the assaults on operators,” especially bus drivers, Jeter said.

“Bus drivers, those are the first people that patrons see and associate with Metro, so we have to ensure that those folks are protected and that they aren’t picked on,” Keele said.

Keele’s experience

» Maryland Transit Administration: Executive director of safety

» NASA: System safety manager of space shuttle operations

» Metro: Director of passenger, vehicle and fire life safety

dgenz@dcexaminer.com