Hygienic assessment of the acoustic load on airport ground staff during ground handling of aircrafts

Abstract

Introduction. Among the occupational factors having a harmful effect on the body of airport ground staff, noise dominates, the levels of which may exceed normative values. The purpose of the study. To assess the acoustic loads on airport ground staff when working on the platform of a modern airport. Materials and methods. Noise measurements at the workplaces of airport ground staff of the profession “Duty “follow me” Driver” (hereinafter referred to as the Duty Driver) were carried out in accordance with GOST ISO 9612–2016. On the basis of the analysis of the working situation and the typical structure of the working day a measurement strategy based on the labour function was adopted. The CENTER 322 noise meter was used to measure the noise. Results. The basic duration of the Duty Driver’s working shift is 10.5 hours and the effective duration of the working day in the sector of the installation of the aircraft (AC) at the parking place (PP) is 4 hours. It is revealed that the greatest noise load on the Duty Officer occurs at the time of coordination of the AC on PP. The main and basic sources of noise in this case are the working turbines of the aircraft. The maximum sound pressure levels depended on the type of aircraft and ranged from 91.2 dBA for the Boeing-747 to 111.0 dBA for the AN-26. The equivalent sound pressure level for a 10.5-hour working day was 92.3 ± 3.4 dBA, for the effective duration of the working day (4 hours) – 96.5 ± 3.4 dBA. The maximum sound levels for most brands of modern aircraft do not exceed the standard parameters. Equivalent sound pressure levels exceed the established standards by 12.3–16.5 dBA. Limitations of the study. Since the Duty Driver was wearing a microphone on himself, there were uncertainties caused by the shielding and reflecting effects of the body. Conclusion. Duty Drivers are exposed to noise exceeding hygienic standards. This makes it possible to attribute the workplace of the Duty Officers to the harmful class of working conditions 3.2 according to the acoustic factor and makes it necessary for them to use personal protective equipment against noise when working on the platform.