Process Mapping of Safety Applications in Transportation Organizations

The operational reality that dominates organizations can inhibit their ability to systematically and appropriately document recurring work processes. This is especially true for situations where the workflow transcends across multiple entities. Documenting these processes is instrumental in defining work responsibilities, incorporating quality assurance procedures, evaluating lead time, eliminating inefficiencies, and developing workforce training requirements. Over time, due to natural employment turnover, this problem becomes aggravated and efforts to reverse-engineer and document legacy processes becomes more challenging. This paper describes the application of applying process modelling tools to address such concerns within a state transportation agency. It is accomplished here through a set of maps—relationship, cross-functional, and flowchart maps—in the form of process mapping, as used in some industries. This specific case study was conducted to map a process used by Caltrans to identify high collision concentration locations (HCCLs) across the California. Mapping these processes was accomplished through several steps including questionnaire surveys, stakeholder interviews, and data assembly across multiple iteration. The outcome includes a documentation of the overall process to identify HCCLs as demonstrated in three different maps. Each map shows a level of detail of the process ranging from interactions between the various entities involved, to the actual workflow within each entity. In addition to the ability to determine the relationship between entities, the findings include facilitation for better communication about the roles and responsibilities, as well as opportunities to enhance, modify, and improve a priority safety programs to better meet the needs of an agency.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB10 Standing Committee on Transportation Safety Management.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Salem, Camille
  • Vayalamkuzhi, Praveen
  • Grembek, Offer
  • Medury, Aditya
  • Ensch, John L
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 8p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Flow charts; High risk locations; Occupational safety; State departments of transportation; Workplaces
• Identifier Terms: California Department of Transportation
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01697580
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-02366
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM