Contractors working at Dublin Airport were caught using cheat sheets on crucial safety exams, Extra.ie can reveal.
The notes were discovered hidden in the cistern of a toilet close to where the assessments were taking place in late March. The workers knew to lift the cistern lid on a specific toilet to find the answers to the exam.
They would then read them and return to the test. The cheat sheet was left there by a fellow employee who was also sitting the exam and knew the answers. Those who were found to have cheated received a lifetime ban from working on the runway tarmac.
Labour Party TD Duncan Smith. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos
Labour TD Duncan Smith, whose constituency includes Dublin Airport, said the news sent a ‘chill’ when Extra.ie approached him for comment last night. Mr Smith said he now wants the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to come forward to the Oireachtas Transport Committee to explain exactly what happened.
‘It does send a chill when you hear of any actions which could ultimately undermine aircraft safety,’ he said. ‘The DAA did react in this instance, but I will be asking the DAA to come before the Oireachtas Transport Committee and give a detailed account of the matter and be subject to questions and [ensure] this can never happen again.
‘We also need cast-iron guarantees that everyone operating in an engineering or maintenance capacity in Dublin Airport is compliant with all necessary safety certifications.’
Dublin Airport. Pic: Getty Images
The contractor firm has been working with Dublin Airport on several different jobs for more than a decade.
A recent Freedom of Information request to Revenue revealed several accidents involving contractors at Dublin Airport last year. None of those cases involved the company at the centre of the cheating case.
All personnel working at the airport are required to hold a valid Airport Identification Card (AIC) with the bearer’s photo and details stored on it. Access to certain areas is permitted only after the applicant successfully completes mandatory training courses.
The exterior of Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins, Dublin
‘These courses may include: Apron Safety Awareness, Manoeuvring Area Safety Awareness, Apron Driving, Perimeter Road Driving,’ a DAA document stated. DAA, in a statement to Extra.ie, admitted it became aware of contractors trying to ‘circumvent the strict training’ to be allowed ‘airside’ – the part of the airport where planes land and take off.
A spokesman said: ‘Safety and security are non-negotiables for DAA and, in line with the very strict regulations that apply to the aviation sector, all staff working at Dublin Airport – be they permanent, temporary or contracted through a third party – are required to pass strict security checks and compulsory training in order to attain the accreditation necessary to work in an airport environment.
‘DAA takes any attempts to breach or circumvent these processes extremely seriously. DAA can confirm that, earlier this year, it was identified that a number of staff contracted by a third-party construction company carrying out work at Dublin Airport had attempted to circumvent the strict training that is required to work at the airport.
‘Those staff involved were not issued with airport passes and are blocked from ever receiving one in the future. DAA also acted immediately to introduce additional measures to prevent recurrences, in full accordance with European Union Aviation Safety Agency requirements.
‘Additionally, all staff from the company in question have since retaken the compulsory training and tests required to work at Dublin Airport, at the company’s own cost.’
In an additional statement, DAA said it believes that the cheating attempt was a one-off incident. However, a spokesman said that a review was put in place and that countermeasures to avoid a similar incident have been implemented.
He said: ‘DAA has conducted a thorough review and is confident this was an isolated case. Additional safeguards have since been implemented to prevent any recurrence.’
Sources within Dublin Airport have said that the incident might seem like something ‘from your schooldays’ but said there are big safety implications.
They said: ‘There are huge aircraft moving around. There are baggage dollies, and then there’s the transportation of people themselves. It should go without saying that there should be no leeway when it comes to safety.
‘Someone will get hurt and then we’ll see that they hadn’t a breeze about the rules they were supposed to know inside out.’
The Irish Aviation Authority, as well as the Health and Safety Authority, were both contacted for comment, but neither responded by the time of publication.