As a requirement of our contract and OSHA regs, companies with more than ten employees will have monthly Safety Meetings. At Dulles we have our meeting on the second Tuesday of the month, usually an hour or longer. Who attends these meetings? UAL managers, workers, safety reps from different departments, along with vendors who support United's operation. All union groups ALPA, AFA, IAM, IBT, are expected to participate at these meetings. This is a great platform to discuss Safety issues not resolved at local levels, or Safety issues which involve other employee or tenants of the airport. All measures to resolve safety issues before reaching the safety meeting are encouraged. Keep me in the loop. Safety information such as construction , AOA issues (airport operation area), and community items (Plane Pull), are passed on to the reps for distribution. Our next meeting is Sept. 9, 12:00 at the flight ops. conference room. Anyone interested in attending the meeting please contact me.
I am also looking for safety reps from each shift, and every department represented by the Teamsters, to participate in our own Safety Team @ IAD. If you have any questions contact me at the D-10 office or call 2-7557. You may have seen me at different times of the day all over the airport, don't hesitate to stop me if you have a safety issue, or request information concerning a safety issue. Bob and I now have business cards with all pertinent info. on them. I quickly posted one up at the C gates union board. We're in the process of getting new literature for the D and Int. gates union boards.
United Safety meeting this Tues. 9Th @ 12:00 pilots conference room.
One item brought up at our last meeting included the taxiing of planes. The ramp, RSM or CG, use a locally agreed upon formula for manpower. They have two in the flt deck, one on the tractor, and one as a wing walker.
We have one in the flt deck (company regs), and one in the tractor. (day shift)
I bring this up because its been pointed out how maintenance operates. Also observed, maintenance pushes the AC off the gate with the tractor hooked up backwards to eliminate the step of stopping and turning the tractor around. I know driving a tractor backwards with a 747 off the gate takes a certain amount of skill and expertize, but its not kosher. Ramp uses the wing walker to assist in reversing the tractor to the proper direction for towing. We've also been observed pushing the AC off the gate with the tractor in the right position only to tow the AC with the tractor driven backwards. I'll have to check into this but I believe its against our procedures and airport ops.(human factor? its o k until until something happens). We need to follow common sense safety practices and go by company regs if this is the case. Ask for the third set of hands, avoid a safety risk. Other items for sure will be Air Wis driving, smoking areas, lounges, and the bag room.
UAL does say they want you to go home with the same amount of body parts you came in with....
The airport authority, MWAA, also conducts Safety and informational meetings where tenants can bring up safety and operational issues. Their monthly meeting is also next week on Wednesday, 1:30 pm @ the main terminal lower level conference rooms opposite the UAL bag carousels. I will bring to the table, the ongoing concrete cutting dust with the new runway 4 and C-D tarmac repair, resealing projects.The contractors I have talked to say they use water except Alliance. I still see the dust clouds night and day out there. More next week.
The Fire Marshall will also be there asking for a vote on proposed smoking policy change at IAD. He wants to make the whole airport smoke free. If it comes up I will vote for smoking in designated areas.
Be safe at work, on the road, and at home.
Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment