Officials See Positive Side of Red Line Safety Report

A day after federal officials announced that they found no serious safety problem on the Metro Red Line project, county transit officials on Friday released internal figures showing that the most serious types of accidents on the project occurred at a rate 35% below the national average.

However, the overall accident rate on the Red Line work is still far higher than the national average--more than three times the national average in August, the most recent month for which complete statistics were available.

Los Angeles County Transportation Commission officials dismissed the overall accident rate, which includes minor accidents that do not prevent workers from returning to the job. Commission officials said they think it is far more significant that the agency is far below the national average for “lost-time” accidents, those serious enough to stop a person from working.

“People want to know if the project they’re paying for is really hurting people, and it’s not,” said LACTC spokeswoman Stephanie Brady. “An accident where a guy can go right back to work is not as significant as one that puts him on his back.”

LACTC officials said they hope the federal report and the updated safety statistics will finally put to rest lingering doubts about the massive public-works project.

The conclusion drawn by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration report “vindicates the (LACTC), its subsidiary, the Rail Construction Corp., and restores the good name of the Metro Red Line project,” said Neil Peterson, the commission’s executive director.

The federal report dealt chiefly with the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health. Federal officials found Cal/OSHA lacking in many areas--hazard recognition, abatement, citation and record-keeping--but said the problems had not led to an increase in the number or severity of accidents.