The Safe Approach
Spring 2001
Alaska Airlines Safety Policy
Alaska Airlines has five core Values and six Critical Success Factors that drive all
that we do. The five Values are: Alaska Spirit, Professionalism, Integrity, Caring,
and Resourcefulness. The six Critical Success Factors are: Safety, Continual
Improvement, Quality People, Profitability, Quality Service, and Reliability.
It is not coincidence that our first Critical Success Factor is Safety - it has been,
and will remain, the number one priority at Alaska Airlines. Both of us truly
believe that safety is not an adjunct part of our airline, but an integral part. The
fact is, safety must be at the very forefront of everything we do. Our passengers
and employees expect and deserve nothing less.
To that end, we want you to know that we are absolutely committed to protecting
the health and safety of our employees, our passengers, and the environment of
the communities that we serve. That commitment is consistent with our goal to
operate a premier, world-class airline, and meeting that commitment is a primary
objective. It also represents the individual and collective responsibility of each
and every one of us.
We believe that safety starts at the top, and senior management must be the
catalyst for improving safety. So, to ensure that safety is priority one, we have
asked each of the officers within senior management to make operational safety a
major objective within their departments. Our goal is to reduce incidents and
prevent accidents that could injure our employees, endanger our passengers,
damage our equipment, and/or hinder operational performance. To accomplish
that, we need to ensure that the following principles are consistently observed in
all operations of our airline:
• All of our operations will be conducted in a manner that protects the health and
safety of our employees, our passengers, and the environment.
• All employees are personally accountable for maintaining a safe and healthy
workplace, and for protecting the environment.
• Alaska Airlines will maintain compliance with all Health,
Safety, and Environmental laws and regulations.
• Health, Safety, and Environmental concerns will be an
integral part of all of our business plans and processes.
• Our management systems for Health, Safety, and
Environmental protection are based on accepted standards,
with a goal of continuous improvement.
We ask that all of you join with us and commit to these
principles and incorporate safety into every activity,
both at work and at home.
John Kelly
Chairman & CEO
Bill Ayer
President & COO
John Kelly
Bill Ayer
Alaska Airlines Safety Division
Box 68900 SEAWQ
Seattle, WA 98168-0900
Safety Hotline 1-877-610-4039
Safety Fax 206-439-4498
safety@alaskaair.com
Vo l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1
The Safe Approach
DAVE PREWITT
Vice President, Safety
206-574-1960
SUE WARNER-BEAN
Director, Emergency Response
206-439-4500
PEGGY MCCLUSKEY
Director, Environmental Affairs
206-574-1974
GERARDO HUETO
Director, Fleet Safety
206-394-7349
TONY SOLIS
Director, Flight Safety
206-433-6870
H O L LY G E I G E R
Director, Occupational Safety
206-574-1962
BOB WRIGHT
Director, Quality & Internal Evaluation
206-574-1970
R I C K N A U LT
Magazine Coordinator & Safety Training
206-574-1967
From the Safety Directors
1
Is there a Safety Committe in Your Toolbox?
7
Industry Irregularities
9
New Ideas
10
Safety Awards
11
Quick Response by Pilots —
13
Key to Suriving Cabin Decompression
Passenger Safety —
Traveling with Small Children
Policy Updates —
No Small Task
21
Station Spotlight
24
Airlines Safety Department. Articles obtained for
publication are derived from a variety of sources for
awareness at Alaska Airlines. Opinions and views
Recurring Items of Interest
expressed by individuals do not necessarily reflect
Haz Mat Quiz
those of Alaska Airlines and are not meant to
Aviation Safety Crossword Puzzle
supersede Company operational policies, procedures,
System Regulations, labor agreements or applicable
Letters to the Editor
FAA rules and regulations. Contributions, commentary,
Safety Hazard Reports
and feedback are welcomed, though the editor reserves
the right to summarize or edit portions of any
19
Cargo Weight Limits
Safe Approach is published quarterly by the Alaska
the purpose of increasing and enhancing safety
17
Safety Award Nomination
submission due to space limitations.
©2001 Alaska Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved. No part
of this publication may be reproduced without the
express written permission of Alaska Airlines, Inc.
Cover Photo taken in Anchorage by Jason Ihrke
From the Office of
The Vice President of Safety
Welcome to the first edition of “The Safe Approach.” The title for our new
magazine was selected from over 300 entries received from our employees.
I would like to thank all of you who took the time to submit titles for consideration. The winning title was submitted by Martha Minter (the Director of
In-flight Services Training) here in Seattle.
In this issue, we have focused on our division and the internal departments
that make it up. We provide this information to explain our structure, and
to offer some insight into what each of our departments do. After reading
about each of the safety departments, I hope you will come to see our department as an asset, and begin to use us to help you improve the level of
safety in your work area.
In future issues, we will focus less on ourselves and more on operational
safety issues. We will attempt to provide you with a broad spectrum of
safety related articles that will address the varied activities and workgroups
here at Alaska Airlines. I hope that every employee will find something of
interest in each issue. Of course being an airline means that our content
will be heavily focused on air carrier issues such as flight operations, cabin
operations, aeromedical subjects, customer services, ground operations and
maintenance & engineering issues.
In addition to the articles and features that we develop internally, we also
want articles and feedback from you the employee. If you wish to submit an
article or correspond with us, please forward your article or comments to the
Safety Division.
Our Division has grown rapidly over the past eight months. Our primary
goal since the beginning has been to develop new and better ways to communicate with employees. Most of those systems were developed to permit
you to communicate with the safety department or with senior management.
The Safe Approach represents another link in the communication chain, and
is a tool for our department to communicate in the other direction – back to
you. We hope that you will find value in the publication, and that you will
look forward to receiving your copy each quarter.
On a personal note, I would like to thank all of you for the warm welcome
that I received upon my arrival here at Alaska Airlines. Building a new
department is difficult, your help and encouragement have accelerated the
process permitting us to grow and develop at a truly amazing rate.
Dave Prewitt
Dave Prewitt
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
From the director of
Emergency
Response
By Sue Warner-Bean
The Emergency Response department was created in 1999 to fulfill
a corporate emergency preparedness objective. That objective tasks
the E.R. team with developing,
implementing, and maintaining a
comprehensive Alaska Air Group
emergency response plan—a plan
which addresses all facets of
readiness and response.
ER team with developing, implementing, and maintaining a
comprehensive Alaska Air Group
emergency response plan—a plan
which addresses all facets of
readiness and response.
The E.R. department’s most
visible program is the CARE
team, a group of trained Alaska
and Horizon employees who
volunteer to assist survivors and
family members in the event of
an aircraft accident. There are
nearly 800 trained CARE members in Air Group; the goal is to
have 1,200. The program includes a two-day initial training
class and annual recurrent
training, all of which is administered by the E.R. department.
While CARE is the most visible
program, other areas are equally
important. The E.R. department
ensures Alaska and Horizon are in
full compliance with the Aviation
Disaster Family Assistance Act,
and that each department has the
necessary procedures and training
to respond effectively to an accident. These include stations,
reservations, and other jobs with
public contact. They also coordi-
Page 1
nate with team leaders from
media, legal, finance, risk management, accident investigation, inflight, ICS, and the Critical
Incident Response Team (CIRP) on
accident response procedures and
activities. They are responsible for
the new Seattle executive command center facility, and will be
conducting full-scale annual
emergency drills.
The goal of the Emergency Response department is straightforward: To ensure an Air Group
accident response that is immediate, competent, and compassionate. This is accomplished by full
compliance (with legislation, with
NTSB response guidelines and
family assistance plans), and full
preparedness (including staff,
training, procedures, facilities,
equipment, and drills).
The E.R. team is located on the
lower floor of the Flight Ops
Training building in Seattle. The
Alaska team includes Sue WarnerBean (director), Jacque’ Bastys
(manager, family assistance
programs), and Fritz King (manager, systems and logistics). Alisha
Glaeser is the Horizon Air family
assistance plan administrator, and
works at Horizon’s services training facility in Seattle.
From the director of
Environmental
Affairs
Environmental Affairs Joins the
Safety Division
By Peggy McCluskey
The transition to Safety is a
natural for the Environmental
Affairs department. We have
been assisting the company with
environmental compliance for
over 10 years and have always
worked closely with Employee
Safety, sharing many of the same
goals and challenges. We look
forward to integrating our
programs even more over the
coming months and years.
Environmental programs range
from chemical spill response
procedures to hazardous waste
management, air and water
pollution prevention, storage
tank management, and asbestos
tracking. We welcome questions
and suggestions in any of these
areas. You may also contact us if
you have trouble finding a
material safety data sheet
(MSDS) for a chemical you are
using or if you want to share a
great idea for waste reduction.
The best environmental solutions have come from employees,
and we look forward to helping
you implement excellent ideas
in 2001!
This year, Environmental Affairs
will be conducting a record
number of audits to make sure
Alaska Airlines is ready when
EPA inspectors decide to drop in
for inspections. Also, look for
MSDS on the intranet, popular
forms such as the Chemical
Approval Form (ZA-09) on-line,
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
and an environmental section on
the Safety website. As always, we
will be holding initial and refresher Hazwoper (Hazardous
Waste Operations & Emergency
Response) classes. This year’s
class schedule is now available
through First Class in the Safety
and Environmental folder. Call us
or see your supervisor for details.
The department has grown to
five with the recent additions of
Dan Whitney, who supervises our
air and water programs and
Janet Baad, Environmental
Affairs Assistant.
Keep in mind that a neglected
environmental concern will
become a safety problem for
employees, coworkers, passengers, families, or neighbors. If you
see a problem, fix it or report it
immediately!
24-hour emergency pager:
888-787-1967
Page 2
From the director of
Flight Safety
By Tony Solis
The Flight Safety Department
works primarily with Flight
Operations, and many other work
groups, to ensure that each and
every flight that Alaska Airlines
operates is as safe as possible.
Our mission statement best
describes this:
The Alaska Airlines Flight Safety
Department’s sole objective is to
identify hazards and provide
corrective action before they become
an incident or accident.
So how does the Flight Safety
Department make our flights safe?
We do this in a couple of ways. The
number one way is by listening to
our flight crews. We have 1,350
pairs of eyes flying the skies and
they are our best resource.
Through pilot reports, e-mail,
letters and phone calls, we learn
the areas of concern to our flight
crews. These issues range from
passenger concerns, ATC procedures and ground handling to
any number of other issues.
When a concern is raised we
work to ensure that the issue is
handled in an expeditious and
appropriate manner. Not all
concerns require a full-scale
investigation, but all demand an
immediate response.
We are also in constant communication with representatives
from the pilot’s union, the Air
Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
ALPA representatives are also
line pilots for Alaska, and we
count on their experience and
knowledge to help identify and
correct problems. It is truly a
team effort.
