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Prc controller described an unsafe environment when window shades were installed during a busy operations period; causing unnecessary distractions.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 820491 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200901 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | PRC.Tower |
| State Reference | AZ |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Local |
| Qualification | Air Traffic Control Fully Certified |
| Experience | Air Traffic Control Military 21 Air Traffic Control Radar 21 Air Traffic Control Supervisory 19 Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 0.25 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Other Tower Cabin Maintenance |
Narrative:
Unsafe environment in ATC tower cab during operations. Shades were being installed during a time while controllers were operating at their positions. During moderate to heavy and complex traffic; non-operational personnel were obstructing vision and making loud noises; inhibiting the safe flow of air traffic at prescott; az; ATCT. Additionally; training was being conducted during a portion of this time. Major problem with this situation: 1) too many people in tower cab. 2) with too many people; came inability to sit down; causing less space due to a lot of chairs unoccupied. 3) visibility restricted due to people climbing in windows; requiring constant movement to look around installers to see traffic. 4) noise from installers; caused lack of understanding on controllers' and pilots' parts; requiring repeated transmissions; due to heavy background noise. 5) corrective actions were not taken by supervisor to stop work; allowing personnel to concentrate; and effectively do their jobs.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PRC Controller described an unsafe environment when window shades were installed during a busy operations period; causing unnecessary distractions.
Narrative: Unsafe environment in ATC Tower Cab during operations. Shades were being installed during a time while Controllers were operating at their positions. During moderate to heavy and complex traffic; non-operational personnel were obstructing vision and making loud noises; inhibiting the safe flow of air traffic at Prescott; AZ; ATCT. Additionally; training was being conducted during a portion of this time. Major problem with this situation: 1) Too many people in Tower Cab. 2) With too many people; came inability to sit down; causing less space due to a lot of chairs unoccupied. 3) Visibility restricted due to people climbing in windows; requiring constant movement to look around installers to see traffic. 4) Noise from installers; caused lack of understanding on Controllers' and pilots' parts; requiring repeated transmissions; due to heavy background noise. 5) Corrective actions were not taken by Supervisor to stop work; allowing personnel to concentrate; and effectively do their jobs.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.