Guidebook for Developing Ramp Control Facilities (2017)

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G-1 Staffing Considerations When considering introducing ramp control to the airport, staffing is one of the most impor- tant considerations for those who will provide the service. What follows are some things to consider when determining staffing options for the ramp control facility. How many people it takes to provide ramp control services is one of the biggest cost driv- ers for ramp control. Before the amount of staffing can be determined the following must be determined: • The specific responsibilities of the tasks to be performed, and from those • How the tasks will be apportioned among those who will provide the services. Determining the Number of Positions The specific tasks and how they will be divided will determine how many positions need to be staffed. Some of the things to consider when determining the number of positions include the span or area of control. Span of control refers to the size and physical layout of the ramp area to be controlled, the number of gates, the number of ramp entrances and exits, the complexities in the ability to maneuver aircraft on the ramp, and any holding areas on the ramp that contribute to span of control. Equally important when determining the number of ramp control positions is the amount of hourly activity. If the services will be provided from a traditional tower where the ramp controller is expected to actually see the ramp activity with the naked eye, the span of control coupled with high activity becomes a driving issue for staffing. It may take two or three sets of eyes (two or three positions) to accomplish the job. If ramp control services will be provided from a virtual facility where there is reliance on cameras instead of windows to see the ramp area, it is possible that scanning the ramp via monitors will result in less workload and therefore fewer positions and people. Determine When the Positions Will Be Opened After determining the number of positions to be staffed, the next thing to do is to determine the number of days per week and number of hours per day the positions will be opened. This will vary with every airport because the hours the position is opened will be primarily based on the flow of traffic into and out of the airport. Once the airport has established the hours of operation for ramp control, the number of people needed can be computed. A p p e n d i x G

G-2 Guidebook for developing Ramp Control Facilities Determine How Many People It Takes Things to consider when determining the number of employees must include: • How many hours per day will ramp control operate? Will the facility be full time or part time? • What scheduling policies will the employer offer? – Flex scheduling such as a compressed work week where employees work 40 hours in four days. – Core hours schedules. – 8-, 10-, or 12-hour shifts. – How much overlap is needed for shift change/transfer of responsibility? • Will employees rotate between day and night shifts or work the same shift? • How will the schedule rotate to allow 7 day coverage? • What are the existing or expected work rules that will apply to ramp control personnel? – Are employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement? – What are the required breaks throughout the day, including lunch? Is lunch part of the workday? – Are there a maximum number of hours that employees can work per day? (This is important during irregular operations, e.g., winter operations or thunderstorms when ramp control- lers may be required to work beyond their normal schedule? – What are the vacation and leave policies? • How will the training plan for ramp controllers be administered? Will training be conducted by one of the ramp controllers? How much time away from the ramp positions will be required to conduct the training? How many hours per week, day, and month will each ramp controller be unavailable to work positions in order to receive training? • Will the work staff be dedicated or flexible? – Dedicated—individuals only perform ramp control duties. – Flexible—individuals may be required to perform other duties in addition to ramp control. Determine How Many Hours a Ramp Controller Is Available From all of the factors above determine the actual number of hours a full-time or part-time employee (FTE/PTE) is available to work. For example: • One FTE works = 40 hours per week times 52 weeks = 2,080 hours. • FTE’s receive vacation totaling ...................................... - 120 hours • FTE’s receive personal time totaling ............................... - 48 hours • FTE’s will receive Training Hours totaling ................... - 104 hours • Net Available Work Hours ......................................... = 1,808 hours Note: This is not an all-inclusive list of hours an employee is not available for work. Each employer must determine the other factors specific to their organization that will reduce the hours available to work (i.e., the amount of time per day for meal and other breaks). Estimate the total number of work hours needed to operate the ramp control facility. For exam- ple if the facility will staff two positions, for 12 hours a day, for 7 days a week for 52 weeks that equals 2 positions × 12 hours = 24 hours × 7 days = 168 hours per week × 52 weeks = 8,736 hours per year divided by 1,808 available hours per person = 5 people needed to staff 2 positions for 12 hours per day every day for one year. This simplistic example is only meant to demonstrate how to determine the number of people to work a specific number of hours that a position will be opened. To estimate the number of staff- ing needed for ramp control, the service provider must determine as closely as possible the actual number of hours a position will be opened throughout the year by factoring in every nuance of

Staffing Considerations G-3 the particular airport. For example, because of IROPS, winter and summer at some airports may require positions to be opened for longer hours than during the spring and fall. Additionally, activity may not be the same throughout the week or throughout the year. Summer air traffic activity may not be as heavy at some Florida airports as it is during the winter. Positions may need to be opened longer during the week than they are on the weekends. The deeper the analy- sis is on the activity the better the estimate will be as to the number of hours a position will be opened in a year. This information is by no means everything one needs to know about the subject of staffing. Guidebook users are encouraged to contact facilities that are engaged in ramp control to learn about staffing scheduling practices currently in use.

Abbreviations and acronyms used without definitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAST Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (2015) FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012) NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTSB National Transportation Safety Board PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration SAE Society of Automotive Engineers SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005) TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program TDC Transit Development Corporation TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998) TRB Transportation Research Board TSA Transportation Security Administration U.S.DOT United States Department of Transportation