Fraction of an Inch or a Second can mean the difference between life and death
Situational Awareness or Situation Awareness can be defined as “Developing and maintaining a dynamic awareness of the situation and the risks present in an activity, based on gathering information from multiple sources from the task environment, understanding what the information means and using it to think ahead about what may happen next.”
Situational awareness as a term and concept has its roots in the aviation industry. The analysis of human factors as an element of accident and incident occurrence with regards to aircraft operation or flying is common today. However, situational awareness applies to all areas of life. It certainly is applicable to the airside ramp operations in the airport environment.
The difference between a chain of events leading to an accident or incident involving serious injury or death – and a break in the chain that prevents the event from occurring — is many times measured by a fraction of a second – or a fraction of an inch.
For examples of deaths caused by lack of Situational Awareness, see the links in “references”.
The airside ramp is a busy and at times congested area with many potential hazards. Add in the environmental stressors of a high noise environment, extreme temperatures, and time pressures – and the risk increases. Throw in some human factors such as personal, financial, or family issues – and a “perfect storm” is created that demands constant focus and deliberate attention to situational awareness.
We don’t know what outside influences may have been on the minds of these two employees that could have created distractions which led to a loss of situational awareness that failed to recognize immediate hazards that resulted in the loss of life. What we do know is that both employees were experienced, trained professionals who had been performing their job functions for some time.
In the engine ingestion accident, we do know that the ramp team had conducted a safety meeting prior to the flight’s arrival – and held an additional briefing immediately before aircraft arrival to discuss that the pilots would keep engines running until ground power could be connected because the APU (auxiliary power unit) on the airplane was not functioning. The engine ingestion zones would not be safe to approach until the red beacons on the top and bottom of the aircraft were no longer illuminated, and the compressor blades were spooled down.
How could someone participate in multiple safety briefings that discussed an arriving aircraft with an inoperable APU and then walk along the leading edge of the wing and into the ingestion zone while the engine was running? The only explanation is a loss of situational awareness.
Supervisors need to know that conducting safety briefings in a similar pattern, using rote memory, day after day creates the possibility of complacency. The safety briefing material must be presented in a way to connect with the employees receiving the briefing. Communication should be deliberate, direct, and clear. Effort should be made to pierce the consciousness of the employees and prevent complacency when presenting safety briefings that become routine and repetitive.
All employees need to be aware that if they see something they feel isn’t safe – they need to say something – and that anyone at any position or experience level could stop the work activity until things can be discussed and evaluated for safety.
The difference between serious injury or death – and going home to family – can literally be a fraction of a second or a fraction of an inch in our work routines.
Be Aware. Be Deliberate. Be Focused. Be Safe. Situational Awareness is for Everyone!
References:
https://www.fox8live.com/2022/08/31/female-baggage-handler-killed-when-hair-caught-belt-loader-new-orleans-airport/
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/courtney-edwards-piedmont-airlines-sucked-into-engine
