Aircraft maintenance engineers spend most of their time on the ground handling and operating aircraft.
The complexity of support equipment and the hazards involved in the ground operations requires that maintenance Engineers possess a detailed knowledge of safety procedures.
Different maintenance centers have operating safety protocols and procedures set in place to ensure the safety of both the personnel and the aircraft.
I have compiled a list of general safety measures that can be followed. Though not exhaustive, it provides general guidelines that can be followed to minimize injury.
Hanger Safety
Keeping hangars, and the flight line orderly and clean is essential to safety and efficient maintenance operations. The highest standards of orderly work arrangements and cleanliness should be observed during the maintenance of aircraft.
Incase work is expected to continue beyond a single working shift, the outgoing shift should remove and properly store personal tools, and all equipment they have used before the next shift starts.
Signs should be posted in visible places to indicate dangerous equipment or hazardous conditions and the location of first aid and fire equipment.
Safety lanes, pedestrian walkways, and fire lanes should be painted around the perimeter inside the hangars. This is a safety measure to prevent accidents and to keep pedestrian traffic out of work areas.
Electrical Safety
Working with electrical equipment poses certain safety hazards. To safely deal with electricity, the technician must have a working knowledge of the principles of electricity, and a healthy respect for its capability to do both work and be potentially harmful
Wearing or use of proper safety equipment provides a psychological assurance at the same time it physically protects the user.
The use of rubber gloves, safety glasses, rubber or grounded safety mats, and other safety equipment contributes to the safety of the technician working on or with electrical equipment.
Electrical Fire Safety
During generation/transmission of electricity, heat is produced as a byproduct of that flow. The greater the current flow, the greater the amount of heat created.
When the heat becomes too great, protective coatings on wiring and other electrical devices can melt, and cause shorting, which leads to more current flow and greater heat. This heat can become so great and cause flammable substances to ignite.
An important factor in preventing electrical fires is to keep the area around electrical work or electrical equipment clean, uncluttered, and free of flammable substances.
Ensure that all power cords, wires, and lines are free of kinks and bends which can damage the wire. Do not place wires on paths where they will be walked on or run over.
Closely monitor the condition of electrical equipment. Repair or replace damaged equipment before further use.
Safety Around Compressed Gases
Compressed gas is an excellent tool if it is under control.
The following “do’s and don’ts" should be followed when working with/around compressed gases:
Inspect air hoses frequently for breaks and worn spots.
Unsafe hoses should be replaced immediately.
Keep all connections in a “no-leak condition."
Maintain in-line oilers (if installed), in operating condition.
The system should have water sumps installed and should be drained at regular intervals.
Air used for paint spraying should be filtered to remove oil and water.
Never use compressed air to clean hands or clothing as the pressure can force debris into the flesh leading to infection.
Never spray compressed air in the direction of other personnel.
Air hoses should be straightened, coiled, and properly stored when not in use.
use tire dollies and other appropriate lifting and mounting devices in mounting or removing heavy aircraft tires.
When inflating tires on any type of aircraft wheels, always use tire cage guards
Use pressure regulators on high-pressure air bottles to eliminate the possibility of overinflation of tires.
Safety Around Machine Tools
Hazards in a shop's operation increase when the operation different machines are operated. Each machine has its own set of safety practices. Some of the machines operated in the workshop include; the lathe machine, the drill press, milling machines, grinders, etc.
The following are some of the safety measures that can be observed to reduce chances of injury when operating the machines
Clean the work bed prior to work.
Wear eye protection.
Securely clamp all work.
Set the proper RPM for the material used.
Do not allow the spindle to feed beyond its limit of travel while drilling.
Stop the machine before adjusting work or attempting to remove jammed work.
Use sharp cutting tools.
Do not attempt to stop the chuck by hand.
Examine tools and work for cracks or defects before starting the work.
Select the proper tools for the job.
Do not force grinding wheels onto the spindle.
Check the wheel flanges and compression washer. They should be one-third the diameter of the wheel.
Do not stand in the arc of the grinding wheel while operating in case the wheel explodes.
Welding safety
Welding should be performed only in designated areas. Any part to be welded should be removed from the aircraft, if possible.
Repair would then be accomplished in the welding shop under a controlled environment.
A welding shop should be equipped with proper tables, ventilation, tool storage, and fire prevention and extinguishing equipment.
Welding on an aircraft should be performed outside, if possible. If welding in the hangar is necessary, observe these precautions:
During welding operations, there should be no open fuel tanks, and no work on fuel systems should be in progress.
No painting should be in progress.
No aircraft are to be within 35 feet of the welding operation.
No flammable material should be in the area around the welding operation.
Only qualified welders should be permitted to do the work.
The welding area should be roped off and placarded.
Fire extinguishing equipment of a minimum rating of 20 B should be in the immediate area with 80 B rated equipment as a backup.
There should be trained fire watches in the area around the welding operation.
Aircraft being welded should be in towable condition, with a tug attached, and the aircraft parking brakes released. A qualified operator should be on the tug, and mechanics available to assist in the towing operation should it become necessary to tow the aircraft. If the aircraft is in the hangar, the hangar doors should be opened.
Safety Around Hazardous Materials
The level of danger posed by using a given material is always indicated using different warning signage to show the levels of threats posed by a given material.
Material safety diamonds are very important with regard to shop safety. These forms and labels are a simple and quick way to determine the risk and will indicate the personal safety equipment to use with the hazardous material
It has a four-color segment diamond that represents Flammability (Red), Reactivity (Yellow), Health (Blue), and special Hazard (White). They are numbered from 0 to 4. 0 represents a minimum hazard and 4 means that the material is very hazardous.
The special hazard segment contains a word or abbreviation to represent a special hazard. eg: RAD for radiation, ALK for alkali materials, Acid for acidic materials, and CARC for carcinogenic materials. The letter W with a line through it stands for high reactivity to water.
Comments