Keeping You Safe
Your safety is our top priority!
Our commitment to safety is ingrained in everything we do and drives our obligations as the maintainers of Ottawa’s Confederation Line.
Excellence in health and safety is paramount to us. We follow safety management protocols and legislated safety standards. We provide a healthy and safe environment for you, our passengers, employees, contractors, and our communities to reduce accidents, injuries and incidents and promote safety and wellness.
Our health and safety program is the best in class, and we continuously evolve our practices to strengthen that safety culture. Driven by our values, we go above legislated requirements to achieve three main objectives:
- Eliminate injuries and incidents
- Develop, maintain and consistently enhance a strong safety culture
- Protect and maintain the physical, psychological, and social well-being of every employee
We demonstrate visible safety leadership by:
- Managing our operations in the safest manner possible,
- Promoting a positive safety culture,
- Complying with municipal, provincial, and federal health and safety legislation and playing a leading role in promoting best industry practices,
- Integrating health and safety goals into our corporate objectives and all facets of our operations with a focus on continuous improvement,
- Providing appropriate tools, training, and information to our employees and contractors,
- Conducting regular reviews and audits of safety metrics and
- Creating, implementing, and tracking goals that reduce harm, damage, and loss.
Supported by written policies, procedures, practices and continuous performance improvement and monitoring, we consistently strive to improve our work because we firmly believe everyone should go home safely to their families every night.
Passengers
At RTG, we work closely with OC Transpo to ensure your protection and well-being in the stations of the Confederation Line and riding the O-Train.
Special constables, sworn City of Ottawa Peace officers, patrol all stations on foot, ride the O-Train, or cycle or drive between stations around the clock to deter crime and respond quickly to incidents. These constables protect riders, employees, and Confederation Line property.
TRANSECURE is a community watch program that ensures everyone’s safety. TRANSECURE employees train to respond to safety and security issues, such as medical emergencies, fires, and suspicious situations when someone feels unsafe or threatened.
Employees
Our employees are our greatest asset, and nobody wants the safety and reliability of the system more than our employees.
Our responsibility to our employees is to provide them with a safe workspace, comprehensive training, and the right tools to do their jobs without compromising their well-being. We protect our employees by following strict safety protocols and being vigilant in our work safety culture. Every employee and subcontractor returns home safely every workday.
Track
Keeping our tracks safe is an everyday activity.
We keep our tracks clear of vegetation, debris, wildlife that may gain access to our railway tracks and trash. This activity is essential to safe rail operations and maintenance and occurs daily and seasonally, typically in the spring and fall months. We also take advantage of maintenance shutdowns to address accumulated trash, especially in the winter months and the sand used by our trains that is deposited on the tracks to maintain friction in various weather conditions.
Trees, branches, and all vegetation within our rail corridors are our responsibility, and they are maintained according to our agreement with the City of Ottawa. Trees, shrubs, and vegetation outside of the rail corridor on private property and branches overhanging private property are the property owner’s responsibility. Any overhanging vegetation may require regular trimming to help us keep our tracks safe and assist train operators with their visibility.
Our railway system infrastructure and stations have fencing to protect against vandalism and to prevent trespassers from entering our property. These fences are typically post-and-wire, chain-link, expanded metal mesh, high-security fencing, and gates. This security fencing is regularly inspected and maintained to protect our infrastructure and vehicles and keep graffiti minimal. We quickly respond to reports of damage to ensure your safety and the safety of our tracks, stations, employees and other system infrastructure.
Vehicles
Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom maintain clean and safe light rail vehicles (LRVs) that you can ride 365 days a year.
Dedicated teams inspect and monitor our LRVs throughout the day, every day, to ensure functionality, including but not limited to:
- Traction
- Brakes
- Power supply
- Train Control and Monitoring System
- Bogies
- Communication systems
- Security equipment
- Public Address and Passenger Information System
- Air systems functionalities
- Car body and interiors
Stations
We pride ourselves in maintaining clean and safe stations around the clock, 365 days a year. Our consistent inspections and CCTV monitoring of the stations ensure your commute is safe, day or night.
We have dedicated contractors cleaning the stations, especially high-touch areas, such as staircase railings, escalators and elevators. During adverse weather, we examine the same areas for safety issues, like slippery floors when wet or covered in snow and potential ice buildup, and immediately address your concerns.
On our platforms, you will see bright yellow safety poles to prevent track access and orange and black demarkation on the floors highlighting train boarding areas. Those are there for your protection and safety.
Each station has a fire alarm system and fire-fighting equipment our Facilities Maintenance team maintains.
