Why not give the engineer a mobile phone instead of a radio?
Because any PED (portable electronic device) needs to be intrinsically safe in accordance with Australian safety standards. Mobile phones are not. If you drop one and the battery falls off on the concrete tarmac, a spark could occur igniting fuel vapours which tend to hang around the vents at the end of the wings. This would tend to cause an explosion that could lead to the deaths of hundreds of people.
I thought this would be a no brainer but then again as most managers are now accountants it may be a little difficult to work out.
That is so true, why only just the other day I saw a 747 explode because of such an occurance.
Of course, if this was really an issue we wouldn't be driving tow motors and the like around aircraft, what with all the sparks and combustion that go on in an engine!