“Based on ongoing analysis of major safety events reported to the National Transit Database (NTD), follow-up investigations of safety events by FTA and State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOAs), and media coverage, FTA has to date identified 133 safety events since 2014 where transit worker fatigue was a factor,” the government department reported in a April 2026 safety bulletin, which took effect April 10 (download below). “The majority (73) of those fatigue-related events have occurred since the beginning of 2022, marking a sharp uptick in the number of events in recent years. Since 2014, these 133 transit worker fatigue-related safety events have led to one fatality, 149 injuries, and $12.3M in estimated property damages.” Safety-Bulletin-26-01-Transit-Worker-FatigueDownload FTA is recommending that transit agencies “subject to its PTASP regulation use the Safety Management Systems (SMS) principles and Safety Risk Management (SRM) procedures established in their Agency Safety Plan to assess the safety risk associated with transit worker fatigue.” When assessing fatigue-related risks, it said, agencies are encouraged to consider: “• Hazard Identification: “Job tasks or employee groups vulnerable to fatigue-related errors, including safety sensitive employees, dispatchers, supervisors, and maintenance staff. “Conditions particularly vulnerable to fatigue, such as split-shift assignments, operations on long routes, and operations during late-night or extended work shifts. “• Safety Risk Assessment: “The likelihood of fatigue contributing to operational errors or safety events. “The severity of potential consequences using insights from the effectiveness of existing safety risk mitigations.” FTA said that as a result of the Safety Risk Assessment, an agency may…
