Ramp Safety Practices: Update (2026)
Chapter: Front Matter
ACRP OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE*
CHAIR
Cathryn Stephens
Eugene Airport
VICE CHAIR
Chad Makovsky
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
MEMBERS
Clara Bennett
Boca Raton Airport Authority
Lee Brown
JetBlue
Melissa Cooper
Kansas City Aviation Department
Marianne Csaky
LanzaJet
Darryl Daniels
Jacobsen Daniels Associates
Kimberly A. Kenville
University of North Dakota
Lance Lyttle
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Ramon Ricondo
Ricondo and Associates, Inc.
Atif Saeed
San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
Jesus H. Saenz, Jr.
San Antonio Airport System
Jessica Sypniewski
Federal Aviation Administration
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Justin Barkowski
American Association of Airport Executives
Ann M. Brach
Transportation Research Board
John Heimlich
Airlines for America
Christopher J. Oswald
Airports Council International–North America
Gregory Pecoraro
National Association of State Aviation Officials
T. J. Schulz
Airport Consultants Council
[Vacant]
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
SECRETARY
Monique R. Evans
Transportation Research Board
______________________
* Membership as of May 2026.
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2026 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
Chair: Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Vice Chair: Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Executive Director: Ann M. Brach, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Marsha Anderson Bomar, Strategic Transportation Advisor, GHD, Duluth, GA
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Andrew Fremier, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA
Martha Grabowski, Distinguished Senior Research Scientist, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Edward Hassinger, Director, Missouri Department of Transportation, Jefferson City
Shante Hastings, Cabinet Secretary, Delaware Department of Transportation, Dover
Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Leslie S. Richards, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Tracy Larkin Thomason, Director, Nevada Department of Transportation, Carson City
Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Derek Barrs, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Steven G. Bradbury, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Stephen Carmel, Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, Washington, DC
Tara Cavalline, Professor, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and Chair, TRB Technical Activities Council
David Fink, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Washington, DC
Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Sandra Knight, President, WaterWonks, LLC, Washington, DC, and Chair, TRB Marine Board
Sean McMaster, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC
Jonathan Morrison, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Seval Oz, Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Washington, DC
Niloo Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Participants Council
Jamie Pfister, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Paul Roberti, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
______________________
* Membership as of May 2026.
AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
ACRP SYNTHESIS 143
Ramp Safety Practices
UPDATE
A Synthesis of Airport Practice
Christopher D. Grant
Nolan Metz
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Daytona Beach, FL
Subscriber Categories
Aviation • Education and Training • Safety and Human Factors
Research sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration
2026
AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
Airports are vital national resources. They serve a key role in transportation of people and goods and in regional, national, and international commerce. They are where the nationʼs aviation system connects with other modes of transportation and where federal responsibility for managing and regulating air traffic operations intersects with the role of state and local governments that own and operate most airports. Research is necessary to solve common operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations into the airport industry. The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the airport industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for ACRP was identified in TRB Special Report 272: Airport Research Needs: Cooperative Solutions in 2003, based on a study sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). ACRP carries out applied research on problems that are shared by airport operating agencies and not being adequately addressed by existing federal research programs. ACRP is modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). ACRP undertakes research and other technical activities in various airport subject areas, including design, construction, legal, maintenance, operations, safety, policy, planning, human resources, and administration. ACRP provides a forum where airport operators can cooperatively address common operational problems.
ACRP was authorized in December 2003 as part of the Vision 100—Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. The primary participants in the ACRP are (1) an independent governing board, the ACRP Oversight Committee (AOC), appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation with representation from airport operating agencies, other stakeholders, and relevant industry organizations such as the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), Airlines for America (A4A), and the Airport Consultants Council (ACC) as vital links to the airport community; (2) TRB as program manager and secretariat for the governing board; and (3) the FAA as program sponsor. In October 2005, the FAA executed a contract with the National Academy of Sciences formally initiating the program.
ACRP benefits from the cooperation and participation of airport professionals, air carriers, shippers, state and local government officials, equipment and service suppliers, other airport users, and research organizations. Each of these participants has different interests and responsibilities, and each is an integral part of this cooperative research effort.
