The most recent report of air transport sector accident statistics by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) shows that in an average year there are more than 1,200 injuries to employees in Britain. RTITB is encouraging airport operators and ramp operations companies to reduce these preventable airside incidents by dedicating two days to making their ground support equipment (GSE) operations safer and more efficient.
“The first priority for any business should always be safety for employees, and legally, ground support equipment operators need to be adequately trained and safe,” says Laura Nelson, managing director of RTITB. “Both damage and injuries in the aviation sector can be caused by ground equipment or manual handling incidents which could be prevented with the right processes and training in place.”
To help reduce risk and increase safety, RTITB has developed a two-day GSE operations HealthCheck. Tailored to the specific challenges of ground support operations, the RTITB HealthCheck provides a holistic evaluation of all GSE operations. This helps to identify the training issues and processes that may be preventing businesses from achieving maximum safety, compliance and efficiency.
To conduct the HealthCheck, an impartial and fully qualified RTITB Lead Auditor with experience of the ramp operations eco-system visits for two days. The specialist auditor identifies potential risks jeopardizing safety on site as well as assessing compliance with relevant legislation, regulation and best practice. Areas reviewed include key custody arrangements, management and supervision, ramp equipment driver training, incident and near miss reporting, record keeping and risk assessments.
At the same time, processes and systems are analyzed to provide an unbiased evaluation of where operating costs could be minimized. The result is an independent, expert report that provides clear recommendations on where improvements could be made to practices, systems, training and processes.
“Assuming that everything is OK within your ramp environment could prove to be an expensive mistake,” says Nelson. “Accidents can result in fines of tens of thousands of pounds for employers, not to mention the human cost, so can you really afford not to dedicate two days to making the operation safer and more efficient?”
“The HealthCheck helps ensure aviation companies can prove they are compliant with the European Airport Safety Agency regulations and guidance in the event of an incident, providing peace of mind and reduced business risk,” she continues.
Airport operators and ramp operations companies are encouraged to download a free RTITB self-assessment questionnaire to find out whether the RTITB HealthCheck could help increase safety in their GSE operations: https://www.rtitb.co.uk/groundophealthcheck.
For more information on RTITB or the HealthCheck service, visit http://www.rtitb.co.uk/aviation or call Jane Hughes on +44(0)1952 520507.
