INTRODUCTION
Without adequate safety management, legal and moral obligations cannot be met, and business losses may be incurred including significant financial ones. Examples of such losses include: 1) Compromised aircraft safety and the potential for a catastrophic aircraft accident; 2) Costs of replacing and compensating injured employees or others; 3) Contractual penalties or loss of revenue, if flights are delayed; and 4) Damaged assets (including Aircraft and Equipment).
The precautions that protect aircraft from damage on the ramp often also protect people working on the ramp, and vice versa. In this presentation, we shall focus on safety procedures as it concerns the use of reflective vest and safety cone at the airside.
REFLECTIVE/SAFETY VEST
Reflective/Safety Vest is constructed out of reflective material and typically come in a slew of bright colour. A safety vest helps alert people that another human is present in their field of vision.
CLASSIFICATION OF REFLECTIVE/SAFETY VEST
Reflective/Safety Vests are classified into three Classes: 1, 2, & 3.
🔸 Class 1
These vests are for those working in low-impact areas. According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), this includes areas where traffic flow does not exceed 25mph. Class 1 vests are typically used by parking attendants, delivery drivers and roadside assistance personnel in low traffic areas. They should have minimum of 155 square inches of reflective tape. These vests should also have a bright yellow or orange colour.
🔸 Class 2
Those working near heavier traffic and on low visibility areas will need to wear Class 2 Safety Vests as traffic flow may exceed 25mph. This class of vests are typically worn by Airport Workers, high volume parking or toll of both operators and forest workers. A Class 2 Vest must have a minimum of 201 square inches of reflective tape.
🔸 Class 3
Class 3 vests are used by those that are close to high traffic areas including Site Inspectors, Emergency Responders, Railway Workers and Utility Crews as traffic in these areas may be close to or exceed 50mph. These vests must have a minimum of 310 square inches of reflective tape that is linear feet and 2 inches wide.
BENEFITS OF A REFLECTIVE/SAFETY VEST
✅ Provision of Visibility
Reflective Vests are generally designed with combination of bright colours and reflective sections light on the outside. Along with helping other people notice workers and reflective vests, they can also help workers to keep track of each other in the dark.
✅ Making the Wearer Identifiable
There is a saying that if one has a reflective vest on, then everyone will assume that he should be doing whatever he was doing without fear. That is because people mostly only wear reflective vests when they are working on some kind of project and expect to be safe.
Reflective vests serve as a sort of universal uniform. Without them, people might not be sure if workers are supposed to be in a certain location or not. A reflective vest announces to anyone who is wondering that the wearer is supposed to be there and is authorized to be doing the work that he is doing. In rare cases where people who work together do not know everyone on the team, a reflective vest gathering in a crowded place helps in the quick identification of team members.
✅ Creates A Safety Mindset
If the old saying that “clothes make the man” is to be considered, then the idea is logical that people actually feel and act differently when they are wearing different clothes. So putting on a reflective vest create that safety awareness more.
When people wear them, they are reminded that they are working in a potentially hazardous and sensitive situation. That constant reminder will help them lean more on the side of caution and be extra careful in managing all aspects of a job. They can also warn other people to avoid that place where people with reflective vests are working. They can signal that there may be dangerous things on and that people should not insert themselves unless they know are doing.
✅ Allows the Wearer to Get More Work Done
In the past, people might have had to stop working when the sun went down. However, Reflective Vests allow the wearer to work even after sunset and into the night. The vest allows for everyone on site to be tracked easily in the dark as well as making sure that any passersby or driver will notice them.
✅ Reflective Vests Helps to Build a Brand
It is much more affordable to get custom reflective vest with a Company’s brand theme on it. That way, people know and appreciate which Company is performing the job that a team is working on.
SAFETY CONES are cone-shaped markers that are placed on roads or footpaths to temporarily redirect traffic in a safe manner. Safety cones are ideal for traffic control, airport operations marking off restricted areas and warning hazards. Maker cones must have a special design such as a conical shape and orange in colour with reflecting striping.
PURPOSES AND POSITIONING OF SAFETY CONES
Coning of aircraft and its extremities has been established as a preventive measure in order to avoid aircraft damage and to create a safety buffer around specific areas of an aircraft. Aircraft cones are provided to help protect critical areas of aircraft from vehicle damage during turnaround. They are deployed before any vehicle engage with the aircraft and removed before pushback.
REMOVAL OF SAFETY CONES
Cones should be removed just prior to aircrafts departure to ensure maximum protection of the aircraft. Cones are to be stored after use in a designated area. Damaged cones should be replaced immediately.
CONES LEFT ON STAND
The Potential consequences of not returning cones to their correct place are:
- Aircraft Damage
Incident of expensive engine damage have been recorded due to presuming the cones left on stand were for the same type of aircraft.
- Aircraft Holding-off Stand
This causes taxiway congestion and delays while the stand is cleared.
CONCLUSION
In aviation, the safety of staff, passengers and the travelling public has and will always be the priority. The airport environment is a highly complex work environment because it involves maneuvering aircrafts, especially a large jet with a sizeable wingspan. The airside becomes very dynamic with people and ground support equipment (GSE) and aircrafts. Thus, there is need for overall airside safety tools to be in place, and airside safety practices to strictly be adhered to.
REFERENCES
- En.m.wikipedia. org
- www.aircraftsystemtech.com
- www.qualitygurus.com
- www.skybrary.aero
- IATA Cabin Operations Safety Best Practice Manual Edition 7 (2020)
- WIldrose Garments
