Airports
Airport FOD Meeting – Doing it Right
A solid airport-wide FOD Prevention effort depends on maintaining motivated team members. As a coordinator, recognizing good work, offering promotions, and including unrelated positive events promote group relationships, cooperation and communication. Celebrating anniversaries, new children, and more are a few examples. Keeping FOD meetings upbeat and rewarding improves attendance and participation in the resulting needed actions out on the airfield.
Enforce a strict policy requiring FOD conferences to be maintained as a group effort to frequently improve a safety program. (No finger pointing allowed. Leave the uncertainty back at the office.)
Suggested Resources
Check out our articles on how to prevent FOD at your airport or how to set up a FOD Program at your airline for more great ideas.
Basic Agenda for Airport FOD Meetings
1) Introductions
Introductions get everyone focused and improves comfort level.
2) Review of Minutes from the Last Airport FOD Meeting
Have someone act as group secretary; taking good notes at every meeting. Have them written up as “minutes of last meeting” while memories are fresh. Accurate records will benefit everyone in the FOD Prevention effort.
3) Reports of FOD Damage
There is value to discussing accidents/incidents that have happened locally and system wide. Both air carriers and ground handlers should be encouraged to share their experiences and the preventative measures that were taken. If any high profile incidents have been covered in the media explore any implications to local operations.
4) Reports on current local FOD Program
Discuss successful activities, failures, changes, etc. Emphasize the importance of discussing challenges as well as successes.
5) New initiatives
Encourage everyone to brainstorm new ideas. It is important to plan ahead for any initiatives that require new funding. Carriers and airports generally have tight budgets. Funding for things like poster campaigns, T-shirts, etc., must be submitted in a budget up to 12 months in advance.
6) Tour
A walking or bus tour energizes group members to observe problem areas firsthand. The results of current FOD Program efforts and new initiatives can be discussed and evaluated. Seeing things in-person will generate ideas that might never surface sitting around a conference table.
7)Date of Next Meeting
The frequency of FOD conferences will depend on the size of the airport and the activity. In some cases, it may be desirable to meet monthly and in others quarterly. At small airports, FOD Control can be an additional agenda within a regular meeting, such as the Airport Operations Committee.
8) Location of Next meeting
There is value in having airport tenants host some of the FOD meetings. For example, an airline catering company could be asked to host the meeting. They use the opportunity to present the steps that they take to control FOD in their operation. Move things around to spur discussion and generate new ideas.
9) Requests and Suggestions for Agenda Items in the Next Meeting
Don’t be shy about asking for input or placing some of the responsibility for areas of discussion on others. Remember, everyone attending has a responsibility to make this successful – don’t feel like it all rests on your shoulders.
Expect participation and if you feel you are not getting it, stop and ask for help. Make sure everyone understands that they can help facilitate discussion. FOD conferences require their input and energy to be effective.
10) Adjourn with Thanks and Positive Comments
Recognize those who participated and thank people for their input.
Want to learn more? Contact us for guidance on improving your FOD control program.