Milford Sound/Piopiotahi Aerodrome Health & Safety Manual Version 1, 30 June 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 Aerodrome operational framework and application of manual Section 2 Health and Safety Responsibilities 2.1 Duties of care employees 2.2 Duties of care - employers 2.3 Risk Assessment 2.4 Contractor Management Section 3 Section 4 Planning and Review Processes Hazard Identification, Assessment and Management 4.1 Hazard Identification Procedure 4.2 Hazard Assessment 4.3 Hazard Controls 4.4 Hazard Register Review 4.5 Hazard warnings 4.6 Visitors Section 5 Information, Supervision and Training 5.1 Visiting 5.2 On-site Section 6 Incident and injury reporting, recording and investigation 6.1 Ministry employees or contractors 6.2 Other employees or contractors 6.3 Accident Notification 6.4 Accident / Incident Investigation process 6.5 Corrective Action Procedure Section 7 Annex A Annex B Annex C Annex D Compliance with Civil Aviation requirements Emergency planning and readiness Safety around aircraft Hazard Identification Procedure Accident/Incident Reporting Flowchart
Milford Sound/Piopiotahi Aerodrome Health & Safety Manual Section 1 Aerodrome operational framework and application of manual The Ministry of Transport (Ministry) is the operator of Milford Sound/Piopiotahi Aerodrome. The Airways Corporation of New Zealand Ltd (Airways) provides aerodrome flight information services. Milford Helicopters Ltd is resident on the aerodrome but all other air operators using the aerodrome are based elsewhere. The Queenstown-Milford User Group (QMUG) represents the interests of the majority of commercial operators in the region. The Ministry contact for aerodrome health and safety matters is Nigel Mouat Principal Adviser Aviation and Maritime Group T: +64 4 439 9354 F: +64 4 439 9004 n.mouat@transport.govt.nz www.transport.govt.nz The aerodrome is non-certificated in terms of Civil Aviation Rule (CAR) Part 139 but other rules and Civil Aviation Advisory Circulars (AC) are pertinent to the safe operation of aircraft at the aerodrome and the mitigation of hazards affecting aircraft operation, for example obstacles. Relevant CARs and ACs are: CAR Part 12 CAR Part 77 CAR Part 157 AC 12-1 AC 12-2 AC 139-5 AC 139-6 AC 139-8 AC139-10 Accidents, Incidents and Statistics Objects and Activities Affecting Navigable Airspace Notice of Construction, Alteration, Activation, and Deactivation of Aerodromes Mandatory occurrence notification and information Incident Investigation Operational safety during works on aerodromes Aerodrome Standards and Requirements: All aeroplanes conducting Air Transport Operations Aerodrome design, heliports Control of obstacles Airways, the individual air operators using the aerodrome, Milford Helicopters and the Ministry are all employers for the purposes of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act). The Ministry as aerodrome operator has additional responsibilities in relation to other persons using the facility whether visiting on business associated with the aerodrome or as crew and passengers of air operators using the aerodrome. This Manual provides generic health and safety information and procedures to be followed for hazard identification and mitigation and in the event of an accident involving personal injury on the aerodrome. Likely emergencies and how to deal with them are set out in Annex A Emergency planning and readiness. Safety considerations relating to aircraft on the ground are set out in Annex B Safety around aircraft.
