EMB ERJ 170/175 ER/LR
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Equipment / Tooling; Human Factors; Procedure
I was the Captain on this flight. Once we completed the flight we parked at a gate that requires air stairs. As per [Company] operating procedures; we had Engine #1 (Left Eng) running to power the aircraft until ground power was to be established. Before ground power was established; ramp personal pushed the air stairs up to the airplane and passengers began to deplane while 15 ft IN FRONT OF A LIVE RUNNING ENGINE. It was at about the same time I noticed this that the ground power became available. I immediately transferred power and shut down the engine. Following the incident I tracked down the Ramp Supervisor (who was not present during the incident) and she informed me that it is normal [here] for the ramp agents to push the air stairs up to the aircraft while the engine is still running; however; the Agent should not have given our FA (Flight Attendant) the signal to open the main cabin door. This is an event that is an extreme safety risk and can have devastating consequences.
ERJ-175 Captain reported that passengers deplaned via air stairs in front of a running engine.