The safe management of civil airfield pavements

The personal safety of all who either travel by air or perform some service function on our airfields is the principal concern of professionals from many disciplines. This paper examines the safe management of airfield pavements for civilian use from inception to expiry of service life. Against a background of international agreement and national regulations, the functional requirements of airfield pavements, recognised standards of design, UK maintenance best practice and operational incident reporting protocols are examined. Although the UK's record for safety related to pavement construction and maintenance is good, there have been avoidable mistakes and we cannot afford to be complacent. Initiatives by a major airport operator to ensure both compliance with health and safety legislation in construction and highest standards of operational safety are reported. Winter maintenance to ensure runway safety is also examined, together with ongoing research into the effects of environmentally friendly de-icing agents on pavement materials.