A Day in the Life of an Equipment Operator, Kennedy Njoroge

How do you get ready for work? 

I get to the airport (JKIA) at exactly 8:00am just in time for a debrief that usually takes place any time before 8:30 am to enable the start of our tasks at 9:00 am. During the debrief the team on shift is informed on the task allocation and about the arrivals and departure schedules. I personally do confirm with my team members of any other tasks then take on the equipment handover and serviceability checks. It is also at this point that I usually seek for any operational reports from the team leaders. 

After the debrief the team on duty dons their corporate uniform and personal protective gear. 

However, not all days are similar. Other days I will get to work and rush to the airside depending on the urgent task at hand especially if there’s an aircraft turning around and more hands are needed on deck. 

• Take us through your typical day 

Depending on the handover debrief, I may start my day following up or sorting any occurrences that come up during the previous shift. Ordinarily though I just proceed to the airside zone and departure/arrivals having check the day’s mayfly which guides me on the various aircraft parking areas and their designated time slots. 

By the time I am done with a few routine equipment checks of the entire machinery system such as the tractors, loaders, and conveyors it around 10:00 am during which day starts getting busier owing to the return flights especially from the local routes. Most planes will be at the airport anytime from 10.30am to 11.00am after another take-off cycle begins at around noon all the to 2.00pm.  

Again, depending on how busy the airside is, I may be lucky to get a break and grab my lunch or just a snack so I can quickly resume.  

Other times I rarely take the break especially when there are delays either because of weather or any other unforeseen incident.  

Since no one day is the same to the other, we are likely to have debriefs in the afternoon depending on any arising issue or to just check out if the day is going as planned.  

• When and how does your day end? 

On a typical day shift, my day will end at 5:00pm while my night shifts run from 8:00am to 9:00am the following morning.   

I mostly reflect on what the day and entire shift has been before I leave. I also recheck my to-do list to assess what I have accomplished. Lastly, I prepare my handover reports on equipment serviceability, operations machinery and airside zone safety.