What is tool-control procedure?
Knowing where every tool is: how tools are listed, issued, counted out and counted back in during AGL work so none is left on the airfield.
Tool control means every tool taken into a work area is listed, issued and counted. A tool left on a runway or taxiway is foreign object debris that can damage aircraft, and one left in a light base, cable pit or equipment cabinet can cause a fault or a hazard for the next crew, so the working party must be able to show that everything that went out has come back.
Each tool has a marked place on a tool board, tray or kit list. The kit is counted out before entering the work area and counted in before leaving, against the same list. Small parts such as ties, tape and fasteners are kept in a container, a broken tool is accounted for piece by piece, and a missing tool is reported at once and searched for before the area is treated as clear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1What is a tool-control procedure?
It is a simple system that keeps track of every tool taken into an airfield work area. Tools are listed, issued to a named person, counted out before work and counted back in afterwards, so nothing is left on or near the pavement.
Q2Why is tool control needed on an airfield?
A tool left behind is foreign object debris that can damage aircraft tyres and engines, and a missing tool may also be somewhere it should not be, such as inside a light base, cable pit or equipment cabinet where it can cause a fault. Counting tools out and in turns "I think we have everything" into a check that can be confirmed.
Q3How are tools counted out and in?
Each tool has a place on a list, tool board or tray, and the kit is checked against that list before it goes to the work area and again before it leaves. The same list is used both times, so any gap shows straight away.
Q4What about small parts, consumables and broken tools?
Fasteners, cable ties, tape, offcuts and similar items are kept in a container and picked up as the work goes on, not left for later. If a tool breaks, every piece is collected and accounted for before the tool is treated as complete.
Q5What if a tool is missing?
Work in that area stops being treated as finished. The loss is reported at once to the supervisor and, through the airport’s procedure, to airport operations, and a search is made. The area is not reported clear until the tool is found or the airport has decided how to proceed.
Q6Who is responsible for tool control?
Everyone on the working party looks after the tools they use, and the supervisor confirms the count before the area is handed back. The exact roles, records and reporting steps come from the airport’s own procedures and your employer’s permit to work.
Q7Does tool control only matter on the pavement?
No. The same listing and counting applies to everything taken into light bases, cable pits, transformer chambers and equipment or CCR cabinets, and to vehicles and tool bags. A tool or part left inside can cause a fault, become a hazard for later work, or work its way out onto the pavement.
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