The Flight Safety Department
maintains relationships with the
Federal Aviation Administration
and the National Transportation
Safety Board. When an aircraft
What is FOQA?
by Anna Bernhardt - FOQA Manager
A FOQA program is designed to
enhance flight safety by providing
more information about, and
greater insight into, the total
flight operations environment
through controlled, automated
recording and analysis of flight
data generated during regular
passenger flights. This program
provides very significant enhancements to not only line operational
safety, but also training effectiveness, operational procedures,
maintenance and engineering,
ATC procedures and airport
surface issues.
The FOQA program concept has
been around for many years;
however, it is known by different
names, at different airlines
throughout the world. For example,
the British Airways program is
called SESMA (Special Event
Search and Master Analysis). Each
program is conceptually the same,
but is tailored to the specific
airline operation. The first FOQA
programs actually began in
Europe over 30 years ago. FOQA
in the U.S. has been under
development since mid-1991.
John Kelly, our CEO, stated at the
leadership conference that
Alaska’s Number one critical
success factor is safety. FOQA will
directly support this goal by
taking an objective look at the
environment we fly in and how we
deal with the uniqueness of that
environment.
Should you have any comments,
question or concerns send them to
Anna Bernhardt at SEAFQ and I
will include them in future articles.
The FOQA Monitoring Team
includes:
Hank Yaap - ALPA Gatekeeper
Gerry Vanderville
John Boardman
Phil Reda
John Steinnes
Roger Larson
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
is damaged while under pilot
control, the department conducts
an investigation and communicates openly with company officers, the FAA and NTSB concerning
the cause. Quarterly and annually,
the department meets with upper
management to advise the safety
status of the airline and seek
direction concerning issues that
cannot be resolved by daily operational correspondence with other
departments.
What tools does the Flight Safety
Department use? Again, our
number one tool is our pilots. They
have years of experience and
knowledge. We also have FOQA, or
the Flight Operations Quality
Assurance program. FOQA is
discussed separately, but it is
another tool in our toolbox. We
also maintain a database of all O53 Flight Irregularity Reports.
This database is used to identify
trends in our day to day operation
that require a closer inspection.
Page 3
leads, your supervisors, the Flight
Safety Department or call the
Safety Hotline. Working together
we can ensure that our flights are
as safe as humanly possible.
Meet the Flight
Safety Staff.
Tony Solis is the Director of Flight
Safety and a 737 First Officer in
Seattle. He joined the Flight
Safety Department shortly after
the 261 accident. Prior to coming
to Alaska, Tony flew C-141’s at
Travis and McChord AFB for the
USAF. He continues to fly the C141 for the USAF Reserves as an
Aircraft Commander and will be
transitioning to the C-17 this
summer. While on active duty,
Tony worked in the flight safety
How does the Flight Safety
Department relate to me?
While we work primarily with the
pilot group, if you have a concern
with the safety of our aircraft,
please let us know. Earlier I said
that we have over 1,350 pairs of
eyes working for us. In reality, we
have 11,000 pairs. Ramp agents
and Customer Service Agents work
around our aircraft daily. So, too,
do our Mechanics and Fleet
agents. If you see something that
looks out of place, ask someone.
That open panel or scraped paint
may be hiding a potentially dangerous situation. An accident is
usually made up of many links in
the chain. If we can take out just
one link in the chain, we can keep
that accident from happening. If
you see something, talk to your
offices both at the Wing and
Numbered Air Force level. In 1994,
he was awarded the Air Mobility
Commands Flight Safety Officer
of the Year.
Before pilot training, Tony spent
time in Las Vegas as the Air Intelligence Officer for the Aggressor
Squadrons. He is a graduate of the
University of Texas at El Paso with
a BS in Criminal Justice. Tony lives
in Puyallup with his wife of 15 years
and their two children.
Anna Bernhardt is the Manager
of Flight Operations Quality
Assurance (FOQA) for Alaska
Airlines. Anna comes to Alaska
from US Airways in Pittsburgh,
where she was instrumental in
developing their program and
making it a leader in the industry. She communicated FOQA
findings to multiple departments
and coordinated their efforts to
improve the safety environment.
She also worked with developers
of analysis tools to help evolve
their ground replay and analysis
software to better provide useful
and usable capabilities needed by
airline FOQA programs. Anna
oversaw the installation and
configuration of the several
processing and analysis tools
required to be able to effectively
utilize and integrate data from a
wide variety of fleets.
Prior to her involvement in
aviation management, she was
employed by USAA in the actuarial and underwriting capacity.
Anna has a BS from EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University in
Technical Management. She is
also an instrument- rated commercial pilot.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Frank Raymond is the Administrator, Flight Safety. Frank
graduated from Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University with a
BS in Aerospace Studies and a
minor in Flight Safety. Frank
has been with Alaska for almost
four years. He started working
for Alaska as a Customer Service
Agent in San Jose. Frank also
became an Operations Agent
while in San Jose. After almost
two years in San Jose Frank
joined the Management Development Program. In his first move,
Frank joined the Phoenix Reservations staff. While there he
Page 4
From the director of
Internal
Evaluation and
Regulatory
Compliance
An Inside Look at
Internal Evaluation
By Robert G. Wright
What is Internal Evaluation?
Let’s start with a definition of terms.
The dictionary defines internal as an
adjective with various meanings,
among them: “of or relating to the
domestic affairs of a nation, group
or business.”
Evaluation comes from the verb
evaluate, which means to “examine
and judge carefully; appraise.” So
it is apparent that when we
discuss Internal Evaluation, we
are talking about an inside look at
the way we do business.
worked closely with the Instant
Travel and Pre-Paid Desks. His
next assignment took him to
Internal Audit in Seattle. While
in Internal Audit, Frank traveled
the system completing station
audits. These two assignments
allowed Frank to gain a varied
background of airline operations.
Frank joined the Flight Safety
department in August, 2000.
While we may not be aware of it,
we are all continuously evaluating
our own status as it relates to our
surroundings. Let’s use the example of driving our car to work.
Even before getting into the car,
we are engaged in an evaluation
(though this may not be on a
conscious level) that tells us
whether there are any abnormal
circumstances (flat tire, broken
window, maybe a bicycle parked
behind the car) that could affect
our trip.
Once on the road, our evaluation
scope increases. The dashboard
instruments permit you to monitor
the speed, fuel quantity, and other
information regarding the status
and condition of your car. At the
same time, your brain is processing
all of the information regarding
ambient conditions: weather, road
conditions, traffic density, speed
limits, etc. and sending nerve
impulses to your feet and hands to
speed up, slow down or turn in
response to changing circumstances.
This whole process occurs without much conscious thought on
our part (and judging from the
performance of some drivers,
very little thought on any level).
Yet this is still an evaluation
process. When we perform an
Internal Evaluation, we are
using the same principles, but
doing so in a formal, controlled
manner. Rather than relying on
memory and instinct, in an
internal evaluation specific
checklists are followed by trained
personnel to evaluate a given
element of a system or process.
Why do we perform Internal
Evaluations? When we perform
an Internal Evaluation, we are
seeking to:
• Fulfill a specific objective regarding a system or process;
• Determine whether required
systems are in place;
• Assess the quality of those
systems;
• If no system exists as required,
rate the risk associated with the
lack of a system;
• Rate the conformity with, and
the effectiveness of the process.
The answers to these questions
are entered into a database for
risk assessment and trend analysis.
The ultimate purpose, of course,
is to identify and minimize
hazards, and to maximize safety
and compliance. This all sounds
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Page 5
fairly complicated, but if you apply
the principles to our previous
example of driving the car to
work, understanding these concepts
is easier.
From the director of
Think back again to our example.
We don’t perform evaluations for
their own sake – we perform them
to meet an objective. In the illustration, the objective was to get to
work safely and on time. When
you think about it, our objective at
Alaska Airlines isn’t much different. Effective evaluations help
meet the goal of safe, reliable, and
on time service.
The Fleet Safety department was
created in October 2000. Our
mission is to help achieve the goal
of being the safest airline, by
providing our customers with the
safest aircraft fleet in the industry.
Aircraft Loading Operations.
Photo taken by Chris Turner,
Occupational and Operational Safety,
during Ground Operations Safety
Survey in Red Dog, Alaska.
Fleet Safety
By Gerardo Hueto
In order to do that, Fleet Safety
helps operating departments by
identifying potential unsafe conditions and suggesting corrective
actions. We communicate our
suggestions with a document called
Fleet Safety Recommendation (FSR).
An FSR does not enforce corrective
action, it recommends steps to be
taken towards a safer operation.
How do we identify potentially
unsafe conditions? By focusing on
the reliability, engineering and
maintenance of our fleet. This
integral approach allows critical
elements to be identified and
corrected at the earliest possible
time, providing the benefit of
enhanced safety and reliability of
the equipment. The close working
relationship between Fleet Safety
and Maintenance & Engineering
provides the open communication
and mutual support needed to
achieve this goal. Tim Cawby, our
Manager of Maintenance Safety,
rd
has an office on the 3 floor of the
Seattle Hangar office building,
where you are welcome to stop by
and discuss any maintenance
safety concerns.
occurrence of this type of events.
Besides providing enhanced equipment safety there is a considerable
potential for savings in this area,
since ground damage can cost
millions of dollars annually in both
repairs and ground time.
This year we will also start conducting audits to evaluate our
systems and procedures and
identify potential hazards. But the
primary source of information for
us are Alaska’s employees: Mechanics, Pilots, Ramp agents, Customer
Service agents, and anyone that
works close to our aircraft have the
opportunity to make them safer.
They can provide valuable information about the equipment and its
condition, and we encourage
everybody to contact us if they have
a safety concern.
The Fleet Safety team is located in
the new Center Point office complex in Kent, WA. You can contact
us in many ways:
Safety Hotline: 877.610.4039
A Safety Hazard Report (SHR):
Can be filled via the Internet.
Follow the link to our safety
department at
www.alaskasworld.com
Our phones and Co-mail
addresses are:
Gerardo Hueto –
Director of Fleet Safety
206.394.7349 (x6349)
Cell #: 206.290.6029
SEASF
Tim Cawby –
Manager of Maintenance Safety
External factors (ground damage,
FOD, etc.) also affect aircraft
safety, and cause unscheduled
ground time. Fleet Safety will
participate in incident and accident
investigations to help prevent re-
206.574.1969 (x6969)
Cell #: 206.890.5442
SEASF
We look forward to working together
so we can make our fleet the safest
in the industry.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
From the director of
Occupational
and
Operational
Safety
It’s About Your Safety
By Holly Geiger
Alaska Airlines employees are
confronted by many of the same
challenges as other airline
employees on a daily basis.
