Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) and Hangar Maintenance
In an MRO/Hangar environment, FOD control is vitally important. MRO and Hangar Maintenance are quite similar. While an MRO environment consists of overhauling/repairing aerospace parts, a hangar maintenance environment consists of overhauling/repairing aircraft. Because of these similarities, FPS holds both these environments to the same standard.
When a part or aircraft are being taken apart, great care must be used to ensure the parts and pieces that are removed are accounted for. Part Storage Areas (PSA) need to be utilized in these environments. PSA’s must be well identified, well documented and, most importantly, utilized. Parts and hardware must be tagged and stored when not in use. PSA’s prevent accidental FOD introduction and must be utilized.
Testing equipment must be well documented. The very nature of both environments means that cross-contamination from testing equipment, such as hydraulic test stands, pose a very real threat. Therefore, every piece of testing equipment must be accompanied with documentation that provides insight into what part or vehicle the equipment was used on. This documentation helps for two main reasons. First, a user must sign-off that the equipment is in serviceable condition. This helps to ensure that testing equipment is providing valid tests. Second, if testing equipment does become contaminated or is deemed unserviceable for another reason, those parts/vehicles that were tested with the equipment can be retested to ensure no cross-contamination or invalid testing occurred.
Openings, ports, lines, hoses, electrical connections, and ducts will be properly plugged or capped to prevent FOD from entering the system(s).
Any type of production planner, or step-by-step instruction needs to have FOD checks placed strategically. An example would be when a part is being closed, thereby preventing anyone from being able to see into the part, a FOD check should be performed and signed-off by both the operator and a Quality Assurance representative. A FOD check such as this needs to be signed-off by an individual that was not directly involved with the work that was performed on the part/vehicle. The more eyes that are looking for FOD, the better.
Before starting and after ending a job, a localized FOD sweep needs to be accomplished and signed-off. This can be a part of a planner or a sign-off sheet located in the area.