Section 2 Health and Safety Responsibilities 2.1 Duties of care - employees Employees have a duty to take all practicable steps to ensure: their own safety at work that no action or inaction by them while at work causes harm to any other person. This includes: following the employer s instructions regarding hazards in the place of work reporting hazards co-operating with the monitoring of workplace hazards and employees health reporting work-related injuries or ill health and filling in accident forms. It is the responsibility of all employees to follow all Health & Safety policies and procedures. 2.2 Duties of care - employers It is the responsibility of employers to ensure that health and safety related matters are promoted to all employees. Other responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Making sure all new employees, contractors and visitors (including passengers) have explained to them the relevant health and safety procedures at the aerodrome Identifying tasks/areas that fail to comply with health and safety standards and initiate the appropriate corrective and preventative actions Preparing health and safety plans as required Facilitating hazard management Ensuring that all accidents/incidents are accurately reported, recorded and investigated Ensuring staff training on health and safety matters is kept up-to-date and documented Maintaining the standards required by the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and Regulations 1995 Ensuring that accident trends are identified and appropriate action taken Ensuring annual internal audits take place without undue delay. 2.3 Risk Assessment The Ministry will systematically identify hazards and manage them by taking all practicable steps to either eliminate the hazard, isolate the hazard or minimise its effect in that order of preference. Steps in relation to its own employees include: Providing suitable protective clothing and equipment to staff Providing safety information to staff Providing training or supervision so that work is done safely Monitoring the health of employees to ensure their work is not having a detrimental effect on them Providing opportunities for employees to participate in all of the above. A Milford Sound Aerodrome Health and Safety Committee will meet as required to: review the initial hazard assessment (to be undertaken by the Ministry once this Manual is approved) determine appropriate hazard elimination or mitigation actions address other health and safety issues that are identified by any of the parties.
The composition of the Committee is: Nigel Mouat David Taylor (or alternate) Hank Sproull (or alternate) Jeff Shanks Ministry of Transport Airways Queenstown-Milford User Group Milford Helicopters Ltd Meetings may be held either at the aerodrome, at Queenstown, or by teleconference or videoconference as appropriate to the circumstances. The Ministry will bear the cost of meeting arrangements including travel expenses for any on-aerodrome meetings. 2.4 Contractor Management All contractors undertaking work for the Ministry will be briefed on the onsite health and safety procedures by Airways. Contractors will receive the same health and safety briefing as Ministry employees. Briefings will take place at the start of work on site. All contractors will be required to sign the briefing record on completion of their health and safety briefing session. Contractors in breach of health and safety requirements risk having their contract suspended or terminated. Section 3 Planning and Review Process Health and safety procedures are to be set and then reviewed annually by the Ministry in consultation with Airways, Milford Helicopters, QMUG and (if necessary) the Department of Conservation. Ministry management and employees may be consulted during the review. Ministry management will be responsible for allocating time, and resources for implementation. Section 4 Hazard Identification, Assessment and Management The Ministry will apply a systematic procedure to identify and record actual and potential hazards at Milford Sound Aerodrome (refer Annex C). 4.1 Hazard warnings The emergence of any hazards creating risk for aircraft or their occupants (e.g. frost or ice on the sealed surfaces) will be the subject of a NOTAM issued by the Ministry contact, or Airways on the Ministry s behalf. Other hazards will be notified to stakeholders either by email if significant, or noted on a display board on the outside of the Airways Tower. 4.2 Visitors Visitors with business at the aerodrome (other than aircraft crew and passengers) are required to report to Airways on arrival for a health and safety briefing. If visitors business involves going airside the briefing will include the hazards associated with aircraft operations and safe procedures, as well as identification of any known hazards previously identified.
Section 5 Information, Supervision & Training 5.1 Visiting Before any employees or contractors visit the aerodrome, they are to be briefed by their relevant employer. Health and safety issues that will be covered include: specific hazards and safety measures access to first aid facilities and first aiders the Ministry s health and safety reference documents accident and hazard reporting systems employer responsibilities and designated rules for health and safety employee responsibilities. 5.2 On-site Before any employees or contractors (other than aircraft crew) proceed onto the operational areas of the aerodrome they are to be briefed by an Airways Flight Service officer about any specific hazards, and agree a means of communication in the event that the employees or contractors need to be warned, or recalled from the area they are in. Section 6 Incident and injury reporting, recording and investigation 6.1 Ministry employees or contractors The Ministry requires that all incidents or events are reported, recorded, and investigated as required. The term incident or event also refers to property damage accidents, near-miss events, and injury or non-injury accidents. It is the responsibility of employees to report any incident or event to the Ministry. Serious harm accidents are required to be reported to the Department of Labour (Occupational Safety and Health) (OSH) immediately. 6.2 Other employees or contractors The reporting of incidents or events affecting other employees or contractors or visitors shall be in accordance with the relevant employer s own Health and Safety procedures and be copied to the Ministry contact. 6.3 Accident Notification involving Ministry employees or contractors All accidents or incidents where Ministry employees or contractors are involved (directly or indirectly) must be reported to Manager Aviation & Security Team as soon as is practicable after the event. All the scenarios listed below are to be reported: Injury accidents Near miss accidents (incidents) Gradual process injuries like OOS Property damage accidents affecting Ministry premises. Details of the event are to be recorded and maintained in an Accident/Incident Register. For serious injury or high profile events, the General Manager Aviation and Maritime is to be kept informed about the accident and any subsequent actions.
