Safety Doesn't Take a Holiday

Jan. 5, 2010
A sad reminder last week that the rush of holiday traffic doesn’t condone skimping on safety requirements.  A routine deicing operation turned tragic at Calgary when standard precautions may not have been followed.  A worker was found dead of head injuries outside his deicing truck where he had been working alone – perhaps without a safety harness - to deice a 737.  The bucket was extended about 20 feet according to press reports. How he came to fall out of the bucket may never be established but it does remind us of the importance of following standard safety protocols: in this case, always wearing a safety harness and always having two-person crews whenever a high-lift device is used, with one person on the ground.  In fact, when I worked at USAir, the requirement was for the person on the ground to have the bucket in sight at all times.  This meant getting out of the truck to make sure the bucket was in sight and clear of any hazards.  Of course, it was a pain to get out of the truck, especially in cold weather, but that was what was required to ensure the safety of the guy in the bucket. I know how hard it is to rustle up that second person when the airport is busy and the pressure is on to move aircraft. But it just needs to be done to protect workers and avoid tragedies like the one at Calgary.