The Office of Safety Recommendations and Communications (SRC) publicly releases information on NTSB investigations, activities, and safety recommendations across multiple communication channels. SRC engages a range of stakeholders, including:
- safety recommendation recipients;
- members of the transportation industry;
- transportation workers;
- federal, state, and local government officials;
- the media;
- transportation safety advocates; and
- the public.
SRC’s work spans an investigation’s lifecycle, providing the transparency that supports the NTSB’s independence while building public trust and support for our mission. Following an investigation, SRC focuses on advocating for and monitoring safety recommendation implementation. In addition to the five divisions discussed below, SRC also manages the agency’s internal communication and engagement platform, InsideNTSB.
Media Relations
The Media Relations Division is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with the media to communicate with the public about accident and incident investigations and to publicize agency events, publications, and activities. Staff members respond to media inquiries, arrange media interviews of agency personnel, and serve as the on-scene public affairs officers supporting Board members during major accident investigations. The division also supports deployed regional investigators and investigators-in-charge, and trains NTSB and transportation industry personnel in successful media engagement.
Government and Industry Affairs
The Government and Industry Affairs Division is the NTSB’s primary liaison with Congress, the White House, the Government Accountability Office, other federal agencies, and state and local governments. Division staff inform Congress, governors, and state legislatures about NTSB activities, including accident launches, investigations, Board meetings, and recommendations, and manage inquiries from these groups. They also support interaction with the transportation industry regarding agency initiatives. The staff work with the Safety Advocacy Division to support programs and legislation consistent with safety recommendations and to monitor state legislative activity relevant to our recommendations.
Safety Advocacy
The Safety Advocacy Division leads the agency’s advocacy efforts, particularly on Most Wanted List issue areas, through consultation with modal offices and safety recommendation specialists. Staff relay NTSB safety messages and lessons learned through print, digital media, and social media communications, including the Safety Compass blog on the NTSB.gov, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and @NTSB Twitter. The division distributes agency products and information to stakeholders and advocacy groups.
Safety Recommendations
The Safety Recommendations Division ensures that recipients of NTSB Safety Recommendations receive timely evaluations and feedback regarding their responses to safety recommendations. The staff tracks the progress made on the adoption of NTSB recommendations. They maintain a searchable data base of all safety recommendations issued, and the associated actions taken by recipients. They propose for adoption by the Board classifications of each recommendation and ensures that action being taken on each open recommendation. The division provides input to modal offices developing new recommendations regarding previously issued recommendations addressing similar topics, and advice on wording of recommendations to ensure effective action by the recipient.
Digital Services
The Digital Services Division supports the NTSB’s internal and external strategic communications goals. The division designs and develops a range of audiovisual products that optimize the NTSB’s ability to communicate investigation findings and safety messages, and to facilitate employee engagement internally. The division also establishes standards for the agency for visual style and branding and advises internal stakeholders on how to optimize visual information to enhance their products.