The Ministry will investigate incidents that have harmed or have the potential to harm ( accidents ). Once notified of an accident the Ministry is to immediately investigate the circumstances of the event and determine what follow up action is required. Actions will include things such as: Contacting families of those involved in the accident Contacting OSH Advising on site staff that the accident has occurred Securing the site to prevent disturbance where the accident involves serious harm Information gathering relative to the event Organising preventative measures to reduce the risk of further injury or damage. Where the accident involves serious harm to any individual, OSH will be advised immediately by phone. An OSH Accident Record/Serious Harm Form must then be forwarded to OSH within 7 days of the event. Under the HSE Act, no person may interfere with the scene of a serious harm accident until an OSH inspector has given authorisation. Exemptions exist for certain situations such as: Where the Police carry out an investigation Where it is necessary to interfere with the scene to: prevent loss of life or further injury; prevent further damage to property or maintain services to an essential utility. 6.4 Accident / Incident Investigation Process Refer to the Accident/Incident Reporting Flow Chart at Annex D. 6.5 Corrective Action Procedure Where an investigation highlights system deficiencies, the Milford Sound Aerodrome Health and Safety Committee is to discuss the system deficiencies and any required corrective actions at a Health and Safety Committee Meeting. The Health and Safety Committee will take into consideration any feedback given prior to initiating any changes to the system. Section 7 Compliance with Civil Aviation requirements Aircraft operators, Airways and the Ministry must ensure their actions at the aerodrome conform with the appropriate requirements of the Civil Aviation Act 1990 and Civil Aviation Rules, including Parts 12, 77, 119, 135, 139, and 157. The Ministry will ensure conformity with the appropriate Civil Aviation Advisory Circulars (139 series) in relation to the aerodrome design and control of obstacles. Bruce Johnson General Manager Aviation and Maritime Group Ministry of Transport Te Manatū Waka T: 0-4-439 9000 F: 0-4-439 9004 www.transport.govt.nz 30 June 2011
Annex A Emergency planning and readiness The following are the most likely emergency situations to occur and procedures for dealing with them. A) Serious Injury Keep calm so that you can help. Stop any serious bleeding, by applying direct pressure. Provide first aid as appropriate. If necessary, telephone for an ambulance on 111. Cleary describe the address of your site and the type of injury. Monitor and maintain: Airways, Breathing, Circulation. Do not move the casualty unless the person is in danger of further injury, as further movement may aggravate the injury. B) Electric Shock Turn the power source off. To assist the casualty if the power cannot be turned off, use heavy insulating dry gloves, or something made of rubber, dry cloth or wood to free the casualty. Start resuscitation immediately if breathing is not evident. Leave equipment as is. Mark the power source-isolating switch as UNSAFE. C) Gases and Fumes Ventilate the area immediately and keep exposure to a minimum. Wear goggles and respirator. Extinguish cigarettes and open flames. Do not use cell phones or radio telephones near the incident. D) Severe Burns To smother flames, roll the victim in a blanket or coat. Treat burns with cold water. If burns are extensive, place victim in cold water until ambulance arrives. E) Earthquake If indoors, keep clear of windows and furniture that could overturn. Shelter under doorways or desks. If outside, stay clear of buildings and overhead electrical wires. When shaking stops, check all present for injuries. Provide first aid where necessary. F) Fire If the fire is in the Airways building, evacuate immediately in accordance with Airways evacuation procedure. Dial 111 for assistance. Depending on location of the fire, an attempt may be made to extinguish, but ONLY if you are not putting yourself or others at risk.
