FEBRUARY 2016 AviationPros.com 17
INTERNATIONAL
(PPE). According to Steve Polak, manager
of aircraft services standards and training
at Jazz Aviation of Canada, good protec-
tive equipment is very important to ensure
safety on the ramp during winter operations.
"PPE is mandatory in our operation, quality
proper ftting clothing allows our employ-
ees to remain in sub-zero temperatures for
extended periods of time. Clothing must
be water resistant, wind proof and able to
wick moisture away from the body. A warm
comfortable employee is able to focus on the
task at hand" he says.
With regard to recent developments in
personal protective equipment that can
provide for better performance Polak says
that work wear that has fully reflective
surfaces replacing the need to wear a safety
vest is a marked improvement. This kind
of work wear provides for less bulk and a
reduced chance of forgetting to don safety
vests, he says.
According to Paul Schenk, manager of ter-
minal development and activation at Greater
Toronto Airports Authority, personal protec-
tive equipment, such as anti-slip boots and
various types of slip on traction covers for
boots, have been tested at Toronto Pearson.
However, he notes, PPE should be one of
the last resorts. "The frst methods should
be to engineer out safety concerns or put
processes in place to avoid safety conficts
or possibility of injury," he says.
2. Advanced de-icing and
anti-icing equipment
When it comes to putting processes in place
for performing safe winter operations, one
of the things that should be noted is that
de-icing and anti-icing operations can be
particularly prone to cause aircraft damage
because equipment operating close to air-
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