Originally Posted by waterskisabersw

Here are the problems with this:
(I won't quote the section because I don't want to post proprietary language, but you can find the legally loose language in your manual)

Trap 1: It's called a technique, not a procedure.

Trap 2: In a single sentence, you are directed not to touch a wheel chair with a customer in it, but then to also be cautious when pushing them. So which is it?

Trap 3: It tells you to be cautious of jetbridge hazards like bumps, ramps, and grades. I, as an enterprising lawyer for the company trying to shift liability to an employee, could say "well, you lost control of the wheelchair going over the bump between two jetbridge sections. Clearly you were in violation of this 'technique'".

Trap 4: You're supposed to back down the jetbridge when it has a steep slope, but what a steep slope is is not defined. I've almost never seen any wheelchair pushers backing down the jetbridge. "The passenger fell face first on the jetbridge floor. Clearly that means it had steep slope, so you were in violation of this 'technique'".

Trap 5: You supposed to position the chair safely away from traffic areas, but again, those aren't defined. The whole jetbridge can be considered a traffic area, how can you possibly ever park the chair in the jetbridge and be in compliance with this "technique"?

The only sentence that doesn't have a massive legal loophole through which the company can throw you is the one telling you to use both hands. You're welcome to trust that the company will give you the benefit of the doubt, and I will concede that SWAPA recently stated that they don't have any records of pilots being held liable/getting OJI claims for pushing wheelchairs, but personally, I'm not willing to be the first to press to test the company's benevolence.

Just remember. Whenever you start coloring outside the lines of your job requirements, don't think like a good person, think like a lawyer.