BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Maura Healey has appointed Patrick Lavin to the position of MassDOT Chief Safety Officer, city officials said in an announcement Monday.
Lavi, who begins his new role on May 8, has 40 years of experience in transportation safety and operations, including as a subject matter expert and technical writer to the MBTA Safety Review Panel in 2019. He was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Safety Officer for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Senior Director for Operations in the Office of System Safety of New York City Transit.
The MassDOT Chief Safety Officer is a new position created by Healey. In this role, Lavin will report directly to the secretary of transportation and MBTA general manager and serve as the primary representative for overall safety issues relating to transportation.
“Pat Lavin is a dedicated public transportation expert who shares our administration’s commitment to improving safety and reliability across our transportation system, including the MBTA,” Healey said in a statement. “We created this position to ensure we had a senior official coordinating efforts across all modes of transportation and driving strategies across the system to improve safety for riders and workers. I’m confident he will work closely with Secretary Fiandaca and General Manager Eng to deliver the service that the people of Massachusetts deserve.”
Since May 2019, Lavin has served as Director of Operations Safety and Investigations at K & J Safety and Security Consulting Services, where he has been responsible for performing risk-based operational safety assessments, developing agency specific incident investigation procedures, and assisting transit agencies in addressing the FTA’s safety advisories and directives.
In addition, Lavin managed the creation of training plans and hazard analysis for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) operations, the New York State Public Transportation Board, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), Honolulu Rapid Transportation (HART), and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA).
Lavin is certified by the Federal Department of Transportation’s Public Transportation Safety Certification Training Program and Transit Safety and Security Program. He is also certified by the World Safety Organization as a Safety and Security Director.
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