Metal panel falling from Savin Hill MBTA Station narrowly misses passenger

An MBTA passenger was surprised but no one was injured when a metal panel fell from the bottom of concrete steps above his head inside the Savin Hill T station.

The panel crashed to the ground, narrowly missing at least one passenger late Sunday night, MBTA officials confirmed. Red Line service was not impacted and the cause is under investigation.

It’s the second staircase around a T stop to fail in the past month.

On Sept. 11, a 40-year-old Boston University professor plummeted to his death from a rusted-out and dilapidated staircase near JFK Station.

All MBTA stairs are “regularly inspected” by the MBTA and reviewed by a third party and “have preventative maintenance conducted to ensure the assets perform as intended,” according to agency spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

It’s unclear when the staircase at Savin Hill was last inspected, but Pesaturo said panels were inspected on Monday following the incident and some minor repairs were made. Engineers determined the steps to be structurally sound and safe for use, he said.

“With the safety of customers and employees of paramount importance, regular maintenance is a central component of the MBTA’s asset management program and includes inspections, preventative maintenance, and corrective maintenance of station infrastructure,” the agency said in a statement.

The MBTA spends about $31 million annually for maintenance and upkeep of rapid transit stations and facilities throughout the system, according to the agency.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3iNVkfS