A319
Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Powerplant
Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
General Maintenance Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Aircraft; Company Policy; Human Factors
As a Shop Steward on behalf of my membership; I would like to report a procedure that concerns bio-hazard on company Air Carrier aircraft. Last minute [cabin issue of passenger] seat cushions with pee; vomit; blood; whatever; as the [aircraft] cleaners find them; and put them on top of the seats to be changed; and then call Maintenance to change them [cushions]. At this point; the flight attendants say it's OK to board the passengers. Now; as Maintenance comes to change the seat cushions; people are boarding or possibly sitting on the seat cushion to be changed. Flight attendants refuse to stop boarding in most cases. So now; Maintenance is fighting passengers up and down the small aisle; brushing up against passenger's heads in the seats; with the pee and vomit stained seat cushion(s). We are told this is the practice here and that's that. We feel it is a bio-hazard against the passengers and flight attendants; or whoever is in the aisle; that gets brushed up against. This practice should be changed before we have a lawsuit against us for bio-hazard. As Maintenance; we feel responsible and passengers are upset at us as we try and remove the cushion(s). In some cases; the passenger puts the soiled seat cushion back in the seat and sits on it; now we have to ask them to stand; as we change it and they check their pants for being soiled. Not a very nice procedure just to get an on-time [departure] while the gate agent or flight attendant gets blamed for a delay. Physical health concerns.
A Line Mechanic reports about a bio-hazard concern involving the removal of contaminated passenger seat cushions that brush up against passengers and flight attendants during the boarding process as Maintenance tries to remove the seat cushions from the aircraft.