Safety in Ground Operations

There are many programs designed to ensure the safety of the many diverse ground operations. The areas covered here will be: hangars, ramp operations, specialized services, and runways.
Pictured to the right is a United Airlines regional jet that was being taxied around the airport for maintenance and the mechanics lost situational awareness and ran over a maintenance truck. Had they been using a wing walker, or had a ground spotter, or follow me truck, this could have been avoided.

Many things can contribute to an accident/incident. The most significant human factors issues for ground damages are:

-Time pressures/task saturation

-Skill based errors-over/under skilled

-Customer satisfaction

-Direct rule based violations

-Environmental i.e:illuminations, visual obstructions, noise levels

-Communications breakdowns

-Loss of situational awareness

Hangars are covered by many state, federal, and local building codes which served to protect people in and around them and make them safe. Such things as fire extinguishers, hoses, sprinkler control valves, and fire alarms are required. Many hangars contain hazardous or flammable substances. These must be handled with care and properly stored and disposed of. The CFR has guidelines which define this in depth, and give very specific directions on what is allowed. Other areas that may not be in the common hangar include: material handling equipment such as cranes, fork trucks, and hoist units. These may be seen more in a maintenance hangar, and not a storage hangar. Still, the guidelines are necessary to ensure the operation is safe.

Ramp operations are one of the most accident prone areas in ground operations. When talking about ramp operations, this includes: taxiing, towing, chocking, parking, tie-down, aircraft refueling, baggage and cargo handling, and routine checks and maintenance. This area is of importance to airlines, as an estimated $5 billion a year in damage costs is due to ramp damage, typically collisions between ground service vehicles and parked aircraft or jet ways. According to the International Air Transport Association, about 92% of incidents can be traced to lack of adequate training and airfield congestion. To minimize the risk, such initiates being enacted are: making a significant investment in airfield lighting thus increasing the safety of ramp operations at night, mandatory reflective outwear(vest) program increasing visibility of ramp workers, Ramp Safety Hotline giving ramp workers a place to call in their issues and concerns, Ramp Safety DVD(pictured right) with formal training, and publications including monthly safety newsletters, safety alerts notices, and safety posters promoting safe practices. All of these efforts serve to further make ramp operations more safe.

Specialized services include aviation fuel handling, aircraft rescue and fire fighting, and deicing. Fuel handling procedures are covered in the CFR, with detailed guidelines to protect the environment and the workers handling the fuel. Major concerns with fuel handling are:
-Health hazards to fuelers
-Fuel contamination
-Explosions and fires during fueling or fuel transfer
-Explosions and fires during fuel tank repair
-Hazards from spills
Procedures, such as the following, have been developed to minimize the risk in fuel handling and transfer: Connect the grounding cable, avoid pumping contaminated fuels, and reduce flow rates to allow static charge to dissipate. Sparks are another chief concern when handling fuel. Batteries should never be serviced during fueling operations. Ground power units should be as far away as possible from fueling points. Finally, no smoking rules are strictly enforced. No welding, cutting, or hot work should be conducted within 35 feet of fueling, and fuel pits should be located at least 50 feet away from a terminal building.

Finally, runway incursions are predicted to be the cause of nearly 800 jet aviation related deaths over the next decade. This makes it a top concern when considering airfield and passenger safety. One area where air traffic control has made significant improvement is with the new ASDE(Airport Surface Detection Equipment) system. This enables aircraft to be tracked via ground radar, as long as they are taxiing with their transponder on. In addition to ASDE, there is AMASS(Airport Movement Area Safety System) which enhances ASDE by providing controllers with aural and visual alerts to potential collisions on the runway. Some of the other control strategies implemented under the National Blueprint for Runway Safety are training, technology, communications, procedures, signs, data, and local solutions. Precision runway monitoring helps provide faster radar data than existing surveillance radars. Using this system, controllers are able to monitor the progress of each aircraft in real time and issue directions as required to maintain safe aircraft separation. These systems and others help minimize runway incursions.

NBAA - National Business Aviation Association. Web. 5 May 2010. .

http://www.nbaa.org/ops/safety/hangar/aircraft-ground-damage-prevention.ppt

Wells, Alexander T., and Clarence C. Rodrigues. Commercial Aviation Safety. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Print

"Airport Ramp Safety." A.P.S. Safety - Training & Consulting. Web. 03 May 2010.