Section 9.9

Hazards in the Workplace

Recognising and avoiding hazards, dealing with emergencies.

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Main ideas

Common hangar and ramp hazards include slips/trips, working at height, moving ground equipment, jet blast and intake suction, fuel vapour, and electrical hazards on energised aircraft.
Hazard recognition is proactive: reporting a spill, a missing guard rail or a damaged tool before it causes an injury, rather than reacting after an incident.
Foreign object debris (FOD) is both a workplace hazard (loose tools, hardware) and an airworthiness hazard if left on or in the aircraft — FOD control (tool accountability, clean-as-you-go) addresses both.
Every maintenance facility should have clear, known procedures for dealing with emergencies (fire, fuel spill, injury, evacuation) so response does not depend on individual improvisation under stress.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) — hearing protection, eye protection, high-visibility clothing — is a control of last resort, used after eliminating or reducing the hazard itself where possible.
⚠ Exam trap: PPE is the LAST line of defence, not the first — eliminate or engineer out the hazard before relying on it; and a missing tool stops the release to service.

Solved examples

A dropped socket cannot be found at the end of a task on an engine bay. What is the correct immediate action?
Stop and account for all tools before closing up (tool control / FOD procedure) — the aircraft must not be released to service until the missing item is located or the task is otherwise proven safe, since an ungoverned FOD item in an engine bay is a direct airworthiness hazard.

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