As an aircraft maintenance worker, you could be exposed to COVID-19 in situations such as when you have close contact with someone with COVID-19 or when you touch surfaces while repairing aircraft interiors and lavatories that have been touched or handled by a person with COVID-19.

  • Limit close contact with others by maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet, when possible.
  • Practice routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces, following the directions on the cleaning product’s label.
  • Use gloves whenever you touch surfaces contaminated by body fluids.
  • Proper hand hygiene is an important infection control measure. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
  • Key times to clean hands in general include:
    • Before, during, and after preparing food
    • Before eating food
    • After using the toilet
    • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • Additional times to clean hands on the job include:
    • Before and after work shifts
    • Before and after work breaks
    • After touching frequently touched surfaces
    • After removing any personal protective equipment (PPE)
    • After performing maintenance tasks such as handling untreated human waste
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Recommendations based on work tasks:

Interior Work:

  • Wear your normally required PPE, if applicable, when making repairs in the passenger cabin area.
  • Do not use compressed air or water sprays to clean surfaces contacted by passengers, as these techniques may aerosolize potentially infectious material.
  • If cleaning is required before you make repairs, first review CDC cleaning guidance for Airlines and Airline Crew: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and contact your employer for additional guidance.

Air Filter Replacement:

  • Wear your normally required PPE, if applicable.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s filter replacement schedule.
  • When replacing air filters (including HEPA filters):
    • Avoid hitting, dropping, or shaking the filter.
    • Do not use compressed air to clean a filter. This will keep materials in the filter from becoming airborne.
    • Dispose of the used filter and gloves in a sealed plastic bag.
    • Clean your hands when the task is finished.

Waste and Wastewater Handling:

  • Follow standard practices when performing work tasks that could expose you to untreated waste and wastewater. Untreated waste and wastewater colored blue (i.e., a deodorizing agent in some aircraft toilets) are not disinfected and have the potential to be infectious. Take these steps to protect yourself:
    • Avoid causing or creating a fine spray of untreated waste material.
    • Do not vent aircraft vacuum waste tanks inside hangars if the aircraft’s external venting system is not equipped with a filter to prevent the spread of germs from the waste. If you must vent the vacuum waste tanks inside a hangar, use a technique that exhausts the air outside the hangar.
    • Use employer-provided PPE when handling human waste or sewage:
      • Splash-proof face shield
      • Liquid-repellent coveralls
      • Waterproof gloves
      • Rubber boots
    • Remove PPE after use following your employers’ instructions, and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.



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