Washington Administrative Code › Title 468 - Transportation, Department of (See Title 88) › Chapter 468-550 - Safety oversight of rail fixed guideway systems rules › Section 468-550-030 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions of
				terms shall apply unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) Accident means an event that involves any
			 of the following: A report of a serious injury to a person; a collision
			 involving a rail transit vehicle; a runaway train; an evacuation for life
			 safety reasons; or any derailment of a rail transit vehicle, at any location,
			 at any time, whatever the cause.
(2) Accountable executive means a single,
			 identifiable person who has ultimate responsibility for carrying out the safety
			 management system of a public transportation agency; responsibility for
			 carrying out the agency's transit asset management plan; and control or
			 direction over the human and capital resources needed to develop and maintain
			 both the agency's public transportation agency safety plan in accordance with
			 49 U.S.C.
			 5329(d) and the agency's
			 transit asset management plan in accordance with
			 49 U.S.C.
			 5326.
(3) Agency means any entity that provides
			 rail fixed guideway public transportation services.
(4) Agency safety plan is a document
			 developed and implemented for each rail fixed guideway system, which describes
			 its safety policies, objectives, responsibilities, and procedures. The
			 requirements for this plan are established by the Federal Transit
			 Administration in C.F.R. 49 Part 674 and further by the Washington state rail
			 safety oversight program standard.
(5) APTA guidelines means the American Public
			 Transit Association's
Manual for the Development of Rail Transit System
			 Safety Program Plans
.
(6)
			 Collision means a vehicle/vessel accident in which there is an impact of a
			 transit vehicle/vessel with:
* Another transit vehicle;
* A nontransit vehicle;
* A fixed object;
* A person(s) (suicide/attempted suicide included);
* An animal;
* A rail vehicle;
* A vessel;
* A dock.
(7) Contractor means an entity that performs
			 tasks required by this chapter on behalf of the department or a
			 RFGPTS.
(8) Department means the
			 Washington state department of transportation, which has been designated as the
			 state safety oversight agency.
(9)
			 Emergency means a situation which is life-threatening to passengers, employees,
			 or others or which causes damage to any rail fixed guideway vehicle or facility
			 or results in a significant loss of services which severely affects the ability
			 of the system to fulfill its mission.
(10) Evacuation (reportable) is a condition
			 that occurs when persons depart from transit vehicles or facilities for life
			 safety reasons, including self-evacuations for life safety reasons. Evacuations
			 to a location that may put passengers or patrons in imminent danger (such as
			 controlled rail right of way) must also be reported.
(11) Fatality means a death or suicide
			 confirmed within thirty days of a reportable event. Excludes deaths in or on
			 transit property that are a result of illness or other natural
			 causes.
(12) FTA means the Federal
			 Transit Administration, or its successors, an agency within the U.S. Department
			 of Transportation.
(13) Hazardous
			 condition means a set of circumstances that if not identified and corrected has
			 or will result in personal injury or property damage. It includes unacceptable
			 hazardous conditions.
(14) Incident
			 means an event that involves any of the following: A personal injury that is
			 not a serious injury; one or more injuries requiring medical transport; or
			 damage to facilities, equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure that disrupts
			 the operations of a rail transit agency.
(15) Incident reporting thresholds are
			 criteria established by Federal Transit Administration in C.F.R. 49 Part 674
			 and further by the Washington state rail safety oversight program standard for
			 determining which accidents/incidents require investigation.
(16) Investigation means a procedure that the
			 department or a RFGPTS utilizes to determine the cause of a reportable
			 accident, hazardous condition, or security breach.
(17) Major system enhancement means any
			 modification to an existing RFGPTS that will significantly impact the
			 operations and maintenance of the system, including opening new stations,
			 system wide modification or replacement of equipment, expanded operations and
			 maintenance facilities, or significant increases to system capacity.
(18) Medical attention means emergency care
			 at a state-licensed general hospital, critical access hospital, or health
			 clinic, or by a religious practitioner.
(19) Procedure means an established and
			 documented method to perform a task.
(20) Rail fixed guideway public
			 transportation system or "RFGPTS" means any fixed guideway system that uses
			 rail, is operated for public transportation, is within the jurisdiction of a
			 state, and is not regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration, or its
			 successor. Rail fixed guideway public transportation system (or "RFGPTS") also
			 means any such projects in engineering or construction phases. Rail fixed
			 guideway public transportation systems include, but are not limited to, rapid
			 rail, heavy rail, light rail, monorail, trolley, inclined plane, funicular, and
			 automated guideway.
(21) Rail
			 transit agency (RTA) means any city, town, county, transportation authority,
			 public transportation benefit area, regional transit authority, or other agency
			 that owns a RFGPTS and bears ultimate accountability for it.
(22) Revenue line segment means that portion
			 of a fixed guideway system upon, under, or through which a RFGPTS provides
			 service available to the public. It includes stations used by the system's
			 passengers to enter or leave the RFGPTS's conveyance.
(23) Safety means freedom from
			 danger.
(24) Security means freedom
			 from intentional danger.
(25)
			 Security breach means an unforeseen event or occurrence that endangers life or
			 property and may result in the loss of services or system equipment.
(26) System expansion means any modification
			 to an existing RFGPTS that will increase the distance over which trains can
			 travel in passenger service, including line extensions or new lines.
(27) Washington state rail safety oversight
			 program is the program administered by the Washington state department of
			 transportation to ensure compliance by rail fixed guideway public
			 transportation systems with the Washington state rail safety oversight program
			 standard.
(28) Washington state
			 rail safety oversight program standard is a document developed and adopted by
			 the Washington state department of transportation that describes the policies,
			 objectives, responsibilities, and procedures used to provide safety and
			 security oversight of rail fixed guideway systems. This document is a
			 requirement established by the Federal Transit Administration in C.F.R. 49 Part
			 674.
(29) Unacceptable hazardous
			 condition means a hazardous condition classified by the rail transit agency as
			 being unacceptable based on a hazardous resolution matrix or other evaluation
			 methodology approved by the department.
Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				   81.104.115. 08-15-078, § 468-550-030,
				  filed 7/15/08, effective 8/15/08. Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				   81.104.115(5). 02-13-004,
				  § 468-550-030, filed 6/6/02, effective 7/7/02. Statutory Authority: 1999 c
				  202 § 7. 99-18-059 (Order 193), § 468-550-030, filed 8/30/99,
				  effective 9/30/99. Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				   43.06.120. 98-19-052, § 468-550-030,
				  filed 9/15/98, effective 10/16/98.