What is foreign object damage, and how can it be prevented?

If you or your team service or repair commercial machinery, industrial equipment or even aerospace engines and systems, preventing foreign object damage is essential.

Foreign Object Damage (FOD) is damage that is caused by foreign objects entering machinery or systems, notably in aviation. These objects, such as debris or tools, can cause equipment failure or structural damage. Preventative measures include regular inspections, FOD detection systems, and cleanliness protocols that reduce risk.

However, one of the most essential strategies to prevent foreign-object damage is robust tool-control processes.

As such, in this guide, we’ll discuss the key regulations governing tool control, explore the benefits of effective tool control, and present a practical solution for implementing an efficient tool control system.

Modern aviation is one of the safest and most secure means of transportation, in part due to rigorous safety and security checks.

But what most people don’t know is the extraordinary efforts airlines are making. There are, in fact, many measures and guidelines in place to ensure that planes are as safe as possible.

As recently as 2015, an Airbus helicopter crashed in Australia after an engineer left a tool behind during maintenance.

Similarly, a screwdriver caused significant damage to an aeroplane propeller, which led to additional damage to the fuselage during an incident in 2018.

So, whilst leaving a tool in or near an aircraft or its engine is an inconvenience, it is also a potentially catastrophic safety risk. As a result, proper tool control is essential to eliminating aircraft accidents and incidents.

Tool quality control issues also cost the aviation industry more than £500 million annually.

Tool control is also vital for preventing costly damage in various other applications, including the servicing and maintenance of industrial equipment and machinery.

One of the critical measures implemented by airlines and enforced by regulatory bodies is ensuring that engineers or service technicians do not leave foreign object debris in any part of the engine or aircraft systems after routine maintenance.

If a toolbox contains a random jumble of wrenches, screwdrivers and other tools, how can you tell if something is missing?

As such, organisations such as airlines must be able to inspect and monitor the tools and equipment used to maintain their aircraft.

Ensuring that all aviation mechanics comply with these regulations can be time-consuming for both mechanics and airlines. It is, however, a critical process and is the primary goal of most tool control policies.

Tool control essentially involves assigning a designated storage location for each tool when not in use. Doing this enables swift identification in the event of loss or misplacement of tools or equipment, thus preventing tools from causing potentially catastrophic damage.

Most UK airlines have a tool control and accountability policy, as outlined by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Specifically, Policy 145-2 Equipment, Tools and Materials – OTAR Part 145.109. The Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) policy in the United States is CA number 150/5380-5B.

The policies are naturally very similar, but in the UK, the CAA states:

“(a) All tools and equipment which need to be checked for maintenance or calibration because they are necessary for measuring specified dimensions and tightening torques, etc., must be identified and listed in a control register, including all personal tools and equipment that the organisation agrees to use.”

“(b) Control of these tools and equipment requires that the organisation have an inspection/maintenance procedure, and, where applicable, regularly calibrate these items and communicate to users that the item is on schedule for inspection, service, or calibration.”

“(c) A clear system of labelling all tools, equipment and test equipment is therefore necessary to give information on when the next inspection, service, or calibration is due and whether the item is unusable for any other reason where it may not be obvious. A record must be maintained for all precision tools and equipment, as well as a record of calibrations and standards used.”

“(d) Inspection, maintenance, or calibration shall regularly follow the equipment manufacturer’s instructions, except where the organisation can demonstrate through historical calibration and/or maintenance results that a different period is appropriate in a particular case.”

Tool control is essential to ensure that engineers and service technicians can account for all tools upon completing their tasks. Your staff can only achieve this if every tool has a designated place for storage when not in use.

The CAA regulation also states that tools must be identifiable, listed, labelled, and available for regular inspection.

One of the most effective ways to achieve this is with tool control foam.

Tool control foam, or shadow boards, is a two-tone foam insert for a toolbox or protective case.

Usually, tool control foam has a black or dark-coloured top layer, with a bright, contrasting foam colour for the pockets or recesses used to keep tools.

This colour difference can quickly help engineers and technicians see if a tool is missing from its designated location. Effectively, it highlights if your staff has left any tools inside the equipment or engine being serviced or repaired.

As tool control foam has specific recesses for each tool, those who use these shadow boards also report that it is much easier and faster to find the tool they require. Coupled with laser etching of part numbers or tool names directly onto the foam, shadow boards allow staff to work more quickly and efficiently.

In addition to allowing engineers to quickly and easily check their tool inventory, using shadow board foam to store tools has several other benefits: