[Peetwo]

Under the cover of COVID?? 

Su_Spence goes all COVID SAFE...

Courtesy of Wannabe, via the Oz:

‘Rusty’ aircrew may be prone to error, warns regulator



Australia’s aviation safety regulator has warned that mistakes are more likely to occur as airlines ramp up flying hours due to a ­deterioration of aircrews’ skills over the past 19 months.

An updated advisory on cabin safety, issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, said errors were more likely in all aspects of aircraft operation, and more time should be taken to perform routine work.

Since the Covid pandemic struck, two-thirds of Australia’s aviation workforce has been stood down for weeks or even months at a time, with more than 10,000 employees of Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Rex currently without regular shifts.

In response, CASA advised airlines and cabin managers to spend “more time briefing as a team, and acknowledge that you may be more likely to make mistakes”.

“Do not forget that other operational staff may also be less current and operating with reduced capacity, meaning errors may be more likely,” its bulletin said.

“Allow more time for everything including activities that you may consider routine in nature.”

The bulletin urged cabin crew to monitor their own performance and that of colleagues, because of the likelihood of “a deterioration of skills”.

“You may be lacking the awareness to monitor situations as effectively as you used to be able to do,” said the advisory.

“Expect errors to be made by yourself and others.”

Flight Attendants Association of Australia national secretary Teri O’Toole said the CASA bulletin was a welcome reminder of the problems that could arise as a result of being away from the workplace for so long.

“The Covid restrictions and policy documents are almost changed daily for crew when they go interstate which places enormous pressure on crew,” said Ms O’Toole.

“On top of the changing rules and restrictions, cabin crew are having to manage self-isolation which is a significant amount to deal with.”

She said she was hopeful airlines would take on board the CASA direction for “a reassessment of existing training programs to ensure they sufficiently address skills and knowledge degradation”.

Ms O’Toole said she was also pleased to see CASA had flagged the need for “mental health and fatigue monitoring” among cabin crew. “It’s incredibly arduous at the moment,” she said. “We’ve had some crew in and out of quarantine at Howard Springs (in Darwin) for 70 to 80 days straight. It’s just horrendous the kind of stuff they’ve been going through.”

A Qantas spokeswoman said the airline was mindful of the changed work environment to which crews were returning.

“We have designed a specific training course for cabin crew who haven’t flown for a while to ensure they come back with the skills and confidence to do their job safely,” the spokeswoman said.

“The training covers wellbeing and mental health, as well as practical aspects of their work.”

A new Covid procedures manual had also been developed to ensure crew were aware of all safety and wellbeing requirements, on top of their mandatory training.

Virgin Australia said it was continuing to review the CASA cabin safety bulletin.

Aircraft cleaning processes not so ‘Covid safe’: CASA



Increased cleaning and disinfection processes adopted by airlines in the Covid crisis could be compromising the safety of aircraft, the aviation regulator has warned.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has shared an advisory from its New Zealand equivalent highlighting the “airworthiness risks associated with Covid-19 cleaning requirements”.

The advisory noted that operators are cleaning and disinfecting aircraft interiors far more frequently and in greater depth than would have been the case previously.

“This may include daily cleaning of areas of the aircraft which were previously only cleaned during scheduled maintenance checks, such as the cockpit,” the advisory said.

“Operators must ensure that any changes they make to cleaning procedures, or the cleaning products they use, do not pose a hazard to airworthiness.”

The directive went onto warn of the various potential issues caused by applying inappropriate cleaning products to aircraft surfaces such as “grazing of plastics, damage to sealants, perishing of rubber products, corrosion and the reduction in fire retardant properties”.

Aircraft operators were also urged to ensure people cleaning “sensitive areas such as flight decks/cockpits, cabin windows and where electrical or avionic equipment is installed” were appropriately trained and supervised.

“In the first instance, the aircraft manufacturer is the best source to provide recommendations on what they consider appropriate materials and procedures to use,” the advisory said.

Airlines were then referred to a 32-page manual on cleaning by the International Air Transport Association featuring lengthy checklists for cleaners to follow.

A CASA spokesman said the advisory was considered to contain relevant information for aircraft operators.

However a Qantas spokeswoman said the airline was already abiding by the IATA standards and aircraft manufacturer guidelines, with regard to cleaning products and processes.

It follows an updated cabin safety bulletin issued on Wednesday, highlighting the risks posed by a deterioration of skills due to long stand-downs of airline workers.

Since the Covid crisis struck, two-thirds of the aviation workforce has been stood down for weeks or even months on end, and 10,000 employees of Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Rex are currently sidelined.

The bulletin warned more errors were likely, partly due to mental fatigue and workers should monitor their own performance and that of colleagues.

Flight Attendants Association of Australia national secretary Teri O’Toole said the warnings were timely with cabin crew facing arduous conditions due to constantly changing restrictions and regulations in the various states and territories.

A Qantas spokeswoman said they were mindful of the changed working environment to which employees were returning, and were providing extra training.

Virgin has established people support hotlines during stand down periods, and had engaged numerous experts to assist with potential mental health and wellbeing challenges.

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