June is FOD
month at PJIA
~ Workers, users join to clear aircraft movement areas ~
AIRPORT--Close to 100 workers at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) joined in an exercise early Monday morning aimed at ridding all areas in which aircraft move of foreign objects and debris (FOD).
The exercise marked the start of “Foreign Object/Debris Damage Awareness Month” which will be observed throughout June, aimed at building an environment of awareness of FOD prevention, said PJIA operating company PJIAE Operations Division director Larry Donker.
“Foreign objects lying around on airport runways can cause expensive, significant damage to aircraft and equipment, and may result in injury of passengers, crew and employees, and even death. It is estimated that FODs cause the aerospace industry US $4 billion per year,” PJIAE president Derrick Holiday stated in a press release.
American Airlines Country Manager Bennet Bell urged airport workers and users to commit to the safety and wellbeing of themselves and people around them. Speaking on behalf of the FOD Awareness Month committee, he said the intention was to create a culture where employees took personal responsibility for each others’ and customers’ safety by considering safety-first in their every decision and act.
“We want everyone to go home healthy and uninjured at the end of the day. Consider safety in everything you do. Your actions could save a life,” he said.
Donker said personnel and users at the airport would be given deeper insights during FOB Month of what FOD was, what its dangers were and what actions could be taken to prevent it. Several times during June, workers will be encouraged to take part in “FOD walks” on the runway and to attend presentations on the subject.
Donker said the objective was to instigate a culture at PJIAE in which everyone understood his/her responsibility as far as FOD prevention was concerned.
He was happy with the participation in the first “walk.” PJIAE management and employees were joined by the management and staff of practically every airline, ground and passenger handlers and the catering company that operate at PJIAE.
A slight drizzle threatened to disrupt the start at 9:00am, but in the end, about an hour later, workers had collected primarily aviation-related FOD items such as bag tags and safety straps.
“It is our objective that no FOD is found on the aircraft movement area and that is why we will follow up this exercise with letters to users reminding them of their responsibility to remove FODs and other unwanted material,” said Donker. He challenged airport workers and users to prove that at the end of FOD Awareness Month there would be no FOD lying around.