Whether this involves manual
handling of heavy and awkward
baggage, the transfer of nonambulatory passengers in and
out of wheelchairs and aircraft
chairs, the stacking of bags and
boxes in the cargo pits, or the
pushing and pulling of heavy
carts through the aisles, it is
not surprising that the “Air
Transportation” industry has
one of the highest industrial
injury rates in the country.
Alaska’s operation is unique. It
has risk factors that, unless
carefully managed, can put
employees at even greater risk
of injury. Our fleet of narrow
body aircraft requires mainly
manual loading of baggage and
cargo. Our cargo is unique in
the ratio of densely packed of
boxes of fish and other heavy
and awkward pieces that are
hauled in and out of Alaska. We
work in extreme temperatures
and weather conditions from the
arctic to the tropics. Each one of
these elements presents risk
factors for injury and requires
that we diligently adhere to
policies, procedures, and regulations in place to preserve the
safety of the operation.
Page 6
As Alaska continues to make
improvements in safety and
compliance in all aspects of the
operation, your safety and that
of your coworkers may at times
seem overshadowed by other
compliance and operational
factors. If you think for a
second that there is anything
more important than your own
safety while you are here at
work, consider what might
happen if you were not able to
work tomorrow, or a month
from now, or ever again.
Consider life away from work
injured. Suppose you were not
able to enjoy a hobby, or were
no longer able to play with your
children or care for yourself and
your loved ones. Or suppose you
were responsible for injuring a
coworker. Injuries often have
far reaching effects into your
world away from work, many of
which are permanent. We at
Alaska are committed to becoming #1 in Safety and Compliance. Make sure YOU are part
of that equation.
All rules and regulations are
designed to prevent loss,
whether the loss of life, livelihood, or property. Consider the
risk of working at an unsafe
pace, taking shortcuts, or
neglecting to wear protective
gear. It only takes a moment to
change your life or the life of a
coworker, permanently. We in
the Occupational & Operational
Safety Department are committed
to helping you work safely and
comply with the regulations and
policies in place. Your cooperation
is vital and we look forward to
serving you with all your safety
needs. It’s about your safety.
It was not too long ago that the
safety functions of Alaska Airlines were dispersed throughout
the company, operating independently of each other. As a team
we are now much more than the
sum of our individual departments. #1 in Safety & Compliance
- we look forward to assisting you
in achieving that goal.
Preparation for Flight. Photo taken
by Tony Solis, Flight Safety,during a
flight operations safety survey in
Red Dog, Alaska.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Page 7
Is There a
Safety Committee
in Your Toolbox?
By Rick Nault
What is the most useful tool in a mechanic’s toolbox? Is it a wrench,
screwdriver, hammer, or maybe a good pair of pliers? They all have a
purpose but some tools seem to get used more and get better results
than others. Of all the tools companies have in the “safety toolbox,”
when used to its full potential the safety committee is one of the most
useful. This tool potentially has many times more ideas, plans, resources, and experience than any one person. Effective safety committees also create a team approach to problem solving and raise the level
of safety consciousness throughout the organization.
Like any good tool, to be most effective a Safety Committee must be well
maintained and used for what it was designed to do. For best results a
wrench should not be used as a hammer or both the wrench and the
object may be damaged. In the same way, we often hammer the safety
committee with negative comments, personal agendas, impractical
demands or apathy. This, like the wrench, will no doubt damage the
effectiveness of the safety committee.
If you neglect or just don’t use certain tools in the toolbox, not only is
the utility of the tool wasted but also it all gets rusty and less effective.
When the Safety Committee does not meet regularly, has poor attendance, does not represent the employees or lacks organization, it will
surely lose the interest and support of both employees and management, hence losing its effectiveness.
The most useful and up-to-date tools in the toolbox are only as effective
as the person trained to use them. This is no different for the employees
using the safety committee as a tool for safety. They need to know how
the committee works, what they do, and when they meet. They must be
kept informed, and most of all they need to recieve encouraging feedback and input.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
It is also necessary to know what to use a tool for. Safety Committee members and all the employees need regular safety training to heighten awareness and understanding of hazards. When meeting time permits (safety
committee meetings or workgroup safety meetings), the time should be used
for safety awareness training and safety discussions. This is a time for twoway communications, not a reprimand or watching another safety video
(unless it’s being used as a discussion starter). It is a time for increasing
safety awareness and getting feedback.
The following are some basic requirements for developing a useful
safety committee.
• The committee should be composed of selected and elected members, creating
a combination of employees and management. This creates employee involvement during the selection process and opens the door for communication
between the committee members and the employees they represent.
• Post the names of committee members and the workgroup they represent.
• The safety committee should elect the chairman and the results of the
election should be recorded in the minutes.
• The safety committee must meet monthly. If the safety committee meetings
are going well over an hour, smaller workgroup meetings should be held to
resolve issues at a closer level before they’re addressed by the committee. In
organizations where accidents appear to be under control meeting time can
still be effectively used for additional safety education for the members. A
committee that does not meet on a regular basis will lose its drive and will be
perceived by workers and management to be of limited use.
• For a committee to sustain its credibility it should avoid postponing its
meetings and meet every month, even if it’s for less than one hour.
• Have an agenda and stick to it. Don’t try to solve the new business at every
meeting. Make a plan and follow up on it next meeting.
• Record and post the minutes of the safety committee meetings for all to see.
Get the most out of this very important tool for safety, teach others how to
use it and encourage them to do so.
For further information on safety committees, discussion starters for safety
meetings, or short safety lessons contact the Safety Training Manager,
Occupational & Operational Safety Department, ext. 6967.
Page 8
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Industry Irregularities
Happened on the ground after landing
and taxiing to gate. All traffic stopped on
the vehicle access road, except an Alaska
truck-like vehicle (later determined to be
a bobtail). We had to brake hard to stop
and the truck passed in front of our
aircraft by about twenty to thirty feet.
We notified ground control and Ops at
the time of the incident.
Follow-up
This incident was forwarded to the
appropriate Ground Operations Manager
for discussion with the driver of
the vehicle.
A/C was MD-80
The right engine fire warning light
illuminated shortly after take-off. We
followed procedures for engine fire and
the warning light went out. We initiated
a precautionary shutdown of the engine
and returned for an uneventful landing.
Follow-up
Maintenance inspected the right engine
of this aircraft. No evidence of fire was
found. They were able to trace the
indication to an engine bleed air leak
which caused a faulty indication. The
crew did an outstanding job of handling
the situation and landing the aircraft as
soon as possible.
A/C was a 737-700
Moderate turbulence was reported in the
Anchorage vicinity. The flight attendants
were briefed and the cabin was prepared
before the aircraft descended below
10,000 feet. At approximately 7,000 feet
a passenger whose seat belt had become
unfastened struck her head on the over
head bin when the aircraft encountered
some turbulence. EMTs were called when
we arrived at the gate, and examined the
passenger. She had a bump on her
forehead. She went to the hospital for
further evaluation.
Page 9
Follow-up
This cause illustrates the need for
everyone to keep their seatbelts fastened. Turbulence is not something to
take lightly.
Multiple Bird Strikes
Damage Engines
Boeing 757. Minor damage. No injuries.
Immediately after rotation, the flight crew
observed a large flock of birds flying
across the airplane’s direction of flight at
a U.S. airport. The pilots said later that
the birds probably had come from a grassy
area next to the runway. At about 100
feet, the airplane flew into the flock,
which Consisted of several hundred birds.
The captain said that each engine had a
“short, instantaneous reaction, much like
a compressor stall,” but that the engines
recovered quickly and appeared to operate
normally. The flight crew kept the airplane in the traffic pattern for a return to
the departure airport. The landing was
normal, and the airplane was taxied to the
gate, where passengers deplaned. Airport
personnel estimated that the airplane was
struck by between 150 and 200 birds,
which caused first-stage fan damage in
both engines and minor impact damage to
the wings, lift devices, fuselage and
landing gear.
Cellular
Phone
Usage
During
Delays
Cellular phones may
now be used onboard
delayed Alaska Airline
flights at the captain’s
discretion during
ground delays of 15
minutes or longer. The
aircraft can be on or
off the gate. The
captain will advise the
“A” flight attendant
when cellular phone
usage is permitted,
and an announcement
will be made.
At the end of the delay,
an announcement will
be made stating that
cell phones must be
turned off.
By Deb Nayor
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Page 10
Testing New Ideas
Cargo Door Shield
By Bill Boyer & Rick Nault
Alaska Airlines is serious about reducing ground damage.
To find methods for doing so, we must be open to new ideas.
The Cargo Door ShieldTM is an old idea developed into a new
product: a Cargo Door Shield to protect the cargo doors on
Boeing 737’s from damage while loading. Door repairs range
from minor to major in size and cost. In many situations the
doors have to be re-skinned and structural members, i.e.
stringers, replaced. Boeing 737 operators spend, on average,
over $2,000 on each aircraft that comes into C-Check on
repairing cargo door damage. It costs nearly $10,000 to replace
the aluminum door skin and frame. Support members, or
stringers, cost approximately $3,500 to $7,000 to replace (1996
figures). These figures do not include the cost of unscheduled
downtime created by sudden cargo door damage.
The purpose of the Cargo Door ShieldTM is to absorb impact
and protect the door from scrapes, scratches, dents, rips in
exterior skin, punctures to skin, and other skin and primary
structural damage caused by impact of cargo and baggage.
The shield is simply a multilayer cushion that covers the door.
Installation is done by ramp service agents and takes about
5-15 seconds. Installation consists of hooking five straps on the
edges of the cargo door. When loading is complete the straps
are unhooked and the shield can be stowed inside the cargo
bay during flights.
The primary tests completed in Seattle have worked as
advertised and were well received by employees on the ramp.
Testing of the cargo door shield will continue up and down the
system to gain more information and feedback prior to making
it a standard item. Hopefully we are all open to new ideas, so if
you open the cargo bay doors on the Boeing 737 and see it, give
it a try and let the safety department know what you think.
Innovative
Ideas
By Troy Rowan
When faced with a
challenge the employees in Yakutat always
come through. That
was the case this last
November when the
station’s fuel cart
began to experience
problems. Winter was
fast approaching and
the secondary containment on the fuel cart
was beginning to fill
with water. The
freezing action was
causing problems with
gasket and valves on
the tank. With no
covered areas at the
station available,
appropriate storage
was nowhere to be
found.
What to do? Well
that’s where Yakutat
MRP agent Tony
Glazier comes in. “If I
can’t bring the cart to
a cover why not bring
the cover to the cart?”
he reasoned. Tony’s
ingenious design of a
hinged fuel-cart cover
saved the day. The
hoop cover not only
protects the tank from
the elements, but the
hinged design provides
easy access for
refueling and maintenance. In Yakutat, as
well as many other
communities in
Alaska, the ingenuity
and problems solving
abilities of our
employees is key to
our success. For Tony
Glazier it’s just
another day on the job.
