Scope Of Control Measures And Risk Control Exercise Engineering Essay
The purpose of control measure at the work site is to identify the existing and potential control measures, for each hazard and associated outcomes. A control measure is any system, procedure, process, device or other means of eliminating, preventing, reducing or mitigating the risk of hazardous events at or near a facility. Control measures are the means by which risk to health and safety from events is eliminated or minimized. Controls can take many forms, including physical equipment, process control systems, management processes, operating or maintenance procedures, emergency response plans, and key personnel and their actions.
An introduction of new Aerospace Ground equipment (AGE) which is more efficient and effective is to replace the older aircraft tow tug. The Electric Tow Tractor (ETT) has been used by commercial aviation, military, and industrial customers. It is robust, reliable and highly functional tow tractor or tug, for almost 4 years. Electric Tow Tractor was designed as a zero-emission solution to today’s “Green” aerodrome initiatives. The ETT is an energy-efficient, electric medium-duty utility tractor.  With a 50,000 lb. Drawbar Pull (DBP), the ETT offers flexibility to any airport operation, as it can tow or push anything from cargo or baggage, up to medium-sized aircraft. The ETT offers the benefits of a 10 kmph top speed, and a tight 130-inch turning radius. The ETT is classified as a utility tractor because it also offers cargo deck that will support up to 1,000 lbs of payload. Other features of the ETT include a rear sight tunnel for direct hitch visibility, an ergonomic operator compartment. The most flexibility comes from the ETT’s environmentally friendly 80V A/C electric drive. It has A/C drive train with a “Smart Charge” battery and charger system, providing the highest performance and reliability to meet the toughest of tasks for years to come.
The current Tow tractor operates with diesel with 2 horsepower and is unreliable, with heavy panels, noisy engine transmission and bad exhaust emission. The tight hitching points on the tow tug and the location of the mounting points cause injury to employee during hooking up and aircraft connecting process. Intermittent transmission train cause the tow tug to jerk, roll over and topple. The heavy panels cause injury during pre use inspection when the employee has to lift the panels to open to access the mechanical parts. The noise produced by the transmission is unbearable with double hearing protection. Often, the noise overcome human communication and cause inadvertently human being caught in between equipments. Many near misses and accidents have occurred in the recent years due to the untrained employees, mechanical parts becoming defective and unworthy.
With the introduction of the ETT, it is not only able to provide quite environment during towing operation hence it also provide ergonomic operator cabin with user friendly switches. With the new AGE being introduced, therefore risk assessment and new control measures are needed to provide the safe use of the new Aerospace Ground Equipment.
b. Define the scope of control measures (e.g. tools, equipment, machine etc).
The scope of an effective control measure provides reasonable, but not absolute assurance for the safeguarding of assets, the reliability, and the compliance with laws and regulations. Reasonable assurance is a concept that acknowledges that control measures should be developed and implemented to provide management with the appropriate balance between risk of a certain business practice and the level of control required to ensure business objectives are met.
The tow supervisor briefed the tow team of the task at hand. He briefed on the proper positioning of the tow tug, tow bar, chocks and aircraft. Hazards involved during towing operation, tow tug condition, weather condition, competency of the men involved and methodology employed. He reemphasized the use of PPE to all team members and to don reflective belts, hearing protection and safety gloves during the tow operation. Tow team members are also briefed on the proper posture to adopt when lifting heavy items. Crew members are to guard against sharp edges on the aircraft, blind spots, falling from heights and exercise caution when positioning oneself between equipments.
Specification of ETT
Drive Wheels
2 Front and 2 Rear
*Drawbar Pull
12000 lbs / 54 kN
*Towing Capacity 1st Gear
180,000 lbs / 81,720 kgs
Service Weight with Battery
14,200 lbs / 6,441 kgs
Weight without Battery
10,000 lbs / 4,536 kgs
Length
131 in / 3,327 mm
Width
72 in / 1,829 mm
Height (deck
43 in / 1,092 mm
Risk Assessment and Control Form (Part 1)
2. State the relevant information required for control measures design (CP1.2)
a. Include current control measures and rank them based on the control hierarchy.
b. Include any legal documentation and their relevant sections/regulation number.
Type of Hazard
Type of existing control measures (state the hierarchy of control)
Key persons involved in implementing existing control
Persons exposed to the risks
State any other documents or information required
Noise Hazard –
Noisy aerospace ground equipment during towing operation
PPE
– Hearing protection is mandatory during towing operation and when AGE equipment is in operation.
– Ear plugs and/or mufflers to be used
Site Engineer, Safety Officer and Immediate supervisor
Engineers, Tow Supervisors, Brakes man and Marshallers
Factories Act (Chapter 10, Section 102(1)) Factories Noise Regulations
SS 549: 2009 Code of Practice for Selection, use, care and maintenance of hearing
Protectors
CP 99: 2003Code of Practice for Industrial Noise Control
Factories Act (Chapter 104, Section 69) Factories (Medical Examinations) Regulations
Noise Monitoring Report
See Annex XX
Audiometric Test Result See Annex XX
Caught In Between – Aircraft and Tractor
Engineering
– Tow Truck engine must be turn off
– Tow truck positioned correctly
– Ensure tow equipments serviceability state
– Place chocks at the wheels before engaging in hooking up process
– Marshaller have comms set to communicate to Tractor driver and Aircraft Brakes man
Personnel Protection
– All personnel involved in tow operation are to don reflective belts and vest for easy visibility.
-All personnel involved in tow operation are equipped with Whistle for Emergency Stop
Site Engineer, Safety Officer and Immediate supervisor
Engineers, Tow Supervisors, Brakes man and Marshallers
CP 62 : 1995 Safe use of tower cranes
Workplace Safety and Health (GENERAL PROVISIONS) REGULATIONS 2006
SS 402 : Part 1 : 1997SPECIFICATION FOR
Industrial safety belts and
Harnesses
SS 548: 2009 Code of Practice for Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective devices
Moving Parts – Tow bar and Tractor tow eye points pinch when equipment jerk
Engineering
– Place chocks at the wheels before engaging in hooking up process
– Marshaller have comms set to communicate to Tractor driver and Aircraft Brakes man
– Vehicle engine must be turn off
Personnel Protection
– All personnel involved in tow operation are to don protective gloves.
-All personnel involved in tow operation are to don safety footwear
Site Engineer, Safety Officer and Immediate supervisor
Engineers, Tow Supervisors, Brakes man and Marshallers
Workplace Safety and Health (GENERAL PROVISIONS) REGULATIONS 2006
SS 537 : Part 1: 2008
Code of Practice for
Safe use of machinery
Standard EN 420: 2003. General Requirements for Protective Gloves
Aerospace Equipment Roll Back – Ineffective breaking system or truck parked at a slope.
Engineering
– Tow Truck engine must be turn off
– Tow truck positioned correctly
– Ensure tow equipments serviceability state
– Place chocks at the wheels before engaging in hooking up process
– Marshaller have comms set to communicate to Tractor driver and Aircraft Brakes man
Personnel Protection
– All personnel involved in tow operation are to don protective gloves.
-All personnel involved in tow operation are to don safety footwear
Site Engineer, Safety Officer and Immediate supervisor
Engineers, Tow Supervisors, Brakes man and Marshallers
Workplace Safety and Health (GENERAL PROVISIONS) REGULATIONS 2006
Standard EN 420: 2003. General Requirements for Protective Gloves
Factories Act (Chapter 104, Section 27A) Factories (Safety Training Courses) Regulations
Risk Assessment and Control Form (Part 1)
3. Use appropriate WSH hazard identification and risk assessment TOOLS (Process Flow Chart, Inventory of Processes and Risk Assessment Form) to identify the hazards at the workplace related to the following (you can use the Risk Assessment and Control Form provided).
Workplace area or grouping: Ref No.:
Use of an old Tow Tug for Towing Operation
Form Completed by: MOGAN GOVINDASAMY _(printed name) ____________(Sign)
Date form completed: 1 Feb 2011
Ref No.
Identified Hazard
Date
Initial
1.
Noise Hazard
23 Jan 2011
2.
Caught In Between – Aircraft and Tractor
23 Jan 2011
3.
