Rule 5921. (1) An employee shall not be permitted to approach within 50 feet of
the helicopter when the rotor blades are turning, unless the work duties of the
employee require the presence of the employee within that area.
(2) The employer shall instruct employees and shall ensure that, whenever
approaching or leaving a helicopter which has its blades rotating, all employees
shall remain in full view of the pilot and keep in a crouched position. An employee shall
not be permitted to work in the area from the cockpit or cabin rearward while blades
are rotating, unless authorized by the helicopter operator.
(3) An employee shall not be permitted to perform work under hovering craft
except when necessary to hook or unhook a load. A safe means of access shall be
provided for an employee to reach the hoist line hook and engage or disengage a cargo
sling while under the hovering craft.
History: 1979 AC.
R 408.15922 Providing and training ground employees; checking size, weight,
and connection of load; tag line, pressed sleeve, hoist wire, or other gear; static
charge; rated capacity of load line.
Rule 5922. (1) Ground employees shall be provided, and they shall be properly
trained to ensure that helicopter loading and unloading operations can be performed
safely.
(2) The size and weight of loads, and the manner in which loads are connected to the
helicopter, shall be checked by the pilot in command. A lift shall not be made if the
helicopter pilot in command determines that the lift cannot be made safely.
(3) A load shall be properly slung. A tag line shall be of a length that does not
permit it being drawn up into the rotors. A pressed sleeve, swedged eye, or equivalent
means shall be used for a freely suspended load to prevent a hand splice from spinning
open or a cable clamp from loosening.
(4) A hoist wire or other gear, except for a pulling line or conductor that is allowed
to "pay out" from a container or roll off a reel, shall not be attached to any fixed ground
structure or allowed to foul on any fixed structure.
(5) The static charge on the suspended load shall be dissipated with a grounding
device before ground personnel touch the suspended load, unless protective rubber gloves
are being worn when touching the load.
(6) A load line shall have a working load rating of not less than the rated capacity of
the helicopter.
History: 1979 AC; 2015 AACS.
R 408.15923 Cargo hooks.
Rule 5923. (1) An electrically operated cargo hook shall have the electrical
activating device so designed and installed as to prevent inadvertent operation.
(2) A cargo hook shall be equipped with an emergency mechanical control for
releasing the load.
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