U.S. Metro ventilation records may have been falsified

Lawsuits are expected to be brought against the U.S. Metro system over reportedly “deadly smoke” choking dozens back in 2015 at L’Enfant Plaza.

An internal review found that four important maintenance records for the transport ventilation systems may have been tampered with; a discovery prompting investigations into the department’s documentation practices.

An internal report confirmed that the office of Quality Assurance, Internal Compliance and Oversight (QICO) “identified several instances of maintenance record modification.”

Damning reports

Investigations found that preventive maintenance measures and checks may have been skipped. In failing to carry out preventive measures and checks, maintenance workers may have missed vital warning signs that may have foreseen the toxic smoke incident that enveloped passengers on that fateful day two years ago.

A 61-year-old woman died on the smoke-filled train when a number of passengers were reportedly trapped inside a train for 30 minutes surrounded by toxic electrical smoke. At the time of the incident, the fans were not used correctly which caused the smoke to choke the passengers.

The death could have been entirely prevented if sufficient inspections were carried out and noted, reports suggest.

Another report said that comments made by inspectors were unclear and illegible. Though this may seem minor, it could mean that appropriate action may not have been carried out in practice because instructions or warnings were unclear. In other reports where the writing was clear, content reportedly lacked substance in detailing the outcome of the inspections.

At the end of the day, there’s no use reporting a problem if there’s no accompanying information about what the problem is, where it is, or what the recommended fix is.

Disorganisation

The review suggested there was a general disorganisation at the department, from abandoned equipment and debris blocking fan shafts and emergency exist to incomplete and outdated maintenance documents.

There was apparently a distinct lack of quality-control by supervisors and insufficient coordination among departments. Inspectors also discovered cheaper alternatives being used for ventilation fans.

After the thorough investigation was carried out, those responsible for allegedly falsifying the records have been fired or disciplined.