Best Practices Manual for Working In or Near Airport Movement Areas (2014)

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6This Manual is intended to be a flexible tool for use in guiding operations in varying situa- tions, activities, and conditions that may exist or occur at an airport. Identification of Best Practices Although multiple definitions of “best practices” exist—many tailored to specific industries— generally best practices are methods, techniques, or procedures that reliably deliver desired and consistent outcomes. In some cases, these practices are considered to be benchmarks, superior to other practices that may deliver a similar outcome. In the context of this Manual, best practices are those considered to be desirable in reducing the potential for runway or taxiway incursions, surface incidents, injuries or accidents, equipment damage, and other related adverse outcomes, as well as those that enhance the safety of aircraft, vehicles, equipment, passengers, and person- nel in the airport movement areas. Because of the diversity among airports, it is challenging to define practices that would be considered “best” in all applications. A practice that may be “best” for use at a GA airport may not be appropriate for use at a large-hub airport because of the differences in users, activities, equipment, technology, and other factors. The best practices included in this Manual must be interpreted and evaluated prior to use in each case. It is the user’s responsibility to assess whether any practice included in the Manual is “best” for application in a given situation or to accomplish a targeted outcome at a specific airport. Ultimately, characterization of the practices included in this Manual as “best” for each specific application is the responsibility of the user. This Manual offers (1) a compilation and synthesis of practices gathered from airports, industry sources and references and (2) an assessment of how well the aggregate practices address activities that can occur in the airport movement areas (relying on the collective professional judgment of the research team). In refining the best practices included in the Manual, the research team strove to ensure a level of applicability to a wide range of airports, while providing enough flexibility to be adapted for individual areas and airport character- istics and without diluting the effectiveness of individual practices. For specific applications, the “best” practices presented in the Manual can be refined (e.g., reworded, expanded, and streamlined) to improve their benefit and relevance in specific applications. The opportu- nity and, in some cases, the need for refinement to derive the most benefit from the “best” practices does not diminish their aggregate utility or contradict their inclusion in a manual of best practices. C H A P T E R 2 Applications

Applications 7 Applications of the Best Practices Manual The Manual has multiple applications, depending on the needs of the users. Safety is the responsibility of every individual who drives, operates equipment, conducts inspections or maintenance tasks, or engages in any other activity in the airport movement areas, whether in a vehicle/equipment or on foot. The best practices compiled, developed, and refined through the project research and pre- sented in this Manual are intended for application in multiple scenarios, including an airport’s daily/routine, special event-related, weather-related, tenant, construction, and maintenance activities. Example uses are as follows: • Airport Operations Training: The Manual is intended for use at all types of airports, from general aviation (GA) to large-hub facilities. Larger and busier airports will tend to have more robust training programs and resources available than smaller and GA facilities. Simi- larly, larger airports will be more likely to have larger staffs with narrower responsibilities than the staff at smaller airports, who may be responsible for airfield operations, mainte- nance activities, tenant coordination, special event planning, and other diverse duties. Use of the Manual for various airports is expected to range from a primary resource supporting airport movement area training to an optional resource available to supplement or enhance other effective training materials. • Airport Tenants: Tenants at many airports may have individual training programs and operations materials; this Manual is intended to enable those tenants to enhance their avail- able materials to emphasize specific challenges or needs at specific airports/facilities. This Manual can also be used to provide consistent guidance to all tenants on airport manage- ment’s expectations for safe activities in and around the movement areas. • Special Events Planning: In planning special events (e.g., air shows and on-airfield events), significant coordination is necessary between the staff of the airport where the event is being held and the organizer/host of the event. Part of that coordination is establishing guidance to protect the safety of event participants, spectators, and aircraft operations. This Manual can be used to generate specific guidance for safe practices during these events and to ensure that the event planning addresses safety issues appropriately. • Service Providers: At many airports, service providers are contracted to provide airline and aircraft servicing support (e.g., catering, fueling, and aircraft deicing). Service providers often operate vehicles in the airport movement areas, making it critical that they fully under- stand the need to adhere to safe practices when operating in the airfield environment. This Manual can be used as a source of best practices to help ensure safety on the airfield, as well as to communicate airport management’s expectations for safe activities in and around the movement areas. • Construction Contractors: Typically, construction contractors are a transient population in the airfield operating environment—whether daily or seasonal. The Manual can help provide best practices for incorporation into construction documents or to support training efforts in advance of the start of construction projects. • Maintenance Contractors: Some airport operators rely on contractors to provide mainte- nance support (e.g., mowing, snow removal, rubber removal, and lamp replacement). The contractor employees who provide these services may be a transient population, particularly as contracts are rebid. This Manual can be used to support the training of contractor employ- ees and to provide continuously available reference materials. • Airport Management: When airport management may be establishing policies relating to safety at their specific airport, the Manual can be a source of material to be considered in supporting or enhancing broader policy statements.

8 Best Practices Manual for Working In or Near Airport Movement Areas • Assessing an Airport’s Current Operational Practices/Guidance Material: Airport operators (or tenants, users, etc.) may undertake occasional or routine assessments of practices in use at the airport so as to identify potential gaps, deficiencies, and opportunities for clarification, or to meet other objectives. An assessment may also be predicated on a pending or recent change at an airport (e.g., new tenant, increased air service, and aircraft fleet evolution). • Responding to an Identified Issue or Incident: In addressing issues or incidents identified or recorded at an airport, users may refer to the Manual to determine whether adjusted or expanded practices would help minimize the potential for adverse outcomes or repeated incidents. • Justifying Physical Alterations or Operational Adjustments: The Manual may help justify proposed changes (e.g., capital budgeting for relocating service roads and budgeting time and resources for an update to existing airport guidance). • Other: The Manual may provide other useful information for airport users, tenants, agen- cies, students, and other industry participants.