Safety in Airports
Airports are extremely busy places with a wide range of operating vehicles that are constantly on the move. Multiple companies within an airport employ thousands of people and thousands more people travel though each day. Keeping everyone safe whilst working to a tight schedule is a complex task yet is of paramount importance.
Aprons are potentially the most perilous of all airport environments: they are congested, noisy, and packed with a diverse fleet of vehicles, all traveling at a variety of speeds and directions.
Servicing, maintaining, and supporting aircraft operations requires working efficiently in all weathers to ensure a fast aircraft turnround and meet tight airline schedules. The possibility of being struck by vehicles on the airport apron is one of the occupational hazards that face apron workers. Many incidents occur during aircraft turnround when a vehicle is reversing or during aircraft pushback, during which an operator’s field of vision is limited. Many airside workers wear ear-defenders meaning that approaching vehicles may not be heard whilst darkness or low-light conditions and poor weather also contribute to vehicle-related incidents.
