National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt told DC808 this week that he stands by comments he made about a lack of “safety culture” at the MBTA under Daniel Grabauskas‘ leadership. Grabauskas is Honolulu’s pick to be CEO of HART.

We followed up with Sumwalt, and asked what questions he would have for Grabauskas before he takes the reins in Honolulu.

“Well, if I were a user of the transit system, I would want to know that safety truly is the top priority of the organization,” Sumwalt wrote in an email. “I mean really the top priority. A lot of people say it is, but when we at the NTSB peel back and look after an accident, we find otherwise.”

So what does it take for an agency like HART to be sure that safety is No. 1?

“Safety must begin at the top and it must permeate throughout the organization,” Sumwalt wrote. “If I were in the position of hiring the leader of the organization, I would want to know specifically how the new ceo would plan to instill a safety culture.”

He also said there are specific things to look for when assessing a commitment to safety: 

“Does the organization have a reporting culture, where employees feel comfortable reporting safety problems without fear of retribution?

“Do they have a punitive culture, where honest mistakes are punished?

“Does the chief safety officer report directly to the ceo, or are there layers upon layers between safety and the ceo?

“Does the organization insist on following established procedures? Do they have a lot of unwritten procedures, or do they write the way they intend to do things, and then insist on following them?”

Grabauskas is set to be confirmed in his new role on Thursday.