The Power of the FOD Walkdown
In 1991, when I reported for duty on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), one of the first new vocabulary words I learned was FOD.
FOD is a TLA (Three Letter Acronym) used by the U.S. Navy to mean “Foreign Object Damage.”
A tiny screw, a missing bolt, a scrap of metal wire, a lost shoestring or eyelet from a boot, tools, pens, or coins – any of these objects on a flight deck could be sucked into a jet engine causing massive damage to aircraft, equipment, or potentially loss of life. Foreign Object Damage, or FOD, is a big deal.
The very first order of business every day is to conduct a FOD Walkdown. “All hands” are invited to the flight deck to participate. “All hands” means everyone – officers and enlisted crew. Rank does not matter. FOD walkdowns are often conducted several times a day – any time before flight operations are going to commence.
To conduct the FOD walkdown, the crew stands shoulder to shoulder in several lines and walks down the flight deck from bow to stern. The first line moves aft slowly, eyes focused on the deck, each person looking closely right in front of them – and bending over occasionally to pick up a piece of FOD. Other lines follow behind in ten-foot intervals, looking for what the first lines may have missed. When the lines get to the stern, they turn around and walk back, conducting the same procedure.
Any found items are collected into FOD bags and then analyzed to identify problems and process breakdowns. For example, if a screwdriver is found, the tool is traced to the specific crew member who checked out the tool and failed to return a complete tool kit. The FOD Walkdown thus prevents immediate accidents and also helps tighten up root cause issues.
The FOD Walkdown is a great ritual. It gives everyone a few minutes to pause and get focused on the mission. It makes safety everyone’s responsibility, regardless of rank or position.
What would a FOD Walkdown look like in your business?
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