Work Safely

Tuesday morning the local news here in the Twin Cities reported the accidental death of an aircraft maintenance technician at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. Having spent a large part of my aviation career in this area, including MSP, this tragic news caught my immediate attention. Late last month it was reported that an aircraft worker fell to his death while working on an aircraft at a maintenance and repair organization located in North Carolina. Our condolences go out to all of the family members, friends, and co-workers. Two tragic workplace accidents, that I am aware of, taking place in the aircraft maintenance industry in less than 30 days. One workplace accident, large or small, is one too many! The causes and circumstances behind both of these events will eventually be determined as the companies, airports, and appropriate agencies proceed with their investigations. It is not our place to speculate what happened – but to learn. Whether you’re driving your car, walking down a crowded street, hurrying down a stairway, or talking on your cell phone, everything else that goes on around us just seems to happen – perhaps without us giving it much thought. In an industrial setting noise levels can be great; activity levels can be high with sometimes multiple people accomplishing multiple tasks in the same area. Understanding all that is taking place around you, how many people are working around you, what other work is taking place around you, while focusing on a technical task can sometimes be difficult. Maintaining situational awareness in this environment becomes critically important. As I sit here writing this blog I recall the times I have been on workstands and wings, or ventured into tight spaces and sometimes without giving it much thought. I also recall the many times I’ve attended crew meetings, staff meetings, and safety meetings, and I’m sure most of you have also attended your share of these discussions. Safety meetings are held for a reason – to emphasis safety in the workplace. Workplace accidents such as these two recent events should rattle us all – they did me. Unfortunate reminders of how fragile life is as we go about our daily routine. Pay close attention to what you’re doing, maintain situation awareness, and please be safe. Ron