The Airliner Cabin Environment Air Quality and Safety (1986) / Chapter Skim
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3 Standards, Regulations, and Industry Practices
3 Standards, Regulations, and Industry Practices
Pages 64-90
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From page 64... ...
of the Federal Aviation Act, which requires airlines to provide "safe and adequate service." FAA was absorbed into the Department of Transportation in 1966, and CAB was disbanded under the Airline Deregulation Act of 19782 and the Civil Aeronautics Board Sunset Act of 1984. Many CAB responsibilities were transferred to the Office of the Secretary of Transportation.
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From page 65... ...
Accordingly, FARs have been established that govern airworthiness standards for commercial transport airplanes and certification and operation of domestic, flag (foreign) , and supplemental air carriers and commercial operators of large aircraft.
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From page 66... ...
These regulations include provisions for formal fact-finding under the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, 2° the Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970,3 and the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act of 1974.22 This chapter reviews standards, regulations, and operating procedures with respect to several problems involving safety in the aircraft cabin. In particular, it examines regulations with respect to air quality itself, as well as regulations and guidelines that govern crew and passenger response to fire, Repressurization, medical emergency, and ditching and
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From page 67... ...
Compliance with this list dictates operations that will meet FAA regulations. Because relevant federal regulations necessarily leave considerable discretion to the air carrier in accommodating the different configurations of equipment on various aircraft, typical procedures of mayor North American air carriers with respect to these subjects are described here, as are similarities to and differences from foreign regulations.
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From page 68... ...
9 This standard is also found in the regulations governing air carriers,
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From page 69... ...
These issues are Of the regulations and recommendations referred to in this chapter, those concerning fires are the most extensive (see Table C-1. That was true even before the recent promulgation of rules and recommendations that followed the cabin fires near Cincinnati, Ohio on June 2, 1983, and at Tampa International Airport on June 25, 1983.
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From page 70... ...
an automatic system to deploy supplemental oxygen equipment in the event of sudden Repressurization is requires; and portable oxygen equipment with a 15-min supply must be provided for cabin crew. Proper use of continuous-flow passenger masks has proved to be a satisfactory intermediate measure for countering inadequate supply of oxygen for cabin altitudes of up to 40,000 ft.
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From page 71... ...
passengers must be briefed on the use of supplemental oxygen equipment. MEDICAL EMERGENCIES A recent court decision reversed an FAA decision that it did not have authority to make air carriers supply their aircraft with medicine and emergency medical equipment to treat general health emergencies6 and held that FAA can proceed with rule-making if it deems such action to be advisable.
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From page 72... ...
that is more than 6 ft from the ground when the landing gear is extended must have equipment for assisting occupants in descending.17 On all flights that include extended over-water operation, flotation devices must be within easy reach of all passengers, and liferafts must be sufficient to accommodate all occupants.! ' Crew training includes instruction and periodic refreshers in emergency procedures and equipment for each type of airplane.
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From page 73... ...
possible crash or fire survival equipment."19 The ECAC Working Group on Cabin Safety recently approved amendments to the ECAC regulations, but these were not available at the time of the Committee's deliberations. Most ECAC requirements are based on the U.S.
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From page 74... ...
The Committee attempted to elicit descriptions of operating procedures from U.S. and foreign flag air carriers.
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From page 75... ...
34 Air carriers are required to report accidents and incidents, as well as other interruptions to service. FAA is also empowered to initiate an investigation at any time with respect to any matter within its jurisdiction.
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From page 76... ...
In legal actions, FAA has the burden of proof; in contrast, the applicant has the burden of proof in cases of discretionary denial of an application for a license or certificate on medical grounds. The nature of the violation and its impact on aviation safety determine the type of enforcement action taken.
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From page 77... ...
However, the General Accounting Office (GAO) has conducted an analysis of FAA inspection of a sample of commercial air carriers during 1984.46 The results of that analysis are the basis of the following discussion.
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From page 78... ...
At each district office, air carriers were randomly selected; 40 of 73 Part 121 carriers and 52 of 112 scheduled Part 135 carriers were selected. All FAA inspections of the 92 selected carriers in 1984, whether conducted by those offices or by other FAA units, were reviewed -- about 12,000 inspection reports.
