OPERATIONAL BEST PRACTICE -GROUND
Title: Foreign Object Damage (FOD) Prevention
No OBP-10
Effective Date: March 27, 2009
Your Company Name Here
Revision: July 31, 2013
Purpose:
This program provides policy and guidance for establishing and conducting an
effective Foreign Object Damage (FOD) Prevention Program. The purpose of
this program is to eliminate FOD by identifying and eliminating conditions that
cause damage to aircraft and ground support equipment.
Policy Responsibility:
Chief Executive, VP of Aviation, Director of Safety, General Manager, (as
applicable).
Policy:
The General Manager has the overall responsibility for an effective FOD
prevention program in all areas at their respective location.
To effectively manage the program, the General Manager, or designee will:
 Establish and assign specific areas of responsibility for FOD prevention
and control to employees.
 Work with local airport authority to ensure that required FOD
inspections are performed per ATA/FAA guidelines.
 Review the FOD report at the monthly safety meetings and assure
corrective actions as necessary.
 Coordinate FOD prevention activities
 Assign one person on each shift the responsibility of FOD control.
 Ensure all personnel receive FOD prevention training and are kept
apprised of lessons learned from FOD investigation reports, and
understand that FOD control is considered as important as safety,
reliability or dependability.
 Ensure that each FOD incident is investigated and positive action is
taken to prevent reoccurrence.
 Participate personally in the program through daily area spot checks.
All employees will assist in FOD control and prevention.
Procedure:
Definitions:
Foreign Object Debris (FOD): Any substance, debris or article alien to a
vehicle or system which would potentially cause damage.
Foreign Object Damage: Any damage attributed to a foreign object that can
be expressed in physical or economic terms which may or may not degrade the
product’s required safety and/or performance characteristics.
Potential FOD: The condition where foreign object debris may cause damage
Examples are:
 Metal or wire clippings, solder balls and debris lying in the vicinity
 Tools, hardware, or debris left in the vicinity, or in a migratory path or
a vehicle’s control system or engine inlets
 Debris lying on runways, ramps and taxiways
 Ice and salt
 Birds and other animals
 Construction debris
Foreign Object Damage (FOD) Prevention OBP-10
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 Stones, nuts, bolts, splintered wood from wheel chocks, plastic bags, oil
cans and bottles.
 Welcome mats, cones, etc.
Causes of FOD:
FOD May Result From:
 Deterioration of pavement, particularly at expansion joints or transition
points from one type of pavement to another such as from asphalt
ramps to concrete taxiways.
 Failure to properly police areas from removed hardware, safety wire,
tools, fuel caps, catering equipment, etc. used during the performance
of any task.
 Inadequate housekeeping and policing operations after high winds,
heavy rainfall, snow removal and storms.
 Improper aircraft operations, high power settings during taxi, turns in
FOD exposure areas, taxiing too close to other aircraft and into jet blast
hazard areas.
 Prop wash/exhaust blasts.
 Inclement weather.
 Ramp deterioration.
FOD Clean-up:
 FOD Containers: These containers should be placed at strategic
locations for the collection of debris. The containers should be emptied
frequently to prevent them from overflowing and becoming a source of
FOD themselves. Evaluating the debris collected can reveal its source
and indicate where personnel and equipment should be deployed for
more effective control.
TRASH Containers: These containers should be placed at strategic locations
for the collection of trash. The containers should be emptied frequently to
prevent them from overflowing and becoming a source of FOD themselves.
 Sweeping: Sweeping may be done manually or with an airfield
sweeper, which is the most effective equipment for removing FOD
from airsides. The sweeper removes debris from cracks and pavement
joints, and should be used in all areas except for those that can be
reached only with a hand broom. All airside areas, including aircraft
manoeuvring areas should be swept routinely. The areas in which
ground support equipment (GSE) is staged should be swept
periodically.
 Magnetic bars: These bars can be suspended beneath tugs and trucks
to pick up metallic material. However, the bars should be cleaned
regularly to prevent them from dropping the collected debris. Vehicles
operating on the airside should be inspected periodically to ensure that
they have no loose items that can fall off.
 Rumble strips: Driving over rumble strips dislodges FOD from
vehicle undercarriages. The strips, which are 10 to 15 ft long, can be
moved and used at transitions from the landside to the airside, or
adjacent to airside construction areas.
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FOD Prevention Checklist:
 A physical FOD walk by designated personnel during each shift
 An inspection of ramp areas for surface deterioration
 Observe whether personnel are picking up FOD and disposing it in the
proper containers
 A spot check of general housekeeping in work areas
 Ensure the drivers/operators clean out their vehicles prior to the start of
each shift
 Discuss FOD prevention checklist results at your monthly safety
meetings
 Follow-up corrective actions recommended from FOD investigations
 Ensure that FOD containers are emptied in a timely manner.
PPE
As applicable to Operational Best Practice adopted by Member Company
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