Research problem statements for ACRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the AOC to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each ACRP project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. Panels include experienced practitioners and research specialists; heavy emphasis is placed on including airport professionals, the intended users of the research products. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, ACRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Primary emphasis is placed on disseminating ACRP results to the intended users of the research: airport operating agencies, service providers, and academic institutions. ACRP produces a series of research reports for use by airport operators, local agencies, the FAA, and other interested parties; industry associations may arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, webinars, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by airport industry practitioners.
ACRP SYNTHESIS 143
Project 11-03, Topic S04-27
ISSN 1935-9187
ISBN 978-0-309-60614-1
Library of Congress Control Number 2026941988
© 2026 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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NOTICE
The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR ACRP SYNTHESIS 143
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Russell W. Houston, Acting Manager, Airport Cooperative Research Program
Jordan Christensen, Senior Program Officer
Demisha Williams, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Brian Haefs, Associate Director of Publications
Hilary Freer, Senior Editor
ACRP PROJECT 11-03 PANEL
Scott Wintner, San Jose Norman Y. Mineta International Airport, San Jose, CA (Chair)
Rhona DiCamillo, DKMG Consulting, LLC, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Bryant Francis, Cleveland Airport System, Cleveland, OH
Kimberly A. Kenville, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
Mark R. Richter, Ricondo & Associates, Inc., Denver, CO
Cameron Thompson, Birmingham Airport Authority, Birmingham, AL
Keila Walker-Denis, Orlando International Airport, Orlando, FL
Patrick W. Magnotta, FAA Liaison
Liying Gu, Airports Council International–North America Liaison
Christine L. Gerencher, TRB Liaison
TOPIC S04-27 PANEL
Latanya Christian, Frontier Communications, DeSoto, TX
Joanne Marie Landry, Landry Consulting, Vancouver, WA
Juan F. Martinez-Aviles, City of Chicago Department of Aviation, Chicago, IL
Stephen Meder, San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA
Samantha Pinto, WSP, Austin, TX
Kellen Shireman, City of Austin, Texas, Department of Aviation, Austin, TX
Quinn Martinez, FAA Liaison
ABOUT THE ACRP SYNTHESIS PROGRAM
Airport administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which information already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and practice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviating the problem.
There is information on nearly every subject of concern to the airport industry. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful information and to make it available to the entire airport community, the Airport Cooperative Research Program authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing project. This project, ACRP Project 11-03, “Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices,” searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute an ACRP report series, Synthesis of Airport Practice.
This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each report in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those measures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems.
FOREWORD
By Jordan Christensen
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
ACRP Synthesis 143: Ramp Safety Practices: Update presents the state of practice for airport ramp safety programs. Airport ramps are active areas that can be dangerous to employees working on the ramp, and safety concerns stem from aircraft, ground equipment, and employees that are active in the area. The synthesis provides information on training programs and technologies in place to address ramp safety, the role of the airport operator and tenants in safety practices, and how airports engage in ramp safety culture. The report follows up on ACRP Synthesis 29: Ramp Safety Practices.
Under ACRP Project 11-03/Topic S04-27, “Airport Apron and Ramp Safety Practices,” Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University was asked to synthesize the information on airport ramp safety programs. Information used in this study was gained through a literature review; a survey of airports, ground service handlers, and an airline; and interviews to develop in-depth case examples. Chapter 4 provides eight case examples that highlight how airports have implemented ramp safety practices and created a culture of safety at their airports.
Appendices C, D, G, H, and I can be found at nationalacademies.org/publications by searching for ACRP Synthesis 143.
This synthesis is an immediately useful document for airport operators who oversee or work on the ramp. The synthesis also notes gaps in knowledge and practice which could be addressed by future researchers.
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CONTENTS
Communication Methods for Reinforcing Safety Culture
Chapter 4 Airport Case Examples
Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, Austin, TX
Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, NC
Memphis International Airport, Memphis, TN
Sacramento International Airport, Sacramento, CA
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, AK
Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Savannah, GA
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, Westmoreland County, PA
Jamestown Regional Airport, Jamestown, ND
