OPERATIONAL BEST PRACTICE -GROUND Title: Wearing of Reflective GearNo OBP-31
/ Your Company Name HereEffective Date: March 10, 2011 / Revision: July 31, 2013
Purpose: / To reduce the number of accidents caused from not wearing or improperly wearing reflective gear during hours of darkness, or high visibility clothing during periods of poor visibility.
Policy Responsibility: / Supervisor responsible for ramp operations.
Policy: / All personnel exposed to vehicle or aircraft traffic on the ramp during hours of darkness will use reflective belts or other reflective materials for greater visibility. Reflective belts or equivalent will be worn when inside the outer security access points. Personnel must wear a reflective belt during hours of darkness, when in these areas including when walking to and from the parking lots.
All personnel exposed to vehicle or aircraft traffic on the ramp during periods of reduced visibility will wear high visibility clothing. High visibility clothing will be worn when inside the outer security access points. Personnel must wear high visibility clothing during periods of reduced visibility, when in these areas including walking to and from the parking lots.
All personnel marshaling aircraft must wear high-visibility clothing. This may be an international orange vest worn over normal work clothing, or high-visibility T-shirt. In addition, aircraft marshalers shall have high-visibility wands available during the day, and operating flashlights with visibility cones attached at night. Cone color shall be the same for both flashlights.
Aircrew members travelling to and from their aircraft do not have to wear high-visibility clothing, however if conditions warrant, the Ramp Supervisor may consider having aircrew members escorted to and from their aircraft by ramp personnel.
Personnel, whose duties are regularly performed in areas and under circumstances where exposed to the danger of moving vehicles and aircraft, shall wear work vests of highly visible materials, or equivalent distinguishing apparel.
Personnel exposed to vehicle or aircraft traffic on the ramp during hours of darkness or periods of reduced visibility will be provided reflective accessories or will use organizational clothing with sewn-on reflective tape.
The Ramp Supervisor shall ensure the required inspections according to 29CFR1910.132 are complied with, shall provide required training and shall document such training.
Training shall include known, identified hazards and associated risks. (Ie, Blind spots, poor visibility, etc.)
Safety vests shall meet ANSI Class II DOT or ANSI Class III DOT– two tone vest requirements, or ANSI 207-2006 requirements with anti-static technology. Such class of safety vests are made of high visibility material, with sewn in reflective tape and meet the requirements for low visibility and darkness requirements. Anti-static safety apparel should use carbon oxford or similar material to neutralize static electricity.
T-Shirts meeting ANSI Class II high visibility clothing, meets the requirements for daytime, work around moving vehicles and aircraft, as low visibility requirements, but do not contain reflective material to meet the during the hours of darkness requirements.
Reflective belts, arm bands, and ID arm bands, must meet ANSI Class E requirements.
Procedure: / Reflective belts should be worn all the way around the body, not just on the front or back. On occasion, adjustments may be required on coat, coveralls, rain gear, or personal items to ensure the belt is visible. The belt should not be twisted because only one side is reflective. Reflective belts shall be secured so as to prevent a Foreign Object Damage hazard.
Reflective vests, jackets, or other clothing shall be worn over normal work clothing, and shall be fastened by Velcro strips, zippers, or buttons. All reflective vests and clothing shall be secured so as to prevent a FOD hazard, and to ensure that loose clothing does not present a hazard where clothing can become caught or entangled in machinery or equipment causing injury to the wearer.
Bright, visible clothing shall be worn in the early morning and evenings, to insure being seen. Red or Orange reflective colors provide better contrast in a snow or white environment.
Reflective clothing can lose its reflective properties after repeated washings. When reflective clothing becomes unserviceable, or is no longer retaining its reflective properties, the article must be replaced.
PPE / 29 CFR 1926.28(a) – High visibility clothing and reflective wear are considered PPE.
29 CFR 1910.132(a) through (f):
(a) Protective equipment, shall be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition.
(b) Employee-owned equipment. Where employees provide their own protective equipment, the employer shall be responsible to assure its adequacy, including proper maintenance, and sanitation of such equipment.
(c) All personal protective equipment shall be of safe design and construction for the work to be performed.
(d) The employer shall assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment. If such hazards are present or likely to be present, the employer shall: 1) Select and have each affected employee use, the types of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment; 2) communicate selection decisions to each affected employee; 3) Select PPE that properly fits each affected employee; 4) Train employees to use and care for PPE appropriately.
(e) Defective and damaged PPE shall not be used.
(f) The employer shall provide training to each employee who is required by this section to use PPE. Each employee shall be trained to know at least the following: 1) When PPE is necessary; 2) What PPE is necessary; 3) How to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear PPE; 4) The limitations of the PPE; 5) The proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE. Each affected employee shall demonstrate an understanding of the training, and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE. When the employer has reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required, the employer shall retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to: 1) Changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete; 2) Changes in the types of PPE to be used render previous training obsolete; 3) Inadequacies in an affected employee’s knowledge or use of assigned PPE indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill. The employer shall verify that each affected employee has received and understood the required training through a written certification that contains the name of each employee trained, the date(s) of training, and that identifies the subject of the certification.
Reflective safety vests are listed in 1910.132, Appendix A, table 1 - as PPE equipment where employer payment is normally required.
Safety vests shall meet ANSI Class II DOT or ANSI Class III DOT– two tone vest requirements, or ANSI 207-2006 requirements with anti-static technology. Such class of safety vests are made of high visibility material, with sewn in reflective tape and meet the requirements for low visibility and darkness requirements. Anti-static safety apparel should use carbon oxford or similar material to neutralize static electricity.
T-Shirts meeting ANSI Class II high visibility clothing, meets the requirements for daytime, work around moving vehicles and aircraft, as low visibility requirements, but do not contain reflective material to meet the during the hours of darkness requirements.
Reflective belts, arm bands, and ID arm bands, must meet ANSI Class E requirements.
Definitions:
Safety Vests – for purposes of this OBP, the term high visibility clothing will be substituted for safety vest. High visibility clothing is apparel capable of visually signalling the wearer’s presence during hours of daylight.
Reflective Safety Vests – for purposes of this OBP, are considered vests made of high visibility material, with reflective or luminescent tape sewn in. Reflective safety clothing is apparel capable of signalling the wearer’s presence during hours of darkness as well as daylight.
Wearing Of Reflective Gear OBP-31 Page 1 of 4