Airside Construction Safety: The Human Factor

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Elfreda Ferguson
6 years ago
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, CCM Director, Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs

1 Airside Construction Safety: The Human Factor Presented by The Massachusetts Port Authority Houssam H. Sleiman, P.E., CCM Director, Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs September 25, 2010 ACI-NA 19 th Annual Conference and Exhibition Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2 June 18, 2009 Incident Animation BOS VPD exe

3 Typical Project Milestone Events Pre-Design Conference Per AC 150/ with: FAA Project Manager FAA Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) Manager Massport Project Manager (PM) Massport Operations Manager Massport Survey Department Manager Design Engineer Agenda Items Operational Safety Requirements (AC 150/5370-2): Haul routes and windows of time to access project site for gathering of pre-design data (cores, soils, survey, etc.) Security and safety procedures to adhere to during gathering of data Design/Bidding Design workshops with stakeholders Operational issues Technical issues

4 Typical Project Milestone Events (cont.) Prepare design documents in accordance with scope and comments received during early submissions and workshops. Prepare Construction Phasing and Safety Plan for review by FAA, Massport and ATCT. The Plan includes: Haul routes to the various project construction areas Airport access points/gates Sequence of construction Hours when construction may be performed Temporary signs and markings for each construction area List of existing signs and markings to be removed during construction of each construction area Work area, runway/taxiway safety area limits Air navigation surfaces and or maximum height of equipment for each work area Safety notes dictating the various Airport safety requirements.(radio escorts, flag people, radio control procedures, Foreign Object Debris (FOD) prevention requirements, escorting procedures, phone numbers when applicable, etc. Revise Construction Phasing and Safety Plan to address comments received and resubmit to FAA for approval.

5 Typical Project Milestone Events (cont.) Insert approved Construction Phasing and Safety Plan into Bid Documents. Pre-construction (FAA Airports, MPA PM, Aviation Operations, MPA ARFF, ATCT, Consultant, Contractor, etc.) meetings to address: Review project requirements. Safety of airport operations during construction: Construction Phasing and Safety Plan requirements Driver training/badging Access and haul routes Control of construction equipment and personal Need for vehicle permits FOD and radio control needs/expectations Vehicle escorting procedures Work hour limitations for escort vehicle drivers Max number of vehicles escorted per escort per trip Speed limits Aircraft have the Right of Way (ROW) at all times Need to remain alert and proactive to avoid complacency Weekly safety meetings Develop draft list of emergency contacts Flag persons to control runway crossings and access/egress to the work area. Delineation of work area, runway/taxiway safety areas and closed taxiways/runways.

6 Typical Project Milestone Events (cont.) FOD control. Minimum number of radio escorts and sweepers. Height of stockpiles and construction equipment. Establish weekly construction and Aviation Operations meeting schedule. Schedules (Work Completed; Work Planned; Two-Week Look Ahead ) Haul routes and their maintenance Runway/taxiway closures Safety of operations and coordination with Aviation Operations Other Remind All: Safety is the Number One Priority. All personal assigned to the project need to work as a project team. ACTC present: Runway/taxiway closures - durations and schedules for each New NOTAMS needed New and revised haul routes Installation or removal safety measures

7 Typical Project Milestone Events (cont.) All are expected to be proactive- Do not assume others are/will address potential safety or quality issues. Daily construction procedures (Aviation Operations, ATCT, Consultant, Contractor): Contact Airport Operations to set-up required NOTAMS prior to accessing the airfield. Access the project site using previously approved haul routes utilizing properly trained and badged escorts. Utilize a sweeper for FOD control during site access and egress. Install all safety measures (cones, barricades, lighted X s, etc.) per the approved Construction Safety Plan and in accordance with AC150/5370-2, current edition (Operational Safety on Airports During Construction). Receive approval of the safety measures from Aviation Operations prior to starting any construction activities. Set up a weekly schedule of tool box safety meetings for project personnel and the airport s Safety Officer. Maintain a record of all toolbox meetings.

8 Typical Project Milestone Events (cont.) Establish a safety inspection system. Maintain all safety measures in accordance with the approved project Safety Plan. Site inspection to be completed by the Contractor, Engineer, and Aviation Operations at end of work day. For multiple shifts, incoming shift personnel to be informed of: Changes in taxiway/runway closures Changes in haul route(s) Changes in runway/taxiway crossing procedures Request all changes be repeated to assure comprehension Relay any changes in safety procedures and incidents that may have occurred during the previous shift

9 Haul Route- Day/Night

10 Haul Route- Night/NW Wind

11 Details of Driver decided to head out to the construction site. Driver received incomplete radio briefing from coworker. Started out near end of Runway 15R. Followed incorrect route. Did not stop at intersection of M and 15R. Crossed in front of departing aircraft. Source: John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) 1/2010

12 Additional Details Driver details: Not using cell phone. Claimed he was distracted, not following normal routine, anxious to get to construction site, bringing out a needed radio. No personal problems interfering with work. Radio was on and tuned correctly. Physical environment: Visibility was good. Normal markings and indicators for safe crossing of the runway were absent. Taxiway M and Runway 15R intersect at an oblique angle. Source: John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) 1/2010

