The National Transport Board is an agency of the United States with its headquarters in Washington DC tasked with the mandate of investigating accident cases with regard to civil transportation. Its work does not end there as at times, it helps foreign governments and the military with investigations. Apart from that, it also investigates the release of materials that are dangerous during transportation.
The NTSB was commissioned in 1926 as part of the air commerce act, but became an independent agency in 1975 (NTSB 14). Investigations on the rail, pipeline, road, air and marine incidents are all handled by different departments of the agency. The main role of the NTSB has always been to find the probable cause of accidents and give suggestions as to how to handle, or prevent such incidents from recurring in the future. Depending on the magnitude of the incident, the team sent to investigate it can have as few as four or as many as twelve people. It does not enforce the recommendations it gives about safety (NTSB 21).
If a case is classified as criminal, the NTSB cannot carry out investigations concerning it. It works with domestic agencies, if they require assistance in a case that relates to transport (Publications of the National Transportation Safety Board 7). It also works with foreign governments in matters concerning locomotives that are produced in the United States. Most of the cases it investigates involve fatalities, considerable damage to property and hazard to the environment.
With an annual budget in the range of 100$ million, it shows just how importance and magnitude of the operation handled by the NTSB. It is interesting to see that the helm of the NTSB has a huge composition of women showing just how progressive this board is in promoting gender equality. The NTSB is, therefore, a crucial part of homeland security.
Works Cited
NTSB: Documents and Information. Washington, D.C: National Transportation Safety Board, 1984. Print.
Publications of the National Transportation Safety Board. Washington, D.C: National Transportation Safety Board, 1980. Print.