Great job Tony!
Page 11
Safety Awards Program
Awards
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
The purpose of the Alaska Airlines safety awards program is to recognize
employees for specific acts of safety or for contributions that enhance the
overall level of safety in the workplace.
1. Aviation Safety Award Program – This award is designed to recognize
flight crew personnel (including flight attendants) for acts of bravery, for
operational performance that exceeds the normal expectations, or for
contributions that improve the overall level of safety. The Internal
Evaluation Review Board (IERB) and the Chief Pilot will review O-53
reports, irregularity and information reports and recommendations by
coworkers and supervisors to assess and select annual winners.
2. Station Safety Awards - This annual award will be based on prevention of ground damage, injuries, FOD and inspection/audit results.
Performance will be normalized using landings or number of personnel to
permit comparison of small and large stations. At the end of the calendar
year, the three top stations will be recognized.
3. Individual Safety Awards - This award is for any employee who
demonstrates bravery or perseverance in the workplace to prevent or
minimize the effects of an accident or incident, or who as the result of
their efforts directly increases or enhances the level
of safety in the workplace. Managers, supervisors,
leads, or fellow employees should submit
recommendations in writing to the safety department.
Any employee may recommend a fellow employee
for safety awards.
Excellence
in Safety
4. Safety Committee Award - This biannual award is for the Safety
Committee that accomplishes the following: meets on a regular basis,
properly documents the minutes of the meeting, has excellent attendance
by all workgroups represented, chooses members in accordance with the
Safety & Environmental manual, and most of all increases the level of
safety through corrective actions, recommendations, safety awareness
and/or safety training.
The Alaska Airlines Safety awards program is now in effect.
All information used for determining winners will be based on data
beginning January 2001. For more detailed information check out
www.alaskasworld.com or contact the Safety Department.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
If You Really Want
to Make a Change
By Evergreen Safety Council
Nothing speaks louder about an
employee’s safety interest than making
a safety suggestion. Bosses generally
appreciate workers who have ideas
about making the workplace more safe
and efficient. Here’s how you can make
your suggestions
shine:
• Stay local:
No one knows the
working of your
job more than you
do. Look for ways to
reduce the risk of injury, remove the
hazards and be more efficient at your
own job.
• Have a plan: You may sound like
you’re complaining if you aren’t ready
to back up your suggestion with a solid
plan on how to make the change. Think
through the costs and benefits of your
idea and how you or your department
can make the change. Get others
involved, especially if your idea will
affect them. When the time comes,
volunteer to do those parts of the plan
that you can.
• Keep thinking: Try to keep the ideas
coming. Write down your suggestions
when they strike you. Keep a pen and
paper handy to record those ideas.
• Be supportive: Listen to other
people’s safety suggestions and support
them. You may form some powerful
alliances when you need others’ help
with your idea. The result will be a
better workplace for everyone.
Wouldn’t it be nice if whenever we
pointed out a problem or tossed out a
suggestion, someone else came along
behind us and implemented it? In the
real world good ideas are great, but good
plans are priceless.
Page 12
“Name the
Safety
Magazine”
Contest
WINNER!
We congratulate
Martha Minter
(Director, Inflight
Services Training
and Regulatory
Compliance) for her
creative contribution.
We hope Martha
enjoys her trip on the
Victoria Clipper and
overnight stay at the
Roosevelt Hotel.
A special thanks to
Spring Interns
The Flight Safety department is pleased to
welcome the Spring 2001 intern group. This
semester we have a total of ten students
joining us. These students are coming to us
from as far away as Daytona Beach, Florida
and as close as Ellensburg, Washington. The
purpose of the internship program is to allow
students to gain a working knowledge of
different areas of the Company. The program
allows the student to see the many groups
that are needed to run a successful airline.
One of the main learning tools for the interns
is the privilege of jumpseating. Jumpseating
allows the students, who are all pilots, to see
flight operations from the flight deck. The
interns all want to fly for a major carrier, and
this is a chance for them to see what flying
the line is really like.
who entered the
contest. There were
This semester also marks the first time that we
have interns working in Los Angeles. We have
two interns working in the customer service
area and pilot base. This is an exciting
opportunity for these students.
many outstanding
entries. People at
Alaska Airlines have
If you see our interns walking around, and
chances are you will, please welcome them
aboard.
the many employees
of Alaska Airlines
a lot of great ideas.
The Safety department hopes you will
view this publication
Jason Bennett - Flight Standards
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
Daytona Beach
as your magazine for
safety and that you
Andrew Chaffin - Inflight
Big Bend Community College
will want to contribute your ideas,
Mike Davis - Flight Safety
Central Washington University
recommendations and
experience to making
its contents valuable
to you while at work,
at home and during
your travels.
Alaska Airlines would
Kenneth Hong - LAX
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott
Ryan Hopman - Chief Pilot
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott
Trisha Hughes - LAX
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott
like to thank Victoria
Clipper and the
Jason Ihrke - Corporate Safety
Big Bend Community College
Roosevelt Hotel for
their contribution to
Theron Messick - Computer Based Training
Utah State University
our safety program.
Robert Serviss - Emergency Response
Central Washington University
Jacob Woods- Employment
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
Daytona Beach
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Quick Response
by Pilots
Remains Key to
Surviving Cabin
Decompression
The immediate donning of
oxygen masks by the flight crew
is the essential first step after an
airplane loses cabin pressure at a
high altitude.
Stanley R. Mohler, M.D.
When an airplane undergoes
rapid decompression above
30,000 feet, the time of useful
consciousness (TUC) for flight
crewmembers (and passengers)
may be 30 seconds or less. But
crewmembers’ surprise and — in
some instances, their lack of
familiarity with decompression
— may sometimes contribute to
delays in responding correctly to
the emergency. Research by the
U.S. Air Force showed that eight
pilots out of 10 who have no prior
experience with decompression
wait as long as 15 seconds to
respond with proper corrective
actions to a loss of cabin pressure.
A U.S. Air Force training film of
a rapid decompression to 43,000
feet in an altitude-chamber
exercise showed several participants who had been informed
that decompression was imminent. They had been instructed
to respond to the “bang,” which
signaled the onset of the decompression, by donning an oxygen
mask, grabbing a device that
resembled a control stick and
giving a “thumbs-up” signal to
indicate that they were feeling
fine. Nearly all the participants
needed assistance from the chamber technician to don their masks.
Page 13
Capt. Erik Reed-Mohn, manager of
governmental and external affairs
for the Scandinavian Airlines
System Flight Academy — where
pilots receive decompression
training in a simulator rather
than an altitude chamber — said
that his experience in an altitude
chamber when he was a Royal
Norwegian Air Force pilot in the
1970s convinced him of the benefits of altitude-chamber training.
“You could feel your own mind
go,” Reed-Mohn said, recalling
how he and his colleagues had
been assigned to perform simple
tasks, such as reciting numbers,
during decompression exercises.
“You never noticed that you were
about to pass out. … They asked
questions, and the answers were
hard to find. … ‘What’s the
number after 19?’ You didn’t care.
If you encounter that feeling,
you’re in trouble.”
Daniel M. Izard, president and
CEO of Associated Aviation
Underwriters, an aviation insurance company, said that the
company encourages “the highest
level of training and recurrent
training” for pilots — including
decompression training — but
does not define what the training
should include and does not
specify whether altitude-chamber
experience should be involved.
The type of decompression
training that pilots receive does
not affect the amount of the
insurance premium, Izard said.
Even flight crewmembers with
altitude-chamber training may
have difficulty recognizing cabin
decompression and understanding the importance of speed in
donning their oxygen masks, the
U.K. Air Accidents Investigation
Branch (AAIB) said in a report
on an Aug. 13, 1998, decompression incident involving a Boeing
737 (B-737) on a night flight from
Dubrovnik, Croatia, to London
(England) Gatwick Airport. Both
the captain, who had nearly
19,000 hours of flight experience,
and the first officer had received
altitude-chamber training during
their previous military careers.
The first officer was preparing
the airplane for descent from
Flight Level (FL) 350 to FL 280,
as requested by ATC, when he
“felt pressure in his ears and
therefore checked the cabin
pressurization panel above his
head,” the report said. “He
observed that the cabin rate of
climb indicator was at the top of
its scale” and drew the captain’s
attention to the indicator. At the
same time, the senior flight
attendant felt pressure in her
ears, heard a “bang” and felt
“misting” and a rush of air.
A “bang” is characteristic of an
explosive decompression, which
is defined by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
as “a violent expansion and noise
from cabin air released under
pressure.” A rapid decompression
is one in which cabin altitude
increases by 7,000 feet (2,134
meters) per minute or more,
generally accompanied by “misting” — or the formation of a
cloud in the cabin as the temperature and the dew point in the
cabin converge and water vapor
condenses into visible droplets.
A slow decompression occurs if
the cabin altitude rises at a rate
of a few hundred feet per minute
or less.
The B-737 first officer attempted
to control the cabin rate of climb
by switching to the standby
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
pressurization system, the AAIB
report said. When use of the
standby system failed to improve
the situation, he donned his
oxygen mask. The captain, who
had been talking with a passenger who was visiting the flight
deck, told the visitor to return to
her seat and observed that the
cabin altitude indicator showed
that cabin altitude had climbed
to 20,000 feet.
“He therefore attempted to don
his oxygen mask, but in doing
so, it became entangled with his
spectacles and knocked them to
the floor,” the report said. “He
tried to retrieve them but lost
consciousness and slumped
forward.”
The first officer attempted to
help the captain but was unable
to do so. He initiated a descent,
then transmitted several MAYDAY emergency calls to ATC,
requesting an immediate descent to a lower altitude, and
after one instance of a blocked
transmission and another
instance in which he received
clearance to descend to FL 250,
the first officer was assigned a
radar heading and cleared for
descent to any altitude. The
first officer then asked the
senior flight attendant to assist
the captain.
“To enter the flight deck, [the
flight attendant] had to remove
her oxygen mask, and although
she knew that a portable oxygen
set was stowed above row 8, she
decided against the delay in
retrieving the set and went
straight onto the flight deck,”
the report said. “The first
officer pointed to the [captain]
and indicated that she should
try to assist him. However,
Page 14
before she was able to do so, she
collapsed onto the floor.”
The first officer attempted again
— this time, successfully —to put
on the oxygen mask for the
captain. Soon afterward, the
captain regained consciousness.
“His [the captain’s] first action
was to deploy the speed brake to
increase the rate of descent,” the
report said. “He then attempted
to communicate with the first
officer through the flight
interphone but was in fact transmitting to ATC. … [He] could not
hear ATC … because of background noise as a result of his
inadvertent selection of [automatic direction finder] identification on his audio selector.”
