FOD Considerations Part 3
Steven Bentley www.sassofia.com
Maintenance Activities should include a Sweeping Schedule
Regular scrubbing and sweeping of ramp and taxiways should be coordinated documented and with the local Airport Authority for all airport property that is not leased by the tenant.
All assigned staff members must be responsible for their own assigned areas and adhere to the agreed schedule.
In addition general work areas must be addressed on each shift to ensure they are clean and FOD free.
All dedicated FOD containers should be emptied on a regular basis to ensure they are never full to capacity – this will typically be 2 to 3 times a week activity.
Every aircraft gate and aircraft hard standing position must receive a foreign object debris inspection – “FOD Walk” prior to every flight arrival and again prior to each departure.
Additional Maintenance Activities should include the capability to perform repairs at short notice
To deal with any identified problem areas for example holes or broken paving etc. In this way to minimise the exposure so as to reduce the FOD Potential
Improving Visibility and Awareness
Too much FOD comes from a general lack of attention including poor housekeeping, ineffective practices or old and deteriorating equipment. Every single person who works in and around the aircraft must be involved in controlling these problems.
Effectively this means the need to manage training and ensure that the working culture is one which is based around safety.
An organization seeking to reduce the possibility of FOD and FOD-related damages should consider additional ways of raising or increasing recognition of problem areas and trends.
One example would be to produce monthly status reports to analyse the current situation and more importantly to identify trends which need to be addressed.
Documents and Purpose
FOD survey cards – for different areas collected weekly and analysed monthly
Audit Reports – to access both the areas in general and the effectiveness of the FOD survey cards
Visibility Graphic – to identify where the most FOD is found during the preceding month
Trend Analysis – To identify both an improving performance but also a deteriorating performance
A FOD Program is a continuous and never-ending process that needs constant attention. It should have a business owner or manager assuming responsibility for the effective oversight and implementation of the program Every FOD plan should be periodically reviewed and updated.
If you would like to receive training in the management of FOD please see www.sassofia.com or email: office@sassofia.com
