Part 14SEATBELTS AND OTHER RESTRAINT DEVICES

CHAPTER 14 SEATBELTS AND OTHER RESTRAINT DEVICES 14.01 Application 14.02 Wearing of seatbelts and other restraint devices (1) For subregulation 138.375 (1), each FCM must wear a seatbelt when stationed at the FCM’s crew station. > Note For crew station, see the CASR Dictionary. (2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), for subregulation 138.375 (1), a seatbelt must be worn by each person on an aircraft during an aerial work operation whenever any of the following occurs: (a) the aircraft flies below 1 000 ft AGL; (b) the aircraft flies above 1 000 ft AGL and the pilot in command directs that a seatbelt must be worn; (c) the aircraft is on the ground and the pilot in command directs that a seatbelt must be worn. (3) For subregulation 138.375 (1), for an operation in which a person in a class of persons mentioned in section 15.02 is carried as an external load, the operator and the pilot in command must each ensure that the following requirements are complied with: (a) for an aerial work passenger who is being rescued in an SAR operation — a rescue harness, or other rescue device compliant with the requirements of, or approved under, Part 21 of CASR, must be worn as instructed or fitted by a crew member; (b) the rescue harness or other rescue device mentioned in paragraph (a) must be used: (i) strictly in accordance with the instructions for its use; and (ii) only in the rescue situations for which it was designed to be used. (4) Subsections (2) and (3) do not apply for a Class D external load operation when a person is: (a) rappelling — provided that the requirements of subsection 15.06 (6) are complied with; or > Note See subsection 1.04 (6) for the definition of rappelling. (b) making a hover entry or exit — provided that the requirements of subsection 15.06 (7) are complied with. > Note See subsection 15.06 (7) for the meaning of hover entry or exit. 14.03 Safety harness or a restraint strap (1) For subregulation 138.375 (1), this section applies only to an aerial work certificate holder. (2) A person is taken to comply with section 14.02 if the person wears a safety harness or a restraint strap instead of a seatbelt. (3) When a safety harness or a restraint strap (the equipment) is worn instead of a seatbelt, the equipment must be: (a) fit for the particular purpose of the operation; and (b) compliant with the requirements of, or approved under, Part 21 of CASR; and (c) serviceable before the operation commences. (4) Before the aircraft’s flight, or a related series of flights, a crew member intending to wear the equipment must have been trained by the operator in the use of the equipment and assessed as competent. (5) The equipment must be: (a) available at all times for the crew member who is to use the equipment; and (b) correctly fitted, worn and adjusted to prevent the crew member who is using the equipment from completely exiting the aircraft when wearing the equipment; and (c) secured, via the restraint strap, to an aircraft hard point in accordance with relevant approved data; and (d) the subject of confirmation by the pilot in command and the crew member that paragraphs (a) to (c) are complied with. (6) A crew member who intends during flight to transfer from a seatbelt to the equipment must be secured by the equipment before the crew member unfastens the seatbelt. (7) The aircraft must not be manoeuvred in a way that subjects a crew member to additional flight loads unless the crew member has been briefed on the manoeuvre by the pilot in command. (8) A crew member proposing to move around in the aircraft’s cabin while wearing the equipment must: (a) advise the pilot in command of the proposed movements; and (b) not adversely affect the aircraft’s centre of gravity or controllability.