Later, as the first officer flew the
airplane through 11,000 feet
during the descent, the captain
assumed responsibility for ATC
communications, the report said.
The approach and landing were
uneventful, but after landing, the
captain and four passengers were
taken to a hospital. The captain
was unaware that he had been
unconscious — a typical reaction
from a victim of hypoxia — until
after the airplane had been
landed and the situation was
explained to him. An investigation revealed that “the lower aft
corner of the aft cargo door was
seen to gape open by about half
an inch [1.27 centimeters]” and
that there was a barely visible
crack in the doorframe.
In analyzing the incident, the
AAIB report said that, because
an experienced captain and an
experienced flight attendant had
lost consciousness during the
decompression, “it is … possible
that neither fully appreciated the
nature of hypoxia.”
“The term ‘time of useful consciousness’ may lead
crewmembers to assume that a
longer time is available for
performance of tasks than is
actually the case,” the AAIB
report said. “The time scale
‘window of opportunity’ for
donning oxygen [masks] and
securing personal safety, and
thereby that of the aircraft, can
be very limited and must take
overriding precedence.”
The training given by some
airlines stresses the limitations
that pilots face in responding to
an occurrence of decompression
— and stresses that those
limitations require that pilots
don their oxygen masks and
initiate oxygen flow before
determining the cause of decompression and that they initiate
an emergency descent, if necessary, then notify ATC of their
actions as soon as possible.
Statistics compiled by the U.K.
Civil Aviation Authority showed
that 77 occurrences of decompression were reported in all
types of pressurized aircraft from
1990 through 1999. From 1985
through 1999, 164 decompression
occurrences were reported to the
Transportation Safety Board of
Canada, and from 1990 through
1999, the Australian Bureau of
Air Safety Investigation recorded
five decompression occurrences.
In the United States, statistics
compiled by the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) showed
that 355 occurrences of aircraft
decompression were reported
from 1974 through 1983, an
average of about 35 a year, and
less than half were classified as
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Page 15
“significant.” CAMI classifies an
occurrence of decompression as
significant if the cabin pressure
exceeds 14,000 feet, if the passenger oxygen masks are deployed or if the occurrence
results in any injuries.
initiate an emergency descent.
During the descent, the captain,
the flight engineer and the
attendant regained consciousness, and an emergency landing
was made at Indianapolis,
Indiana.”
The crew of an American Trans
Air Boeing 727 experienced what
began as a slow decompression
on a night flight that departed
from Midway Airport, Chicago,
Illinois, U.S., on May 12, 1996.
The NTSB report said that the
cabin-altitude warning horn
sounded as the airplane reached
cruise altitude at FL 330.
Eleven people, including three
flight attendants and eight
passengers, received minor
injuries; no injuries were reported among the 101 other
people on the airplane, including
the three-member cockpit crew.
The report said that the probable cause of the occurrence was
the failure of the captain and
the flight engineer to use a
checklist to troubleshoot the
pressurization system problem
and the flight engineer’s improper control of the pressurization system.
“The captain noticed the right
air conditioning pack was off,
and he, along with the flight
engineer, attempted to reinstate
the pack without using a checklist,” NTSB said. “The cabin
altitude continued to climb to
14,000 feet, at which time the
warning lights illuminated and
the oxygen masks deployed in
the [passenger] cabin. While
attempting to correct the cabin
altitude, the flight engineer
inadvertently opened the
outflow valve.”
The result was a rapid loss of
cabin pressure.
“The captain, the flight engineer
and the lead flight attendant all
subsequently became unconscious due to hypoxia,” NTSB
said. “The captain had delayed
donning his oxygen mask. The
flight engineer became unconscious after reviving the flight
attendant. The first officer, who
had only 10 hours of flight time
in the airplane, had donned his
oxygen mask when the warning
horn first sounded, maintained
consciousness, and was able to
Physiologically, the major effect
of cabin decompression is the
reduction of the amount of
oxygen available for bodily
functions. As cabin pressure
decreases and pressure altitude
increases, there is a decrease in
oxygen in any given volume of
cabin air — and less oxygen is in
each inhaled breath. To compensate for decreasing oxygen
levels, people breathe faster and
their pulse rates increase;
euphoria and a tingling sensation in the fingers may develop,
along with blurred vision, lightheadedness, muscle spasms,
sinus pain and gastrointestinal
discomfort. All of these reactions
may be symptoms of hypoxia.
The effects of hypoxia may vary
from one person to the next,
depending on the person’s
health, state of fatigue, state of
physical fitness and how much
activity an individual must
perform. (Pilots and flight
attendants require more oxygen
during an emergency than
typical, healthy, seated passengers do.) Because the eyes and
the brain have a high metabolism and cannot store oxygen,
they are most sensitive to oxygen depletion; the first measurable decline in the body’s functioning occurs in sight, with
some loss of night vision at
altitudes as low as 5,000 feet.
After several hours at 10,000
feet, many people experience a
“measurable deterioration” of
their mental abilities and physical dexterity. At 18,000 feet, the
mental deterioration may be
followed by unconsciousness; the
TUC at that altitude is about 15
minutes. At 25,000 feet, the TUC
may be as little as three minutes, and in some situations,
exposure to cabin altitudes of
more than 25,000 feet without
supplemental oxygen for more
than two minutes might result
in permanent brain damage. At
higher altitudes, the TUC decreases rapidly; at 40,000 feet,
for example, the TUC may be 15
seconds or less.
Other physical effects of decompression include the painful
expansion of gases in body
cavities — the stomach and
intestines, the joints, diseased
areas beneath the teeth and
inside decayed teeth — and pain
in the middle ears and the
sinuses as the body adjusts to
the pressure change. If the
decompression is slow, one of the
early symptoms of hypoxia is a
blue tinge on the lips and under
the fingernails; the color change
is a result of the reduction of
oxygen in the hemoglobin of red
blood cells.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Altitude-chamber training
allows pilots to experience the
effects of hypoxia and decompression at high altitudes in a
carefully controlled environment. As the pressure altitude in
the chamber increases, each
participant learns which symptoms he or she experiences with
the onset of hypoxia: Some feel a
tingling in the fingers; others
feel a general warmth or a sort
of euphoria.
In the United States, Federal
Aviation Regulations Part 61
requires anyone who serves as
pilot-in-command of a pressurized aircraft to receive groundschool training on physiological
aspects of high-altitude flight,
including hypoxia and other
high-altitude sickness; gas
expansion; and duration of
consciousness without supplemental oxygen. There is no
requirement for civilian pilots to
have altitude-chamber experience, but FAA has said that a
pilot’s ability to recognize hypoxia “can be greatly improved
by experiencing and witnessing
the effects of hypoxia during an
altitude-chamber ‘flight.’’’ FAA
offers civilian pilots aviation
physiology training, including
altitude-chamber training, at
CAMI in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., or at participating
military bases.
Typical altitude-chamber training for civilian pilots includes
experience at the 25,000-footaltitude level, a hypoxia demonstration and a decompression
from 8,000 to 18,000 feet.
Critics have said that altitudechamber training for civilian
pilots unnecessarily puts partici-
Page 16
pants at risk of decompression
sickness and other altituderelated ailments and that alternative methods — including
training films and classroom
instruction sufficiently educate
pilots about decompression. (In
cases of decompression sickness,
an individual’s exposure to low
barometric pressure causes
nitrogen and other inert gases
that normally are dissolved in
body fluids and body tissues to
form bubbles. This can occur in
different parts of the body. The
most frequent symptom is pain
in the joints, known as “the
bends,” but numerous other
symptoms may occur, including
confusion, headache, blurred
vision, dizziness, nausea, tingling in the lower chest and
back, abdominal pain, chest
pain, muscle weakness, and
mottled skin. The most severe
cases of decompression sickness
can result in death.)
The FAA has defended the
altitude-chamber training as
superior to “mere movies and
lectures” and said that, among
15,412 participants in altitudechamber training between 1965
and 1992, there were four instances of suspected decompression sickness; 1,285 participants
experienced other reactions,
including ear blocks, sinus
blocks, tooth problems, abdominal gas, hyperventilation, claustrophobia, apprehension and
pulmonary gas expansion during
rapid decompression. None of
the reactions was classified by
FAA as serious.
showed that there was about
one case of decompression
sickness for every 1,000 participants. The statistic referred to
military pilots who receive
repeated altitude-chamber
training, with career military
personnel who serve as observers inside the altitude chambers
and with altitude-chamber
experiences at altitudes of more
than 25,000 feet.
Military altitude-chamber
training also involves rapid
decompressions from 8,000 feet
to 22,000 feet in 1.5 seconds,
compared with FAA rapid decompressions, which take participants from 8,000 feet to 18,000
feet in from three seconds to five
seconds. The lower altitude and
the longer time for the onset of
the decompression explain why
no cases of pneumothorax were
observed among participants in
FAA altitude-chamber exercises,
FAA said. (Pneumothorax is a
leak of air from the lungs into
the chest, which can be caused
when an altitude-chamber
trainee holds his or her breath
during rapid depressurization,
causing a tear in the lung.)
Regardless of whether the
training is conducted in an
altitude chamber or a flight
simulator, the message is the
same: The first step for any
flight crewmember faced with
a loss of cabin pressure is the
immediate donning of an
oxygen mask.
(Reprinted from Flight Safety
The FAA has also said that some
of the criticism was based on
data gathered from military
altitude-chamber training that
Foundation, “Human Factors &
Aviation Medicine”,
January-February 2000)
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Passenger Safety
Traveling
Safely
with
Small
Children
By Rick Houglund
As an airline
employee you’re
probably used to
jumping on aircraft,
taking the first
available seat and off
you go. But the
situation rapidly
changes if you bring
infants and toddlers
into the picture.
Airline procedures
also vary from one to
another. These are
the procedures for
Alaska Airlines.
Infant/ Toddler
Seats
The safest place for
the young traveler is
in an approved infant/
toddler seat.
Not all infant/toddler
seats are approved for
airline travel. The
easiest way to tell if
the seat is approved is
to check for the
sticker. Somewhere on
the car seat a sticker
with red lettering
should state that the
seat is approved for
airline use. If the
sticker is missing, the
seat cannot be used
for taxi, takeoff and
landing.
The approved infant/
toddler seat has a
hard back, hard
bottom, and an
internal harness. It
must be able to be
Page 17
fastened to the
passenger seat using
the aircraft seatbelt.
The seat must be
belted in before the
aircraft moves.
If the infant/toddler
seat does not meet
these requirements it
may be a booster seat.
Booster seats cannot
be used for taxi; take
off and landing but
may be used during
the flight.
