Safety
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Safety
As a former employee of a global company providing helicopter services to the offshore oil and gas industry, I feel it is my responsibility to bring to the attention of the wider aviation community a very worrying "initiative" this company has introduced - forcing engineers/technicians to wear helmets while working on the A/C. Now this might sound like a good idea, but in fact it is an extremely dangerous thing to have in the workplace. As we are all aware, one of the most significant contributors to maintenance errors is distractions, and the wearing of helmets is a major distraction. They significantly limit the engineers/technicians access and ability to carryout inspections thourouly, they cause a significant discomfort - headaches etc (distraction), they are ill fitting (distraction), they can't wear hats or appropriate hearing protection when wearing a helmet and they cause heat stress in hot & humid environments (distraction) etc etc. On top of all this, they are (engineers/technicians) are constantly threatened with there jobs if they remove there helmets or even raise concerns about them!
In my opinion all this is a serious safety concern and the wearing of helmets by engineering/maintenance staff should be prevented and/or removed from the aviation industry before its too late!
In my opinion all this is a serious safety concern and the wearing of helmets by engineering/maintenance staff should be prevented and/or removed from the aviation industry before its too late!
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The top of a 332 is a long way to fall and I personally know of 2 engineers who have misjudged handholds and slipped. One died and the other sustained a fractured skull and it still off work.
If you can think of another form of protection then suggest it to the company. Otherwise I am afraid that in today's 'Elf and Safety conscious 'Target Zero' work environment you will just have to accept it.
If you can think of another form of protection then suggest it to the company. Otherwise I am afraid that in today's 'Elf and Safety conscious 'Target Zero' work environment you will just have to accept it.
I'll be the first to argue against some levels of H&S nannyisms, but really:
1. they cause a significant discomfort - headaches etc (distraction)
That's a fitting issue. Argue for better fitting.
2. they are ill fitting (distraction)
See above.
3. they can't wear hats or
Which means what, exactly? That they can't keep the sun out of their eyes?
4. appropriate hearing protection when wearing a helmet and
The US Navy cranials allow for soft earplugs to be worn in addition to Mickey Mouse earmuffs. In fact, the last time I was on a carrier deck it was required to do so. If, in fact, your company's chosen headgear doesn't allow for an appropriate level of noise reduction, then your company has chosen the incorrect appliance - argue for a better design.
5. they cause heat stress in hot & humid environments (distraction)
They don't cause heat stress - heat does. The risk/benefit argument comes into play here, and ultimately duty time limits and rest cycles may need to be addressed depending on the work environment.
A private corporation only has to pay out a few compensation claims before the provisioning of head protection becomes an attractive expenditure. If a company has decided to invest in protective headgear and you argue against it in favor of ballcaps, you will lose that argument. If you argue in favor of intelligent design and proper fitting, you may find a compromise that makes more sense.
1. they cause a significant discomfort - headaches etc (distraction)
That's a fitting issue. Argue for better fitting.
2. they are ill fitting (distraction)
See above.
3. they can't wear hats or
Which means what, exactly? That they can't keep the sun out of their eyes?
4. appropriate hearing protection when wearing a helmet and
The US Navy cranials allow for soft earplugs to be worn in addition to Mickey Mouse earmuffs. In fact, the last time I was on a carrier deck it was required to do so. If, in fact, your company's chosen headgear doesn't allow for an appropriate level of noise reduction, then your company has chosen the incorrect appliance - argue for a better design.
5. they cause heat stress in hot & humid environments (distraction)
They don't cause heat stress - heat does. The risk/benefit argument comes into play here, and ultimately duty time limits and rest cycles may need to be addressed depending on the work environment.
A private corporation only has to pay out a few compensation claims before the provisioning of head protection becomes an attractive expenditure. If a company has decided to invest in protective headgear and you argue against it in favor of ballcaps, you will lose that argument. If you argue in favor of intelligent design and proper fitting, you may find a compromise that makes more sense.
I heard a rumor that the pilots are required to wear "bicycle helmets" while pre-flighting. If this is the case, then I agree with your arguments.
No rumor!
When you step up onto that S300 to have a look in the fuel tank you wear a yellow bike helmet.
In fact, you're supposed to wear a helmet whenever your feet leave the ground...
Applies to everybody, students, instructors, technicians.
When you step up onto that S300 to have a look in the fuel tank you wear a yellow bike helmet.
In fact, you're supposed to wear a helmet whenever your feet leave the ground...
Applies to everybody, students, instructors, technicians.
That's pretty nutty, I'll admit. However, "...the wearing of helmets by engineering/maintenance staff should be prevented and/or removed from the aviation industry before its too late!" is a bit of a stretch.
When you step up onto that S300 to have a look in the fuel tank you wear a yellow bike helmet.
That's pretty nutty, I'll admit.
this is a serious safety concern and the wearing of helmets by engineering/maintenance staff should be prevented and/or removed from the aviation industry before its too late!
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Regards
Aser
Chief Bottle Washer
What helmet?
