Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Attendant Current
Confusion; Distraction
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
General None Reported / Taken
Aircraft; Human Factors; Procedure
I want to bring a safety issue regarding flight attendants wearing face masks while on board aircraft. One of our critical duties is to be on guard for the smell of smoke. Today on our flight I realized that the mask hinders my ability to pick up the minute traces of smoke. Shortly after I had this realization I did smell smoke very powerfully; I took down my mask to have a better idea of what the smell really was. This occurred shortly after takeoff; so I was hesitant to call my Lead; but decided it was strong enough I should. When I picked up the phone the FA in the back of the aircraft was already describing the issue; the Lead and the Captain were on the line listening.The Captain speculated we had just pulled in the smoke from outside and we were told to stay vigilant. At this point I did not resume wearing my mask until I was confident the smoke had subsided.I feel wearing the masks at any time while on the aircraft hinders me from performing my duties to the best of my abilities thus putting the entire aircraft and everyone on it; including myself; lives at risk and exposes us to greater liability. I am formally requesting we rethink and hopefully revoke the suggestion any flight attendant impair their abilities by wearing a face mask while on board an aircraft.
Flight Attendant reported wearing a COVID-19 mask hindered her ability to smell smoke in the cabin.