RE: helmet vs. headset--CAMTS

["Pieter de Weerdt" <pieterdw@medsupportsolutions.com>]

Fair comment Mike!!

My approach is one of:  LET'S MAKE THE ENTIRE OPERATION AS RISK-FREE AS
POSSIBLE........eliminate, reduce or manage the risk as much as possible,
and the complete puzzle needs to fit, padding, helmets, crash-resistant fuel
systems, high time pilots, IFR training (even for VFR operations),
nightsuns, NVG's, high altitude familiarisation, 8 hour duty periods, nomex
undergarments, leather or nomex gloves, we can carry on as much as we like,
again, eliminate or reduce the risk as much as possible....  Padding and
safe interior designs should not eliminate the use of personal protection,
and vice versa, sort of a mutual exclusivity, get the whole darn lot to
balance the risks vs. the management thereof.

And yup, as far as the risk dictates, I believe in and use fire
retardant/non-melting clothing, leather shoes, woollen or cotton socks,
leather gloves, drive an Audi (hardly into the garage without wearing my
seatbelt), but I still have medical and life insurances, because I believe
very few of us would propose to be bullet-proof when it comes to trauma,
we've seen it go wrong when all odds were stacked in favour of the victim,
and vice versa.

We can never take enough precautions in being safe, the limit is
practicality, but I believe that interiors, operations manuals, nomex and
helmets are attainable and reasonable risk maintenance measures, for a start
at least...

Regards

Pieter

-----Original Message-----
From: flightmed-admin@flightweb.com
[mailto:flightmed-admin@flightweb.com]On Behalf Of MSULDO@aol.com
Sent: 01 February 2002 07:43
To: flightmed@flightweb.com
Subject: RE: helmet vs. headset--CAMTS


<<<but if there's a
fraction of a percentage point increase in my chances because I'm in Nomex
with a helmet etc, I'll take it....>>>

Pieter, I couldn't agree more, that we need to be as safe as possible. I
hope that this means that you also wear a nomex baclava, gloves, and
especially nomex undergarmets, because stats have shown that those things
raise the safety margin by lots more than a fraction of a percentage point.
Do you? If not, why? Also I hope you drive an big SUV or Volvo, because that
also increases your safety margin a great deal in the real dangereous part
of your life  - driving.
As I stated before, helmets may be desirable, but I don't like them to be
bandaids for inherent design and/or conformity problems or "low budget"
operations in safety. There is no reason that your Propac or life pac or
other equipment shouldn't be padded so as not to be a hazard - helmets or
not.
I guess my main concern is folks who wear nomex outer gamets and helmets and
think that the program is "safe" because of that. Course they've never done
any real CRM, survival training, push weather, get low budget maintenance,
look for 500 hour pilots, the list is long -  but hey - we've got
helmets/flight suits = we are safe. Seems a cheap way out for the bean
counters - lets see - quality operation - extra $10K / month, helmets, $1K
amortized - no brainer - pardon the pun.
just my 2 cents
Mike

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