You may be asking,
“Isn’t any seat safer
than sitting on my
lap?“ The answer,
according to expert
testing, is no. Seats on
commercial aircraft
break forward during
an accident. If the
infant/toddler seat is
not approved or does
not have a solid back,
the child could be
crushed.
Child Restraints
A Snuggly may be a
convenient way to
transport your baby
through the airport,
but the FAA says it
can’t be used for
takeoff and landing.
In fact, no vest type
restraint can be used
during taxi, takeoff
and landing. These
devices can actually
increase the chance of
injury during an
accident. Some
companies who
manufacture these
items advertise them
as being legal on
aircraft. This
advertising is
misleading. The items
do not have the
required sticker. The
child restraints are
allowed on the
aircraft, but they
cannot be used for taxi,
take off and landing.
Seating
On Alaska Airlines
the car seat must be
in a non-aisle seat.
When you think of the
beverage and food
carts going up and
down the aisle,
luggage falling from
an overhead
compartment and
people moving down
the aisle, it’s easy to
see why this rule is
in place.
If the Infant/Toddler
seat is strapped in
the middle seat, an
adult responsible for
the infant or toddler
must occupy the
window seat.
Infant/Toddler seats
cannot be used in the
row forward of the
emergency exits or in
the emergency exit
row. Infant/toddler
seats in these rows
would impede an
emergency evacuation.
The seats can be
purchased for the
child or parents can
see if an open seat is
available. If there are
unoccupied seats that
meet the criteria for
a child seat the seat
will be given free
of charge.
Lap Children
Any child who has not
reached their second
birthday can sit on an
adult’s lap. These are
referred to as lap
children. Although
this mode of travel is
not advised, it is legal.
Tests by the FAA show
that during a crash,
even a small infant
becomes so heavy
adults cannot hang
onto them. This is
because of G-forces
and other laws of
physics. Many
travelers use this
option due to cost; it
saves parents from
buying an additional
seat for the toddler
or infant.
Emergencies &
Turbulence
If the Captain warns
of turbulence, place
the child in the
toddler/child seat.
You never know just
how intense the
turbulence may be.
In an emergency, the
flight attendants may
demonstrate special
brace positions to the
parent. If the child is
sitting on the parent’s
lap, it is safer to
buckle the child in a
vacant seat, as long as
the child can sit up.
During an evacuation
leave the infant/toddler
seat and take only the
child with you.
These instructions are
told to parents or the
responsible adult on
every flight.
Supplies
Be sure to take along
a carry-on with your
supplies inside. Don’t
check the bag with
your baby formula,
cookies, diapers and
other items you might
need during flight.
The aircraft is stocked
with very few of these
items.
Overall, remember
thousands of families
with babies fly each
year. Most of the
families are flying
hassle free.
Preparation can pay
off, leaving you to
safely enjoy the first
or final leg of your
vacation.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Page 18
Letter from James Humphreys, Captain B757, Continental Airlines
That’s the Spirit!
To Alaska Airlines,
I was the Captain of Continental Airlines Flight 120 that diverted into Ketchikan (KTN) early
Saturday morning August 12. I want to let your company know how outstanding men and
women of that station performed on our behalf, and that because of their dedication and
professionalism, we were able to handle the situation safely.
As dawn came and the first employees arrived to start their normal day, I am sure they were
surprised to see an idling 757 on their ramp. We had arrived nearly an hour earlier, only to find
the terminal shut down for the night. Almost immediately, I was able to make radio contact
with your operations, and although they had the routine business of your first flight, they were
able to come to our assistance.
Here are a few of the achievements worth noting:
• They accurately signaled to me so that I could taxi and park the aircraft in a tight situation.
• They fabricated stairs that were secured via cargo straps on top of their normal 737 stairs in
order to reach our aircraft and get our passengers safely into the terminal with their baggage
(and fish).
• They helped coordinate our rescue flight from SEA later that day.
• They shifted cargo out of one of your combi aircraft, allowing additional seats to airlift the
remaining passengers to SEA.
• They gave us access to ground support equipment, including a ground power cart and a belt loader.
Operationally, these were some of the technical points that, from my perspective, warranted
recognition. But there was another quality I want to highlight, and that is the attitude of your
employees. From the very first moment I contacted your operations that morning, we were
treated as if we were part of your company.
I want thank Kim in operations, whose patience with us did not go unnoticed as we used her
phones, computers, and printers. Don in maintenance gave us technical assistance. Your ramp
crew, Ken, Erik, Buz, Amy, and Ian, handled not only your daily operations, but off-loaded our
aircraft and reloaded these bags on two other aircraft. Also your PM fueler, was very innovative
in finding a way to reach the fuel panel.
And finally, I wish to thank the CSA team in Ketchikan. We are in the business of moving people,
and when there is a disruption, it is customer service that keeps passengers coming back. I was
told that Connie was the Lead that day, along with Loreal, Joanne, Linda, Tris, Cyndee, Matt, Bob,
Candy, and of course their supervisor, Vince. This crew came to work to find over 150 additional
passengers placed in their laps and although there were only two empty seats out of KTN that
morning, they treated these people as if they were your passengers. By the way, they smartly put
our two unaccompanied minors in those two empty seats. Please pass along my sincere thanks for
a job well done. Your KTN station manager, Edson Azizi, has a fine team.
Your company helped us when we were truly in need, and provided Continental Airlines, our
crew, and our passenger the means to work through a very serious situation.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
James W. Humphreys, Captain B757, Continental Airlines
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Page 19
Cargo Weight Limits
EIPRB Prompts Cargo Weight Limit Reduction
Since March of 2000 the Employee Injury Prevention Review Board (EIPRB),
chaired by Ed White, VP Customer Service, has met regularly to review injuries to
ground operations personnel. The review process during the meeting involves a
presentation of the accident investigations that occurred immediately following the
accident including the corrective actions taken to prevent future recurrences.
The board members and panel of other location managers then suggest
additional corrective actions that may be in place at other locations or
propose new ideas for injury prevention. Managers are able to take the
experiences back to their locations for implementation beyond where the
initial accident occurred. The board consists of Aileen Cronin, Legal;
Mark Cassidy, Legal; Janelle Miller, Director Customer Service; Todd Sproul,
Director Seattle Station Operations; Steve Carlisle, Anchorage Customer Service
Manager; and Holly Geiger, Director Occupational & Operational Safety.
One injury resulted in a review of cargo weights accepted for shipment in the
aircraft bellies. The following changes are the direct result of the EIPRB. One injury
is too many, but there is some comfort in knowing we are using lessons learned to
prevent additional injuries.
New Weight Restriction Procedures
Effective 26 January 2001, there will be a restriction of the amount of weight per
piece that we can accept for the belly load of any of our aircraft. The maximum
weight per piece is 300 lbs. This restriction is for the safety of our personnel and
aircraft. It also limits the amount of damage to shipments and helps to insure the
load-ability. This restriction is for belly loads only, the igloo loads will remain the
same as they are now.
On acceptance of a cargo shipment, two questions must be asked of the shipper.
• Is there any piece of this shipment that weighs over 150 lbs.?
Alaska Airlines
• Is there any piece of this shipment that weighs over 300 lbs.?
If there are any pieces of the shipment weighing over 150 lbs. but less
than 300 lbs. we must attach a “Heavy Assistance Required when
lifting” label to the piece. When loading for a flight place this label on
the outside cart tag.
HEAVY
T-8-22
BEND YOUR KNEES
HEAVY
The following Premanifest remark must be entered into the ISAAC air
way bill record:
This piece weighs
150-300 Lbs.
Assistance Required when lifting
Exception: Prearranged shipments such as human remains and AOG
comat shipments may be accepted for belly load up to 500 lbs. per piece.
“HEAVY” labels, as shown below, must be attached to thesepieces. Operations
must be notified via Teletype in order to advise the ramp lead responsible for
working the flight.
For igloo only pieces weighing over 300 lbs., place a “HEAVY” label, as
shown on the right, on the piece and enter the following premanifest
remark into ISAAC record: R*Pre/HEAVY igloo only.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Where to find your
station’s
environmental file?
Where the first aid
kits are located?
Where the nearest fire
extinguishers are
located?
Who are the
Hazwopers in your
work area?
Where to find the
Safety &
Environmental
Manual?
Where the floor
drains in your work
area lead to?
Who the
environmental contact
is at your airport?
What BMPs are
required by your
airport storm water
permit?
HAZ MAT Quiz Answers:
Special thanks to Hawaiian Airlines for
their assistance in developing this idea.
Where PPE is stored
and what types are
immediately
available?
1. D is the correct answer. All federal rules
regarding shipment of hazardous materials and
firearms apply to non-rev passengers as well as
revenue passengers. These rules are for the
safety of our passengers and our aircraft. No
exceptions can be made to these rules.
5. Which of the following examples of
COMAT may be considered regulated as
Hazardous Materials, and why?
a) Oxygen cylinders
b) used fuel pumps
c) exit signs
d) aircraft batteries
e) all of the above (Answers on p. 14)
Where your station’s
spill kits are located?
2. C is the correct answer. You should never
attempt to clean up a spill unless you have had
HAZWOPER training. Also you should never
smoke around a spill (not that you would smoke
on the ramp anyway!). And of course, never
leave a spill for someone else to handle. Many
chemicals are hazardous to humans and can
create serious health problems to you or the
next person to handle the box. Also many
chemicals are corrosive to metal and can do
serious damage to the aircraft.
4. While watching a flight being loaded,
you see a carton with diamond-shaped
labels. This indicates:
a) dangerous goods
b) special handling applies
c) Special Delivery
d) Blue Diamond almonds
Do you know....
3. True. An oxygen concentrator is a device
that aids in breathing. It concentrates the
oxygen in the air. They cannot be used on the
aircraft, but are legal to be checked or carried
on. Some models have a small oxygen bottle
attached to the device. This bottle must be
empty before we can transport it. While it is
legal to carry this device on the aircraft, they
typically weigh in at 50 pounds or more. So use
your best judgement when determining if it is
OK for this flight, or if it should be checked.
3. True or False: A passenger may carry
an oxygen concentrator in their checked
baggage?
Hazardous materials
spills and other
emergencies can
happen at anytime.
There’s more to being
prepared for an
emergency than just
having the right
supplies on hand. Are
you ready if an
emergency should
happen on your shift?
4. A is the correct answer.
2. You are loading bags onto an airplane
and you see a box leaking a liquid.
You should:
a) load the box and let the downline
station handle it
b) light up a cigarette
c) contact your Lead or Supervisor
d) attempt to clean up the spill
Crossword Puzzle Answers
5. E is the correct answer. Oxygen cylinders are
filled with compressed gas, residual fuel may be
found in the fuel pump, low level radioactive
material may be present in some signs, and
1. A non-rev passenger is checking a
bag. When asked whether the bag
contains any “firearms, or other dangerous or flammable materials?” the
passenger answers “yes.” Do you:
a) check the bag anyway. After all, it is
an airline employee.
b) call security
c) go home
d) ask questions of the non-rev passenger to determine what type of dangerous goods are in the bag, and proceed
from there
Are You
Prepared
for a
Chemical
Emergency?
batteries contain acid.