G) Severe Weather Stay indoors if possible. If the roof begins to lift, open a window on the sheltered side of the building. If caught outside, beware of fallen electrical lines, flying glass or other hazardous objects. H) Flood Where possible, ensure that chemical containers are tightly sealed and raised above expected water level. Do not enter flood waters unnecessarily. Be aware that floodwaters may be contaminated with spilt chemicals and fuels. All injuries, property damage and near-miss incidents must be reported immediately to the respective employer contact. Treatment must be sought for all injuries, no matter how minor. Where damage or serious harm has been caused, nothing relating to the accident scene is to be disturbed, except for the purpose of preserving life or relieving suffering.
Annex B Safety around aircraft It is the aircraft operator s responsibility to escort passengers to/from parked aircraft on the apron. All employees, contractors, and visitors of employers should be aware of hazards associated around aircraft operations, particularly on the apron. There are commonsense precautions to take, as follows: if approaching an aircraft, do so from a direction that places you in the pilot s vision (the pilot sits in the left front seat in aeroplanes, and the right hand front seat in helicopters); Do not approach any aircraft [fixed wing or helicopter] while the engines are running; the propeller and rotor discs may be invisible keep at least 5m away until propellers/rotors are stopped; Watch propeller wash from other aircraft when walking between aircraft remove and hold hats or other items (e.g. clipboards) that could be blown away and into another moving propeller; Vehicles must have hazard lights and or beacons operating, and if being driven near aircraft, keep at least 5m away.
Annex C Hazard Identification Procedure The initial step in the management of hazards is to identify the hazards and document them in a Hazard Register refer to Hazard Register. The Milford Sound Aerodrome Health and Safety Committee shall carry out a hazard audit once every three months. All hazards identified shall be recorded in the aerodrome s hazard register. The Inspection process Workplace inspections must be completed once every three months by the Health and Safety Committee or agreed representative(s) of the committee. Before commencing the inspection, the inspecting representative(s) will need a printout of current hazards for the area to be inspected (the Hazard Register), including details of the controls in place for those hazards. The inspecting representative(s) needs to look beyond the physical hazards that appear obvious when completing a workplace inspection. Also identify hazards that result in harm over a long period of time such as noise. While moving through the workplace, the inspecting representative(s) should be looking for the following hazardous situations: sub-standard conditions sub-standard practices changes in existing hazards from previous inspections hazards not previously identified inadequate hazard controls. A sub-standard condition is a situation where safety measures or hazard controls are not fully operational. Damaged fences, paths, signs or windsocks, and deteriorating seal condition are all examples of sub-standard conditions. The inspecting representative(s) needs to ensure that any new hazards identified during the inspection are prioritised and appropriate control action taken, and that the Hazard Register is updated accordingly. Hierarchy of Controls The following hierarchy is to be considered when determining the level of control(s) that are to be utilised in minimising the risk to exposure to the hazards identified. 1 Elimination: Modification of the process, method or material to eliminate the hazard completely. 2 Substitution: Replace the material, substance or process with a less hazardous one. 3 Separation: Isolating the hazard from persons 4 Administration: Adjusting the time or conditions of risk exposures. 5 Training: Improving the skills therefore making tasks less hazardous to persons involved. 6 Personal: Used as a last resort, appropriately designed equipment where other controls are not practicable.
The procedure for the assessment of hazards is to ask the following questions: What are the consequences if an accident happens as a result of the hazard? What is the likelihood of the accident occurring and resulting in these consequences? Refer to the Hazard Management Flowchart to determine the management process of significant hazards. Hazard Assessment After existing hazards have been identified, it needs to be decided whether: they are significant hazards and need a specific hierarchy of control measures to be applied or any control methods are to be introduced to reduce or eliminate the likelihood of injury from those hazards which are not identified as significant hazards. To decide if a hazard is significant the following question must be asked: Is there an actual or potential cause or source of? a) Serious harm (i.e. could this hazard result in serious harm?). b) Harm which increases with exposure to the hazard. c) Harm which is not detectable until a significant time after exposure to the hazard (i.e. could this hazard result in illness in later years?).