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From page 79... ...
ADEQUACY AND EFFI CACY OF PASSENGER SAFETY INFORMATION The issue of the adequacy and efficacy of passenger safety briefings ~r~.~-nt-. D 0~ ~4 ~ ^ -- - There is considerable variation in the articulation and presentation of safety briefings by flight crews.
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From page 80... ...
The results suggested several factors that lead to such behavior: the inappropriateness or inaccuracy of information given to passengers, passenger indifference to safety information, the belief apparently held by some passengers that they are immune to injury, and the common belief that airplane accidents are not survivable and that passengers consequently have no influence on whether they will survive an accident.~° During the 1970s, McDonnell Douglas studied passenger behavior in actual emergency situations and proposed three methods to stimulate improvement: learning by trial and error, training or instruction, and clear and forceful instructions and action by the crew. McDonnell Douglas concluded that the combination of forceful cabin crew leadership with provision of passenger instruction
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From page 81... ...
ATTENTION, COMPREHENSION, AND RECALL UNDER STRESS Industry observers have often suggested that a mild degree of anxiety increases the attention given to safety briefings and instruction cards. Too much anxiety and fear, however, often result in a "disaster syndrome" in which psychologic blocking results in inaction or inappropriate response.
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From page 82... ...
For example, results of a McDonnell Douglas study suggested that explicit emergency evacuation instructions in a preflight briefing would not cause anxiety, but rather would reduce anxiety if properly presented. 5 However, interviews of survivors of aircraft accidents suggested that, of the four common responses to the extreme stress of emergency situations-strengthening of resources, attacking the threat, avoiding it, or remaining inactive -- the most common response by passengers during aircraft emergencies was inaction.
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From page 83... ...
Video presentations in waiting lounges might have the double advantage of presenting relevant information in considerably greater detail than is commonly the case today and presenting it in a manner that is flexible enough to serve the needs of both frequent fliers and neophytes. Again, the basic elements of the problem are apparent: the difficulty in attracting and keeping passenger attention, the difficulty in communicating complicated perceptual-motor procedures, and the latent difficulty in recalling this information under conditions of extreme stress.
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From page 84... ...
In particular, FAA has proposed a rule concerning the use of specific materials in cargo and baggage compartments; 4 ~ promulgated a final rule requiring emergency escape-path markings that are visible when all sources of cabin lighting more than 4 it above the floor are obscured by smoke; 42 promulgated a final rule requiring air carriers to provide medical kits containing equipment and drugs for use in the treatment of injuries or medical conditions that occur during flight; 40 proposed a rule on fire protection requirements for cargo or baggage compartments that includes provision for at least two Halon extinguishers and for inspections and repairs of lavatory electric components on some aircraft; 38 proposed a rule establishing new fire test criteria for type certification of aircraft, which requires cabin interiors to correspond with the criteria, including the retrofitting of aircraft constructed since 1958~43 and proposed a rule governing the availability and performance of breathing devices to protect the crew from smoke and toxic fumes. 44 In addition to these regulatory actions, FAA is conducting research in related subjects.
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From page 85... ...
Although the suggestions presented in this chapter are motivated principally by a desire to improve passenger recall under the heightened stress of emergencies, they should also permit the collection of data that would illuminate the issues of attracting and keeping passenger attention and of comprehension of safety material presented.
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From page 86... ...
10. Certification and operations: Domestic, flag and supplemental air carriers and commercial operators of large aircraft.
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From page 87... ...
18. Paris: European Civil Aviation Conference, 1979.
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From page 88... ...
Safety Study, Airline Passenger Safety Education: A Review of Methods Used to Present Safety Information. Washington, D.C.: National Transportation Safety Board, 1985.
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From page 89... ...
Floor proximity emergency escape path marking: Final rule. Federal Register 49~26 Oct.~:43182-43186, 1984.
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From page 90... ...
Compilation and Analysis of the Federal Aviation Administration's Inspection of a Sample of Commercial Air Carriers GAO/RCED-85-157. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
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