Meeting_Body
REVISED
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS BASS, HORVATH, KREKORIAN, NAJARIAN, SOLIS, AND HAHN
Ancillary Areas
As Los Angeles County's homelessness and addiction crises have worsened, Metro has experienced a rise in people trespassing in the ancillary spaces of its system. Within Metro underground stations, primarily on the B (Red) & D (Purple) Lines, there are 97 ancillary corridors and rooms designed for use by Metro personnel and closed to the public except for emergency evacuations. Ancillary areas are also found on the E (Expo), K (Crenshaw/LAX), and Regional Connector Lines. Metro personnel use these corridors to access specific equipment rooms to support operations, including traction power rooms, train control and communications rooms, ventilation dampers, and elevator machinery rooms. Many of these ancillary corridors are monitored but unlocked per Fire/Life Safety design to allow for alternate emergency exit pathways.
In May 2023, Metro commissioned an industrial hygienist to study the condition of these areas and provide recommendations as to any steps Metro needed to take to properly clean the ancillary areas and protect employees from associated hazards. The study discovered trace levels of biohazards, such as drug residue and human waste. It concluded that Metro needed to adjust cleaning methods and require the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure the safety of employees who clean and perform maintenance in these areas.
In June 2023, in response to the findings of the environmental study, Corporate Safety developed standard operating procedures outlining the cleaning protocols, decontamination process, and waste disposal process. Based on these recommendations, a new 2-step process was introduced to clean and secure the ancillary areas.
Step 1: Armed security officers inspect the ancillary areas for the presence of trespassers. Once secured, the custodians presoak the...
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