Narrative:

Presently, our whole concourse at O'hare is under construction. They are doing renovation on the building and installing 21 jet bridges. The whole ramp is a mess and you are never sure where to walk and what to watch out for. To install the jets bridges they must dig holes for the main support. These holes are approximately 3 ft by 4 ft and 4 to 6 ft deep. They are all over the ramp operations area and only covered by a piece of thick plywood, my guess would be 3/4 inch. These holes are not barricaded or marked in any way and they blend right in with the ramp. There is also no designated place to park the ground equipment so as a result it is parked haphazardly around the ramp. There is a huge tank of propane gas by one gate where you will often see the passenger trying to light up cigarettes as they are escorted to the building. There is tons of FOD everywhere so people have to run for cover every time an aircraft starts its engines. As we are a regional airline our passenger must be escorted from the aircraft to the building. There is an insufficient amount of escorts, especially with construction, so oftentimes the passenger are left to fend for themselves in a very dangerous environment that they are unfamiliar with. All weekend long I witnessed the following: passenger trying to find their way to the terminal or the aircraft. Weaving in and out of all the ground equipment, ie, deice trucks, tugs, ground power units, bag carts, bobcats, cranes and other miscellaneous equipment. Passenger could not find the doors to the terminal with the surrounding walls being ripped out and all the commotion, as a result they were wandering back and forth around the construction workers' ladders, the welders and workers doing the electrical. Straying passenger walking across the pieces of plywood covering the holes for the jet bridge supports. A crew member walking along had his bag knocked out of his hand by falling brick from above. A few things to add to these hazardous conditions: insufficient lighting on ramp area. We can't always see the hazards. Insufficient guidance for passenger. No one watching them on the ramp and they don't know where to go. No identify of hazards. Anyone can still walk anywhere, under ladders, by the welders, falling brick zones, holes and all other sits related to ramp or construction activities. How can construction people come onto an airport operations area and be so careless? How can our management witness these activities and let them continue? Who is ultimately responsible for the safety of the employees and the passenger under these circumstances? Is it the government, the airport auths, the FAA or the company? It appears that these construction people are allowed to come into airport operation areas with immunity to any of the rules made to keep us safe. Perhaps it is because there is no rules for construction people operating in the terminal area where passenger and employees are right in the middle of the work.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE SAFETY HAZARDS FROM CONSTRUCTION. RAMP DANGERS INCLUDING UNMARKED HOLES, GND EQUIP PARKED HAPHAZARDLY, PAX WANDERING AROUND RAMP TRYING TO LOCATE THE WAY TO THE TERMINAL WITHOUT ADEQUATE GND PERSONNEL SUPERVISION.

Narrative: PRESENTLY, OUR WHOLE CONCOURSE AT O'HARE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THEY ARE DOING RENOVATION ON THE BUILDING AND INSTALLING 21 JET BRIDGES. THE WHOLE RAMP IS A MESS AND YOU ARE NEVER SURE WHERE TO WALK AND WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR. TO INSTALL THE JETS BRIDGES THEY MUST DIG HOLES FOR THE MAIN SUPPORT. THESE HOLES ARE APPROX 3 FT BY 4 FT AND 4 TO 6 FT DEEP. THEY ARE ALL OVER THE RAMP OPS AREA AND ONLY COVERED BY A PIECE OF THICK PLYWOOD, MY GUESS WOULD BE 3/4 INCH. THESE HOLES ARE NOT BARRICADED OR MARKED IN ANY WAY AND THEY BLEND RIGHT IN WITH THE RAMP. THERE IS ALSO NO DESIGNATED PLACE TO PARK THE GND EQUIP SO AS A RESULT IT IS PARKED HAPHAZARDLY AROUND THE RAMP. THERE IS A HUGE TANK OF PROPANE GAS BY ONE GATE WHERE YOU WILL OFTEN SEE THE PAX TRYING TO LIGHT UP CIGARETTES AS THEY ARE ESCORTED TO THE BUILDING. THERE IS TONS OF FOD EVERYWHERE SO PEOPLE HAVE TO RUN FOR COVER EVERY TIME AN ACFT STARTS ITS ENGS. AS WE ARE A REGIONAL AIRLINE OUR PAX MUST BE ESCORTED FROM THE ACFT TO THE BUILDING. THERE IS AN INSUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF ESCORTS, ESPECIALLY WITH CONSTRUCTION, SO OFTENTIMES THE PAX ARE LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES IN A VERY DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH. ALL WEEKEND LONG I WITNESSED THE FOLLOWING: PAX TRYING TO FIND THEIR WAY TO THE TERMINAL OR THE ACFT. WEAVING IN AND OUT OF ALL THE GND EQUIP, IE, DEICE TRUCKS, TUGS, GND PWR UNITS, BAG CARTS, BOBCATS, CRANES AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS EQUIP. PAX COULD NOT FIND THE DOORS TO THE TERMINAL WITH THE SURROUNDING WALLS BEING RIPPED OUT AND ALL THE COMMOTION, AS A RESULT THEY WERE WANDERING BACK AND FORTH AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS' LADDERS, THE WELDERS AND WORKERS DOING THE ELECTRICAL. STRAYING PAX WALKING ACROSS THE PIECES OF PLYWOOD COVERING THE HOLES FOR THE JET BRIDGE SUPPORTS. A CREW MEMBER WALKING ALONG HAD HIS BAG KNOCKED OUT OF HIS HAND BY FALLING BRICK FROM ABOVE. A FEW THINGS TO ADD TO THESE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS: INSUFFICIENT LIGHTING ON RAMP AREA. WE CAN'T ALWAYS SEE THE HAZARDS. INSUFFICIENT GUIDANCE FOR PAX. NO ONE WATCHING THEM ON THE RAMP AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO. NO IDENT OF HAZARDS. ANYONE CAN STILL WALK ANYWHERE, UNDER LADDERS, BY THE WELDERS, FALLING BRICK ZONES, HOLES AND ALL OTHER SITS RELATED TO RAMP OR CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES. HOW CAN CONSTRUCTION PEOPLE COME ONTO AN ARPT OPS AREA AND BE SO CARELESS? HOW CAN OUR MGMNT WITNESS THESE ACTIVITIES AND LET THEM CONTINUE? WHO IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE EMPLOYEES AND THE PAX UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES? IS IT THE GOV, THE ARPT AUTHS, THE FAA OR THE COMPANY? IT APPEARS THAT THESE CONSTRUCTION PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO COME INTO ARPT OP AREAS WITH IMMUNITY TO ANY OF THE RULES MADE TO KEEP US SAFE. PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE THERE IS NO RULES FOR CONSTRUCTION PEOPLE OPERATING IN THE TERMINAL AREA WHERE PAX AND EMPLOYEES ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORK.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.