13 Additional Details (cont d) Situational details: Morning push was winding down. Few aircraft were departing on Runway 15R. No aircraft landed during drive from base camp to construction site. Driver missed critical information in radio briefing. Haul route had changed that day from the route followed for the previous two weeks. Oblique angle of taxiway-runway intersection reduces amount of RWY in driver s field of view. Driver s speed (35-40 mph) << aircraft speed (~150 mph), difference resulted in aircraft approaching intersection much faster than the driver. Source: John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) 1/2010

14 Factors Supporting Aircraft Detection by Driver: Radio was tuned to ground frequency. Review of transmissions indicates 8-10 times controller and pilots stated Runway 15R indicating the departure runway. Starting point was near the end of Runway 15R. Landing traffic on 22L would indicate the configuration. No cones, barriers, etc. were in place to indicate that this was a safe location to cross the runway. Source: John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) 1/2010

15 Inattentional Blindness as a Causal Element Inattentional Blindness (IB) is a phenomenon in which people focus on one element of their environment and fail to notice something else that is changing. e.g., failing to notice a pedestrian in a crosswalk while waiting for a light to change. IB is influenced by many factors, including: A disproportionate focus on one task while other tasks also are being performed. Task demands that require intense concentration. Consistency of previous events reducing expectations that something will change. Most people do not believe they are susceptible to IB - until it happens to them. Source: John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) 1/2010

16 MPA s Response Immediately following incident: Shut down all construction on airfield. Stripped all Class 3 (Red) SIDA driving badges except experienced dedicated escorts. Drug tested Construction Resident Engineer. NTSB reviewed and approve our construction procedures and incident response. FAA investigation and interview of Resident Engineer.

17 Summary of Airport Escort Procedures* Six (6) airports use airport employees for ALL construction escorts. Five (5) airports allow any badge holder that is trained and passes a practical driving exam to access the movement area to escort. One (1) airport allows only dedicated, contracted employees to escort with the exception of active crossing where operations personnel oversees the operation. One (1) airport uses a combination of airport staff and airport contracted, dedicated escorts. *= 13 airports interviewed: JFK, DFW, IAH, DEN, YYZ, OAK, MCI, ATL, PHL, IAD, ORD, SEA, DTW

18 Short Term Measures: A Three-Tier Approach Tier One- Reduction of Risk: Only dedicated contractor escorts can access the movement area (18 escorts). Driving privileges for 64 contractor badge holders (78% of total) have been reduced to non-movement area only. All active runway crossing for construction purposes will be supervised by Massport shift manager. Construction haul route to be set up using perimeter road to avoid active runway crossing. All dedicated escorts to be re-trained and re-certified prior to work re-commencement. Construction area on the airfield will be delineated by approved barriers with one entry/exit location. A flagperson will be stationed at the entry/exit point to control traffic and maintain personnel manifest.

19 Short Term Measures: A Three-Tier Approach Tier Two- Enhanced Communication: All escort drivers to contact Massport shift manager at the beginning of each shift for work authorization and runway configuration. Operations will broadcast the current active runway configuration at the top of each hour. Each escort driver shall report back to Massport shift manager acknowledging any runway configuration change.

20 Short Term Measures: A Three-Tier Approach Tier Three- Safety Awareness and Accountability: All escorts to have a safety briefing at the beginning of each shift. All construction workers to have a weekly safety briefing. Massport shift managers to periodically monitor and audit escort drivers performance. Massport s Safety Department to attend weekly safety briefings and audit content and attendance. Zero-tolerance policy: anyone who violates these standards will be immediately removed from the project.

21 Long Term Measures 1. Install vehicle tracking and monitoring devices on all escort vehicles. 2. Investigate airside driving and escorting practices; Consideration may be given to: Massport staff providing all escorts. Massport contracts directly with a company whose sole practice will be to escort vehicles and equipment on the airfield. Maintain current proposed contractor-provided escort drivers. 3. Implement recommendation from FAA, NTSB and the Volpe Center Human Factors group.

26 Contact Information Houssam H. Sleiman, P.E., CCM Director, Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)

27 Movement Area Requirements Initial Requirements Clearly demonstrated need for the license (Justified need determined by Operations). Comprehensive on the field practical training prior to applying for a license. Interactive Employee Training (EIT) computer training- Movement Area training module (45 minutes). Classroom Powerpoint presentation by Operations trainer (2 hours) including runway incursion prevention, situational awareness and tower communications). Written test and ability to identify and label all runway and taxiways Practical airfield driving test by Operations shift manager. Annual Recurrent Training IET Movement Area module Classroom Powerpoint presentation Written test Practical driving test as needed

Lakeland International Airport

Lakeland International Airport Sun n Fun Contractor & Volunteer Safety Briefing Updated 1/16/18 Airport Statistics 85 Tenants 1,000 people work here 126,000 aircraft operations annually. Why are we here?