Moving Parts – Tow bar and Tractor tow eye points pinch when equipment jerk
23 Jan 2011
4.
Aerospace Equipment Roll Back – Ineffective breaking system or truck parked at a slope.
23 Jan 2011
4. Explain how you will convey the shortfall of existing risk control and the residual risks to the stakeholders. Identify the stakeholders (CP1.5).
A meeting is arranged to give details to the various stakeholders the shortfalls of the existing risk controls and the residual risks.
Date: 1st Feb 2011 @ 1500 Hrs
Venue: Rose Conference Room
Participants: Stakeholders:
Principal Engineer – General Manager (Chairman)
Senior Engineer – Operations Manager
Tow Supervisor – Specialist
Engineer – Brakes Man
Engineer – Marshaller
Shift Supervisor – Senior Specialist
Engineer – Operators
Assistant Engineer – OSH Officer
Senior Engineer – Engineering Officer
AGE Engineer – Aerospace Equipment Engineer
Senior Engineer – Procurement Manager
Engineer – Training Manager
Agenda: Shortfalls of existing risk controls
The existing tractor model had a defective transmission train and this cause the vehicle to jump and jerk during idling and momentary movement.
Tractor overturns-both sideways rollovers and backward “flips”- are likely to result in death if the operator is not protected by a rollover protective structure
A tractor has a high centre of gravity, compared with a passenger car or pickup truck. This makes them relatively top heavy, and more prone to tipping over.
Particularly in the case of 2-wheel-drive tractors, the back half of the machine accounts for more than two-thirds of the weight.
Engineers can easily become crushed between a tractor and aircraft or machinery being attached. The worker is standing between the tractor and the machine as the operator is backing up the tractor. There is either a breakdown of communication or control of the tractor is lost; the worker on the ground is in the wrong spot, the tractor moves rearward too much, or the tractor operator cannot see the worker, who is then crushed between the machines.
Engineers and Tow Supervisors have suffered wrist, arm, hip, leg, and ankle injuries as a result of falling from their tractors. Most of these falls are due to unsafe, improper mounting and dismounting the steps of the tractor.
Engineers are injured as a result of improper hitching of a tractor to a load. Loads for pulling should be hitched only to the drawbar or the three-point hitch. There is no place on the rear of a tractor that is safer, or more effective for pulling, than the drawbar
Chairman’s Guidance:
The management of the Air Logistics Group recognized that safety is paramount in our business and immediate measures are put in place to minimize the risks that the operators and specialist are exposed to. New tow tractors are being acquired for the operation.
5. With reference to the Risk Assessment and Control Form, list the stakeholders that need to be consulted for the proposed risk control measures and the reasons for consulting them (CP2.4).
Control measures proposed
Stakeholders
Reasons for consulting
Temporary repair to the existing tractor model and work on procuring new equipment
Aerospace Equipment Engineer
Procurement Manager
OSH Officer
Engineering Officer
Project Manager
General Manager
The cost involved in the temporary repair and their safety conditions after the repair need to be evaluated by the SHO and AGE Engineer.
Procurement Manager to source for new buy.
Risk Assessment on all tractor involved task and permit only competent employees to work on towing operation
Specialist
Tow Supervisor
OSH Officer
Operators
Engineering Officer
Risk assessment to be conducted and condition of the tractor must be evaluated before use by Engineering Officer
Risk Assessment on all tractor involved task and permit only competent employees to work on towing operation.
Training should be provided to all user
Specialist
Tow Supervisor
OSH Officer
Operators
Engineering Officer
Training Manager
Risk assessment to be conducted prior each task and condition of the tractor must be evaluated before use by Engineering Officer
.
This is old equipment and need to provide training to all new operators.
Specialist
Tow Supervisor
OSH Officer
Operators
Engineering Officer
Training Manager
Proper training to be provided to all user and refresher training every 6 months by Training Manager or by his representatives
Tow Supervisor shall ensure safe operation.
Marshaller to be in position as a safety prefect.
Specialist
Tow Supervisor
OSH Officer
Operators
Engineering Officer
Training Manager
Brakes Man
Marshaller
Proper training to be provided to all user and refresher training every 6 months by Training Manager or by his representatives
Tow Supervisor shall ensure safe operation.
