As a measure against the severe summer heat for ground handling staff and mechanics working at airports under blazing conditions, the ANA Group has started introducing vests equipped with cooling fans from June 24.
Based on the ready-made work clothes with fans manufactured by Midori Safety, three types of colors have been prepared: orange for mechanics and headset operators, a two-tone color of orange and yellow for ground handling supervisors, and yellow for regular ground handling staff, similar to traditional vests. They are designed for airport work, including a window on the chest for displaying an ID card.
▲(From left) Vest for regular ground handling staff, vest for ground handling supervisor, vest for mechanic and headset operator
The fan’s airflow can be adjusted in three levels: low, medium, and high, with the respective airflow rates per second being approximately 38 liters, 45 liters, and 63 liters. They can be used for about 15.5 hours, 10 hours, and 5 hours on a single charge. According to ANA, as the work hours for ground handling staff and mechanics are about 1 to 2 hours per flight, the fans can normally be operated continuously during work.
▲A mechanic from ANA Line Maintenance Technics, Junpei Ogawa, working wearing the fan-equipped vest
On the 4th, when a scorcher with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius was forecasted in the Kanto-Koshin region, mechanic Junpei Ogawa, who worked at Haneda Airport wearing the fan-equipped vest, felt the effectiveness of the fan, noting its high enclosure and that the polyester material did not cling to overalls. “The ability to adjust the coolness, like using ‘strong’ in hot aircraft interiors and ‘low’ in air-conditioned indoors, is a good feature,” he remarked about the adjustable fan airflow.
ANA Group plans to gradually introduce these vests to 7,000 ground handling staff and 3,600 mechanics who work at aircraft sides at 50 domestic airports.
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