Hazard Controls The probable control measures for hazards and significant hazards will be based on advice and on information contained in appropriate documents such as the QMUG Code of Practice. Hazard controls will be discussed by the Milford Sound Aerodrome Health and Safety Committee and consideration will be given to all suggested control measures deemed to be practically feasible and economically viable prior to the most satisfactory and cost effective control being implemented. The cost of corrective action must be approved by the Manager, Aviation and Security. Hazard Register Review The Milford Sound Aerodrome Health and Safety Committee shall undertake a review of the Hazard Register on an annual basis; the Ministry contact is responsible for ensuring this is done. During the review the following is evaluated: whether the hazards listed are still present and/or relevant whether the controls are still in place whether the controls are appropriate (i.e. there may be newer, more efficient ways of managing the same hazard) whether any other hazards should be added whether actions that are taken to control the hazard are timely and achieve the desired result. Once this review is completed, the Milford Sound Aerodrome Hazard Register is re-dated and reissued in both paper and electronic versions (this must occur even if there are no changes to the text of the document). Any hazards identified and recorded as a result of an accident (injury, non-injury, property damage, or near miss) must contain the following information: what the hazard is whether the hazard is significant. Serious Harm/Significant Hazard Definition Significant hazard means a hazard that is an actual or potential cause or source of: serious harm; or harm (being harm that is more than trivial) the severity of whose effects on any person depend (entirely or among other things) on the extent of the frequency of the person s exposure to the hazard; or harm that does not usually occur, or usually is not easily detectable, until a significant time after exposure to the hazard. Serious harm, means death, or harm of a kind or description declared by the Governor- General by Order in Council to be serious for the purposes of the Act; and "seriously harmed" has a corresponding meaning. Until such an Order in Council is made, the following types of harm are defined in Schedule 1 as "serious harm" for the purposes of the Act: any of the following conditions that amounts to or results in permanent loss of bodily function, or temporary severe loss of bodily function: o respiratory disease, noise-induced hearing loss, neurological disease, cancer, dermatological disease, communicable disease, musculoskeletal disease, illness
caused by exposure to infected material, decompression sickness, poisoning, vision impairment, chemical or hot-metal burn of eye, penetrating wound of eye, bone fracture, laceration, crushing amputation of body part burns requiring referral to a specialist Medical Practitioner or specialist outpatient clinic loss of consciousness from lack of oxygen loss of consciousness, or acute illness requiring treatment by a Medical Practitioner, from absorption, inhalation, or ingestion, of any substance any harm that causes the person harmed to be hospitalised for a period of 48 hours or more commencing within 7 days of the harm's occurrence. The definition of serious harm is relevant to employers' duties to manage hazards, notification requirements, employees' rights to refuse to do dangerous work, and inspectors' powers to issue prohibition notices. Temporary Severe Loss of Bodily Function If there is uncertainty as to whether an injury constitutes serious harm or not the following questions should be considered to determine whether an employee has suffered a temporary severe loss of bodily function. This will involve the employer making a judgement. 1 Is the employee suffering from pain or health impairment which is significantly more than discomfort? 2. Is the pain or health impairment severe enough to prevent an employee using part of the body, i.e. movement prohibited by pain, respiratory distress, etc? 3 Is the employee s condition likely to last more than a shortish period of time? If the answer to these three questions is Yes, then the Department of Labour should be notified in terms of section 25 of the Act. Note: The assessor should err on the side of caution and contact the Department of Labour if still unsure after considering the Serious Harm definition and these questions.
Annex D Accident/Incident Reporting Flowchart ACCIDENT/INCIDENT REPORTING FLOWCHART Accident/incident Accident/Incident NOT Causing Serious Harm or Near Miss Accident/Incident Causing Serious Harm Injured person to notify employer Isolate and secure the scene Accident Investigation Form Completed by employer and copied to MoT Evaluate and apply First Aid if necessary (call ambulance if required) Post Critical Event Analysis by H&S committee. Feedback into Hazard Management process -Take corrective action -Update Hazard Register Immediately notify employer and MoT Feedback from H&S Committee to be made available to all parties Obtain written reports from witnesses. Take photos of all factors involved in accident Employer reports accident to OSH ASAP and obtains clearance agreement Employer files Notification of Serious Harm and Accident/ Investigation Form and conducts comprehensive investigation Fax to OSH within 7 days, copy to MoT