Marshaller to be in position as a safety prefect and hold the ladder to mound personnel.
Specialist
Tow Supervisor
OSH Officer
Operators
Engineering Officer
Training Manager
Brakes Man
Marshaller
Proper training to be provided to all user and refresher training every 6 months by Training Manager or by his representatives
Tow Supervisor shall ensure safe operation.
Marshaller to be in position as a safety prefect and signal to tower promptly.
Operator should don gloves that are provided by company.
Specialist
Tow Supervisor
OSH Officer
Operators
Engineering Officer
Training Manager
Brakes Man
Marshaller
Marshallers and Brakes man to ensure safe work practice and compliance to Technical Data.
Proper training to be provided to all user and refresher training every 6 months by Training Manager or by his representatives
6. Explain how you will obtain approval from your management for the required control measures proposed (CP2.5).
Arrange for a meeting with the management and apprise them with the limitations of the existing control measures. Recommend to them the additional control measures that could be employed cheaply to minimize the chance of another incident occurrence. In addition, explain to the management the safety of the ground personnel outweighs the cost of the control measures that are going to be implemented and as well as the organizations vision and mission statement in keeping “Zero Accident is a Achievable Goal”. Similarly, propose a long term solution in acquiring new equipment that can save the organization in time, resources and money. Present plans of designs and implementation program to the management and propose a timeline to collect data to gauge effectiveness of additional control measures. Finally propose the ultimate solution carefully when it involves cost and savings.
7. Explain how the implementation plan will be communicated (CP3.2).
A meeting is arranged to give details to the various stakeholders on the recovery and implementation plan proposal after the data collection.
Date: 1st Jun 2011 @ 1500 Hrs
Venue: Orchid Conference Room
Participants: Stakeholders:
Principal Engineer – General Manager (Chairman)
Senior Engineer – Operations Manager
Tow Supervisor – Specialist
Engineer – Brakes Man
Engineer – Marshaller
Shift Supervisor – Senior Specialist
Engineer – Operators
Assistant Engineer – OSH Officer
Senior Engineer – Engineering Officer
AGE Engineer – Aerospace Equipment Engineer
Senior Engineer – Procurement Manager
Engineer – Training Manager
Agenda: Recovery and Implantation Plan proposal
Present statistics of reportable mishaps, incident, near misses, and accidents before and after control measure implementation.
Present the breakdown to the stakeholders in each category to reflect true picture of the effectiveness of each control measure.
Present to all the additional control measures that is further planned due to training cost and time constrain in having the plan implemented. Propose another 3-month post implementation period needed to observe and collect data to gauge the usefulness of these new control measures.
With all these data, trending and statistics convince the management in a professional manner of acquiring new equipment which will grossly safe time, training, resource and cost for the company.
Training the employee with a more advance equipment is cost effective rather than sending employees to be train on an obsolete machine that the aviation industry has decommissioned almost 15 years ago.
With the new control measures putting in place technical publications need to be amended to reflect the new measures and all affected personnel are briefed of these changes.
With these evidence and constrains clearly tabulated and explained to the stakeholders and management, a positive solution can be derived. Having in mind the company’s policy and accident record the management should recon the importance of acquiring new tractor.
8. Explain how the effectiveness of the control measures will be measured and how you will carry out an inspection on the control measures (CP3.3, CP3.6).
During an aircraft towing operation, ensure all risk assessment is carried out. Ensure all the additional control measures are put in practice before task execution. Discuss with Tow supervisor the safety of the men and the operation. Confirm the medium, machine, method, man and mode used for the task is according to risk assessment matrix.
Validate with the towing operation crew on the competency level, safe work procedure and consistency in publication reference. Inspect the equipments used for defects and preventive maintenance compliance. Reeducate if any lapses observed and share such lapses to all in the work centre.
A post implementation review shall be carried out at various points of the towing operation to establish the stringent compliance of the control measures. Finally, a post implementation report shall be forward to all stakeholders and management to gauge the effectiveness of the control measure.
Aerospace Ground Equipment