march2021 - 23

GROUND SERVICE
PROVIDERS

PrimeFlight workers wearing a number of PPE, including high
visibility gear and hearing protection.
Photos courtesy of PrimeFlight Aviation Services

changes. " We have masks that have been
sent out to all of our frontline agents, every
single operator within the field - we have 47
locations within the US and 3,000 employees. We provided two washable masks that
can be used that are required for all of our
agents in the station. We have disposable
gloves for all of our agents, as well. "
Wayne Ingle, VP of safety and operational support at PrimeFlight Aviation
Services, says they too have mandated face
coverings for all staff.
" We have seen an increased consumption with team members changing them
approximately every four hours. In addition, we have seen an increased consumption of anti-absorption gloves. Use has
skyrocketed with employees changing
them more frequently between tasks to
prevent inadvertent face touching. There
has been a drastic increase in consumption
of vapor masks, N95/P95, which includes

the introduction of new tasks that require
respiratory protection such as air ionization, " Ingle says.
Like GAT, PrimeFlight also had assigned
PPE based on job responsibilities before the
pandemic, including vests, hearing protection, protective work gloves, safety shoes,
knee pads, face and eye protection, aprons
and disposable coveralls, fall protection and
welding protection.
In addition to masks, there are new
day-to-day sanitization and disinfection
protocols employees are following.
" When our cabin cleaners are going
through and sanitizing the plane, they have
disposable gloves that they have to wear.
There are specific temperature check policies that we put in place, symptom checking
policies that we have for all of our agents,
that we're tracking and monitoring on a
regular basis. For the cabin cleaners, the
disposable gloves, hand sanitizer at every
open location for them, we have a very
strict handwashing policy for all those
folks, " Marietta says.
" We have also added hand sanitizer to all
work areas for immediate cleansing after
glove removal and any surface contact. The
same can be said for use of disinfectants,
with use skyrocketing for more frequent
wipe-downs of all surfaces in work and
common areas as well as shared equipment, " echoes Ingle.

Protection on Another Level
As Al Mantilla, project manager at AccuFleet International, Inc., describes, COVID19 hasn't just changed PPE requirements,
but it has changed the whole way ground
service providers think about personal
safety.
" Virus protocol is now added to the list
of issues to be mindful of on the ramp. We
value being a safe organization and beyond
preventative measures this also includes
the mindset of our team, " he says, adding
that there's been a heightened awareness
around face coverings.
Ingle says the pandemic has " absolutely "
changed the way they think about PPE and
hygiene practices, in general.
" We have seen this particularly with our
below-the-wing team members. There is
an increased awareness related to germs
and bacteria not only in the workplace,
but in all aspects of life, " Ingle adds. " The
pandemic has raised an overall awareness,
for the public at large, of the need for better
hygiene practices. "
With this new focus, personal protection is extending beyond just what an
employee can wear but is taking the fight
to the virus with disinfectants. GAT's cabin
cleaners have been employing an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect aircraft cabins.
The sprayers are also employed in general
and common areas.
" When they go into these aircraft and
there's been an exposure, we have electrostatic foggers that they would use to
sanitize the aircraft and the cabin. Same
in any of our general areas. When they use
that, there are jackets and pants that are
protective, and also, again, repel any type of
fluids or liquids that they would potentially
be exposed to. They have face shields for
the cabin cleaners that they use on a regular basis, plus the masks that they would
use as well. That's a little bit different than
the normal day-to-day ramp agent, cargo
agent, etc., because they're more exposed
to the risk of contracting the illness, " says
Marietta.
Ingle adds that PrimeFlight has seen an
increase in aircraft and facility fogging and
says the company is also introducing a line
of UV surface disinfection units tailored to
the aviation industry.

MARCH 2021

AviationPros.com

http://www.AviationPros.com

march2021

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