HAZ MAT Quiz
Page 20
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
There are
No Small Tasks
The Spirit
by Harry A. Hamlem
It was Doug’s first job. The pay was
good, 20 cents an hour, and it
allowed him to work around airplanes. His job was to sweep the
floor, save dropped rivets, nuts, and
other undamaged hardware, and put
the trash into an empty oil drum
with one end cut out.Mahoney
Aircraft Company, located on Dutch
Flats, was close enough to San Diego
Bay that Doug could smell the ocean.
A tall, lean pilot taxied a brand new
airplane from its final test flight,
parked it on the concrete slab, and
shut down the engine. Then he got
into a black touring car and rode off
with the chief engineer.
The working crew closed their tool
chests, picked up their lunch boxes,
and headed home – all but the shop
foreman, the two lineman, the night
watchman, and Doug. The foreman
told the line crew exactly how much
fuel to put into the main tank. Doug
helped them roll out five drums of
aviation gasoline from the fuel
shack, climbed a stepladder with a
funnel and a foot-long rubber hose
extension. He held the funnel while
the linemen poured in gasoline, five
gallons at a time.
Doug called out the number of
gallons, “five gallons, ten, fifteen,”
etc., as the linemen carefully
measured the fuel into the tank.
When the last gallon was poured,
Doug removed the funnel and
accidentally dislodged the extension
hose into the gas tank. The lineman
hadn’t noticed. Doug deliberated.
The hose was too large to block a
fuel line. Also, he might be fired.
Jobs were scarce.
Page 21
He tightened the fuel cap and
climbed down the ladder with the
funnel. He helped them clear away
the empty drums, the ladder and
other equipment and lock them in
the fuel shack. All three of them
lived at the same boarding house at
Sixth and Maple Streets. “Get in the
car, Doug. Let’s go home,” the chief
lineman said.
Doug couldn’t sleep. He thought
about the hose. No harm was really
done. The hose wouldn’t be found for
months, if ever. Then he thought
about how carefully the mechanics
had worked to build this airplane.
They had constructed every detail
from the wing ribs to individual
rivets with meticulous care, nothing
left to chance. Anything that wasn’t
perfect was discarded and made over.
He came to love the silver-colored
airplane. He still couldn’t sleep.
Would that piece of hose be the only
part of the airplane that wasn’t
perfect? If so, it would be his fault.
Close to midnight, he got up and
dressed. It was about a mile to the
foreman’s house at Kettner and
Grape streets. He knocked hard on
the front door and called out several
times before he heard someone stir.
Then it was two or three minutes
before a light came on and the sleepy
shop foreman, dressed in pajamas,
opened the door. He looked annoyed.
“Yes?” he inquired.
Realizing he might be fired in the
next minute, Doug said, “I work for
you at the factory. I think I better
tell you something that happened
tonight.” A somewhat friendlier
expression came on the foreman’s
face as he recognized his floor
sweeper. “Come on in, Doug. What
the hell is it that can’t wait until
morning?”
Doug told him about the dropped
hose. “I don’t think it can hurt
anything, but I thought you ought to
know.” The foreman thought for a
moment, then said, “Get those
linemen out of bed, and the three of
you meet me at the airplane. We’ll
be working all night.”
Doug ran all the way back to their
boarding house at Sixth and Maple.
The two men yawned and complained but got dressed. Doug
cranked their Model-T, and they
went to the factory. It was two a.m.
The airplane glistened in the
moonlight just where they had
left it. The night watchman still
stood guard.
“Get the hand pump and five empty
drums,” the foreman ordered.
“Pump the gas out of that tank.”
They took turns at the pump crank.
Three hours later they had pumped
out enough fuel so the foreman
could see the hose with a flashlight.
He fished it out with a coat hanger.
Then they carefully strained,
measured and refilled the tank back
to its former level.
The foreman dropped the hose into a
five-gallon glass bottle, filled the
bottle with gasoline, capped it, and
set it in a back corner of the fuel
shack. He turned to Doug. “You’re
fired, but I’ll hire you back tomorrow
at 25 cents an hour. All three of you
get some sleep and be back by noon if
you want to see this airplane again.”
The three of them skipped breakfast
at the boarding house and came
back to the factory. Doug was happy
that he hadn’t really been fired, but
had gotten a raise in pay. They
watched the tall, lean pilot climb
into the airplane, now with Spirit of
St. Louis neatly lettered on its
cowling. He took off from Dutch
Flats and disappeared eastward
over San Diego. The date was May
10, 1927. The San Diego Sun
carried the story.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
On May 20, the tall, lean pilot took
off from New York. Thirty-three and
one half hours later he landed in
Paris. Every newspaper in the world
carried the story.
The foreman told Doug, “Bring me
that glass bottle.” The rubber hose
had disintegrated into a sticky glob
of black goo.
It would, almost to a certainty,
have caused an unexplained loss
of a beautiful new airplane and a
Ergonomics
Testing
Seattle Ticket Counter Employees
Take Part in a Government Study
to Test the Merits of New
Ergonomics Regulation
By Holly Geiger
The state of Washington has passed
a set of ergonomics regulations,
aimed at decreasing work-related
musculoskeletal disorders
(WMSDs) resulting from work
activities that include specific
physical risk factors suspected to
cause soft-tissue injury. Alaska
Airlines Customer Service Agents
in Seattle are taking part in a
study to test the merits of the
proposed legislation as it relates to
their Ticket Counter operation.
Specifically, the study will look at
hazard assessment of the ticket
counter jobs, identification of best
practices, and development of
training materials, all with the
intent of decreasing the risk of
becoming injured at work.
Page 22
tall, lean pilot somewhere over
the Atlantic.
Often we feel like what we are doing
is very tedious and seems routine,
even automatic. However in the
highly intricate airline industry, one
task is dependent on another. Wingwalkers, marshallers, refuelers,
lavatory servicers and others have a
profound impact on the safety of
aircraft and the flying public. There
is no small task in our business.
What is the purpose
of the Washington State
Ergonomics rule?
The purpose of this rule is to
reduce employee exposure to
specific workplace hazards that can
cause or aggravate WMSDs.
Reducing these hazards is intended
to prevent WMSDs such as tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome
and low back disorders. The rule is
not designed to prevent injuries
from slips, trips, falls, motor
vehicle accidents or being struck by
or caught in objects.
Why participate in the study?
Alaska’s participation in this study
is optional. We welcome this
opportunity to learn and adopt
tools and training materials to
decrease the risk of injury to our
employees. Alaska’s Seattle CSA’s,
the corporate safety department,
and the IAM have partnered with
the research arm of the state’s
industrial safety and health section
of the Department of Labor &
Industries for one reason: to
decrease the likelihood of injury to
our CSA’s. We expect to receive
suggestions for best practices and
training materials pertinent to this
work group that will enhance the
safety of this work environment.
One preventable injury to our
employees is too many.
Becoming a safe organization
includes choosing a safe approach to
every task we perform, recognizing
the hazards, understanding what to
do, and acting correctly even in the
face of pressure. Acting correctly
includes reporting the hazard or
damage immediately. If we fail to do
this, the result can often have a
domino effect and may be disastrous. Learn from Doug, who was
willing to risk his job to do the right
thing. There is “no small task.”
What about workers
outside of Washington State?
The federal standard is taking
longer to implement, although
several states are in various stages
of implementing their own programs. Many industry lobbyists
maintain that the federal standard
is vague and lacks scientific merit.
However, we intend to apply what
is learned from this study systemwide for the benefit
of all CSA’s.
Who is affected by the new
ruling in Washington State?
Only workers who are in “caution
zone jobs” are affected by this
ruling. A “caution zone job” is a job
where an employee’s typical work
activities include physical risk
factors specified by the regulation
language, including 1) awkward
posture; 2) high hand force; 3)
highly repetitive motion; 4) repeated
impact; and 5) heavy, repeated, and
awkward lifting. Duration of
exposure is a factor when classifying caution zone jobs. This rule
does not prohibit caution zone jobs,
but does require that further
evaluation be performed with the
intent of reducing the hazard.
When will this
become mandatory?
The standard does not come into
effect until July of 2002.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
I n j u ry F re e
Stations
The following locations
completed 2000 without
a single injury that
required more than
first aid treatment.
Stations:
BUR
Burbank, CA
LAX
Los Angeles
Maintenance
MWH Moses Lake
Maintenance
ONT
Ontario, CA
PSG
Petersburg, AK
RNO
Reno, NV
SCC
Prudhoe Bay, AK
SJC
San Jose, CA
TUS
Tuscan, AZ
WRG
Wrangell, AK
Page 23
Passenger
Safety Tip
You may like the extra legroom of an emergency exit row, but are
you fit to sit in those seats?
When sitting in the emergency exit row, you need to have full
mobility and strength of both arms, hands and legs. This mobility is needed to reach the emergency exit, remove obstacles,
manipulate the emergency exit, work the exit slide mechanisms
and assist others getting off the slide. You must understand
instructions in English, have sufficient visual and hearing
capacity to understand crew directions and tell others directions.
You must not have a responsibility such as a small child or other
condition which would keep you from performing emergency
procedures. You must be at least 15 years old. You cannot use a
seatbelt extension in the exit row.
The following locations
completed 2000 with
a significant reduction
in injury rates
compared to 1999:
ANC CARGO
35%
ANC FLT OPS
100%
ANC MTCE
49%
FAI
27%
KTN
49%
LAX
39%
LAX MTCE
100%
MWH MTCE
100%
OAK
59%
OAK MTCE
57%
OME
70%
ONT
100%
OTZ
59%
PDX
49%
PDX MTCE
90%
PHX RES
80%
PSG
100%
PSP
45%
SAN
51%
SCC
100%
SEA CARGO
29%
SEA FLT OPS
53%
SFO
46%
SFO MTCE
67%
SJC
100%
WRG
100%
Additional information is printed on the safety information card
located in exit row safety card. The Customer Service Agent will
also provide any additional information you may need.
The Year in Review
Here at Alaska, we take the safety of our flights very seriously.
Sometimes, though, things happen which are interesting or
downright funny. The following excerpts are from Pilot
Reports. No names, times, or dates will be identified.
• “Passenger told flight attendant he misplaced a sack
containing drugs for his mother. Flight Attendant found an
unmarked sack, opened to find it full of marijuana. Subject
identified it as his. I called security. Man was removed.”
