Striving for Excellence in Aviation Ground Safety

Transcription

1 AAGSC RECOMMENDED INDUSTRY PRACTICE CIRCLE OF SAFETY AAGSC: RIP No. 24 Issue 1 Issued: 15 January 2010 Review Date: January 2014 Background Ground damage to aircraft and potential injury to personnel presents a significant safety risk and commercial impact to carriers throughout the world. This Recommended Industry Practice (RIP) has been developed to highlight potential hazards to both people, aircraft & equipment all operating within close proximity during the ground handling of commercial aircraft. The term Circle of Safety relates to an imaginary/invisible circle which typically extends for 5 metres around the aircraft, inside this circle an inner zone encapsulates the fuselage and engine areas with a 2 metre safety zone (see Fig.1). The Circle of Safety provides a multilayer safety buffer which surrounds the aircraft and triggers operators to consider their speed and travel path to ensure a safe approach to an aircraft. This process ensures that both operator and Ground Service Equipment (GSE) are serviceable and safe to approach an aircraft.

2 Reference IATA Airport Handling Manual (2010) AHM 630 section 8.33 Circle of Safety Rationale Undisciplined/uncoordinated operation of equipment in close proximity to an aircraft can result in: Injury to personnel Ground damage to aircraft Damage to GSE Damage to infrastructure / property All carriers and service agents have a mandated and regulatory responsibility (duty of care) to provide a safe work place and system of work. If all personnel involved in aircraft ground handling/servicing adhere to Circle of Safety principles the airport ramp environment will be a safer work place for all. These principles provide three key elements: 1. Ensures GSE braking serviceability/effectiveness 2. Appropriate travel path 3. Safe speed adherence 4. Safety driving behavior Recommended Industry Practice The following key procedural points form the basis of typical standard operating procedures for operators approaching and operating within the Circle of Safety. RIP Circle of Safety 2

3 The following process should be adhered to at all times: The Circle of Safety is a term used for describing a safe process when approaching an aircraft. Do not approach an aircraft until the Anti-Collision Beacon has been extinguished and the all clear (thumbs up) signal has been given. Vehicles/equipment directly servicing the aircraft should come to an initial complete stop at distance no less than five (5) metres (16.4ft) from the aircraft (outer Circle of Safety). All equipment must be driven at walking pace 4-6km/h ( m/h). Vehicles/equipment should then come to a second complete stop at distance no less than two (2) metres (6.6ft) from the aircraft (inner Circle of Safety). All equipment must be driven at slow walking pace 2-4km/h ( m/h). All equipment must be driven at a walking pace when within two metres (6.56 ft) of an aircraft. Minimum Circle of Safety Guideline As a minimum guideline, vehicles and equipment must make a minimum of one complete stop prior to entering the operational safety zone or at a distance of no less than 5 metres from the aircraft. Source IATA AHM Other Considerations A minimum of 3 metres must be maintained when driving around a refuelling vehicle or its hoses, hydrant connections and static lines. Always use a marshaller when you do not have a clear sight of travel whilst lining up to an aircraft service door or when reversing away from the aircraft. Always observe aircraft specific jet blast, prop wash and ingestion zones. Do not drive between aircraft engines, underneath any fuselage or wing/s of an aircraft unless operationally approved for that specific aircraft type.

4 Typical Circle of Safety procedural diagram Fig.1

5 Circle of Safety Sticker The AAGSC also developed a Circle of Safety sticker (refer to sample below) intended to be applied to the dashboard area of airline and ground handling company motorised ground support equipment. Monitoring Standards Data analysis has consistently shown that carriers and service providers who implement, monitor and reinforce procedural adherese to circle of safety protocol s can expect reduced occurrences of ground damage to aircraft and near miss occurrence reports. Circle of Safety adherese can be monitored/reinforced through: 1. Safety observations (as shown below) 2. Targeted process audits

6 3. Toolbox meetings 4. OHS committees 5. Management and supervisory commitment to operational safety RIP Circle of Safety 6

7 AAGSC RECOMMENDED INDUSTRY PRACTICE CIRCLE OF SAFETY RIP Circle of Safety 7