• “Child reported ear pain at FL350 (35,000 feet). Flight
Attendants called MedLink as cockpit crew descended to FL310.
Nurse on board attended child. Popcorn kernel removed and
child felt better.”
• “A ground/baggage handler fell asleep in the aft cargo
compartment. He was locked in, and during pushback a
passenger heard his calls and banging. Flight Attendant
confirmed the noise and notified us. We had the pushback crew
release the ramp agent.”
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Page 24
Station Spotlight
Burbank
As a regular feature, the Safety Division will spotlight a station
that has exemplified teamwork, safety and customer service.
This quarter’s spotlight is on the Burbank (BUR) station.
Twenty years ago Alaska Airlines moved into Burbank
International Airport. Since then it has become the premier
airline in the Burbank area. Much of this success is due to the
high number of recurrent customers. Why do they return?
Alaska is not the only airline in the Burbank area; in fact, the airline business
in that area is highly competitive. The reason for Alaska’s success in Burbank
is simple, it’s about people. The employees at the Burbank station love their
work and that enthusiasm shows. This is a station with an extremely low
transfer or attrition rate, the people like the station, they like each other, they
like their job and they just don’t want to leave. Janine Regoli, for example,
transferred to Burbank when
(Left to right)
Alaska Airlines opened there and
Carla Nay,
has no desire to leave. Other
Teresa Pratt,
employees even live closer to other
Janine Regoli,
stations but drive out of their way
to work at Burbank.
Rosy Pacheco,
Cindy Clore, and
Monica Rodriguez
The Burbank station is not the newest of airports and does not have all the
latest equipment and support items that some of the larger stations have. They
may have something better. They have a team that goes out of their way to help
each other and look out for each other. It’s not just the 24 Alaska Airlines
employees; the team extends to the airport employees. Security, skycaps and
the contractors at Worldwide Flight Services go above and
beyond what’s required of them.
The Burbank team has much to be proud of. They have an
excellent safety record: over three years without an accident
or injury. Burbank has a history of great customer service,
resulting in many “regulars,” very positive morale, and high
standards exemplified by two Alaska Airlines Customer Service
Legends, Cindy Clore and Lulu Wong.
(Left to right)
Marcy Woodfork,
If they seem like a close knit bunch, that’s because they are. “I am very
Maria Orellana,
fortunate to be working with a team like we have at Burbank,” says Customer
Tina Caraco,
Services Manager Carla Nay.
JudyHatten and
Lise Fernandez
Thanks to the team at Burbank fo their commitment to safety, their customers
and each other.
The Safe Approach, Spring 2001
Simplifying CPR
The International Liaison Committee on
Resuscitation recently held the
International Guidelines 2000
Conference on Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation and Emergency
Cardiovascular Care. As a result of
scientific evidence (not just physician
opinion) several changes were released
and are available from the American
Heart Association. These new guidelines
intend to simplify the rescue effort.
Page 25
from the current standard for CPR, have
been included.
The primary purpose of CPR is to prolong
the time a victim stays in ventricular
fibrillation, hence in a potentially revivable
condition. To be useful you should be
trained and retrained on a regular basis to
maintain an effective skill level. These new
procedures should be part of your next
CPR training. For information on formal
training or procedures contact the
AS Safety Department.
The following is a summary of the
changes. This list is not meant to be a
substitute for formal training. Only
those recommendations, which differ
For more information on
CPR/First Aid classes for next quarter,
contact Chris Turner (206-574-1964) or
Rick Nault (206-574-1967).
OLD
NEW
Check for pulse before starting chest
Check for signs of circulation by
compressions.
looking for normal breathing,
coughing or movement. If absent,
start chest compressions.
Provide 15 chest compressions for every
Provide 15 chest compressions for
2 breaths if a single rescuer, and 5 chest
every 2 breaths in both single and
compressions for every breath if there are
two-person CPR.
two rescuers.
For unconscious choking victim, perform
For unconscious choking victim,
abdominal thrusts and blind finger sweep
perform CPR and do not blindly
of the mouth.
sweep the mouth. Chest
compressions in CPR will function
like abnormal thrusts.
Access to defibrillator is recommended.
The goal is to be able to give a
defibrillatory shock within 5 minutes
of collapse outside of the hospital,
and within 3 minutes in a hospital.
Defibrillators should be placed where
there is probability of one sudden
cardiac arrest every five years.
Compressions given at a rate of
Chest compressions should be given
80-100 per minute
at a rate of 100 times per minute.
Safety Hazard Report
Your Name*:
Job Title:
Today’s Date:
Date of Observation:
Station/Base:
Supervisor Name:
My safety concern is:
I observed this at:
Type of Equipment Involved:
AC or GSE #:
My proposed solution is:
SHR shall be handed to your supervisor or manager for response within 7 days of receipt.
Please see Safety & Environmental Manual for Detailed Instructions and Information.
*If you wish to report a hazard and remain anonymous, please forward SHR to SEASQ.
ARCTIC: WS-9 (7/oo) ASA#0-0410-3-1905
SHR Summary Report – Supervisor Use Only
Priority:
Requires Immediate Action
Moderate Hazard
Long-term, Low Potential Hazard
I have responded to this safety concern and have taken the following action:
Determined Not a Safety Hazard
Item Resolved. Explain:
Requested Facilities/Maintenance Repair:
Referred to
for Action.
(Should be next level of Department Management or Local Safety Committee.)
Met/Spoke with employee on
More follow-up required:
Signed:
Date:
Yes
No
Ext:
Comments:
Once completed by supervisor, forward all SHR’s to SEAWO.
More information on the back
The Safety Hazard Reporting (SHR) Program is a means for
employees to report hazards and possible solutions and receive
a personal response back from their supervisor or the Safety
Department. If the supervisor is unable to resolve the safety
concern, the SHR will be referred to the next highest level of
management for action. If the employee is unsatisfied with the
response or the effectiveness of the solution, they can take
their concern to the Safety Department for resolution.
Employees working in a particular job know the most about their
work environment and the feasibility of proposed solutions. For this
reason, employee participation in the SHR is critical to its success.
Participation by all employees is greatly appreciated. Employees
are encouraged to submit their name and contact information for
personal follow-up. However, anonymous forms or online reports
will be accepted and investigated. Anonymous reports should be
forwarded to both the supervisor and the Safety Department at
SEAWO. No punitive action will be taken by the company
against employees who submit safety hazard reports.
Any safety hazard that presents an immediate threat to life
or health should be reported to your supervisor or Safety
Department without delay. Actual emergencies should be
reported to the appropriate emergency provider (i.e. 911).
Submission Requirements
Employees are encouraged to provide all requested information
on the SHR for maximum efficiency. Especially important is the
Proposed Solution. As stated above, anonymous forms will be
accepted but do not permit personal follow-up from the supervisor
or Safety Department.
Supervisory Response Time
The employee’s supervisor or manager shall meet and/or speak
with the employee to communicate their intended action within
seven (7) days from the date of receipt.
Abatement Implementation
Hazard abatements shall be evaluated with respect to their
effectiveness, feasibility and compliance with state and federal
regulations. Interim solutions are encouraged and acceptable
pending final resolution.
SHR Recordkeeping
Once the supervisor has met or spoken with the employee and
completed the supervisor portion, the SHR shall be forwarded
to SEAWO.
Questions or comments can be directed to the Safety Department
at Safety@alaskaair.com.
Nomination for
Individual Employee
Safety Awards
This Nomination is for:
Name
Comail address
Position
Department
This individual has made an outstanding contribution to the safety and health of employees, customers,
community and / or the prevention of property damage in the following manner:
Nomination submitted by:
Name
Comail address
Position
Department
Please forward to SEASQ
Nomination can be emailed to Rick.Nault@alaskaair.com
Aviation,
Safety and
Alaska
Airlines
42 Brand of root beer
(3 words)
Note:
Theme words in Bold
43 Shore bird
40 Alaska Airlines
credit card
41 First
44 Milwaukee
ACROSS
a
1 Do not
choking victim
on the back.
5 Toxins may be
absorbed
through the
.
9 A frayed
may cause a
fire.
13 Form of medicine
14 Vagabond
15 African Country
16 Bruins
17 Most ergonomic
chairs have
.
18 Baseball- Hank
19 Exhaled by the
body: Carbon
.
21 Eastern Gulf
Liberation
Organization
(abbr.)
23 Pigpen
24 Aircraft
Operating Area
25 Long loose
overcoat
29 Detroit
30 Large bundle
32 Codeshare
partner in AK
33 Capital of
Bangladesh
36 Lavatory fluid
37 Apply direct
pressure with a
.
gauze
38 Stairs should
have a hand
.
39 Goddess of Grain
(starts with c)
45 Band-Aids are
used on paper
.
46 SAFETY, you
your
can
life on it!
47 Periodic
internal
can reduce
hazards.
49 Cleveland
50 Investigates
disruptive
customer
incidents
53 With water in
the fuel, the
.
engine
Constructed by Rick Nault, using Crossword Weaver
55 Most frequently
misused
climbing device.
57 Primary means
of pilot/
controller
communication
60 Corrosive
62 Automated
Terminal
Information
Service
15 Aircraft kitchen
1 Potatoes
20 International
Air Transport
Association
2 Lawful
64 Put the
in
the coconut.
65 Food List
22 Bodies of water
26 Lukewarm
46 Turbine
may be
damaged by
FOD.
4 Alternative to
Listerine
27 Rub out
48 Fool
5 New employees
should
a
more
experienced
employee.
6 Home of KAL
7 Computer maker
66 If exposed to
bloodborne
pathogens get a
.
blood
67 Trim
(secondary
control surface)
of
43 A tumble
could become
FOD.
3 The fuselage is
constructed of
metal
®
63 Aircraft; P-3
68 Leading
the wing
DOWN
8 Some toxins
may cause
bleeds.
9 Emergencies
without
emergency
procedures =
.
10 Manual boat
propeller
11 Northern
Nevada City
12
Whitney,
Environmental
Affairs
28
helps
controllers and
increases flight
safety.
29 Deka-liter
(abbreviation)
30 Organic FOD
31 Approximately
three (Two words)
49 Use two hands
a
when you
ladder.
50 Festive dinner
(past tense)
51 Do not
dangerous goods
aboard aircraft.
33 Theatre
52 This is the
of A
first
Safe Approach.
34 Japanese poem
54
35 Assisted or helped
36 Shape of
damaged
towbar
39 Results of
Accident
investigation
40 Cylindrical
container
42 An emergency
requires
.
decisive
tablets are
no longer given
for heat
exhaustion
56 Lady
57 Decay
58 Is (plural)
59 Disrespect (slang)
61. Government
Agency
Safety Division
Box 68900
Settle, WA 98168-0900
safety@alaskaair.com
Safety Hotline 1-877-610-4039