By Shannon Steffke
“If an aircraft can touch it, we’re responsible for it.”
That’s how Airport Operations Manager and AOA Safety Consultant Sam Allen sees the importance of flaggers, barricades, RPRs, and escorts keeping grounds safe.
And when construction is added to the mix?
“That introduces a whole new set of risks,” Sam said.
Currently an Airport Operations Manager at one of America’s busiest airports, Sam is one leader aviation across the country who has the unique responsibility of ensuring airport runways, taxiways, and safety areas are secure during construction and rehab projects.
In addition to consulting, Sam writes safety content for Alder, focusing on the kinds of day-to-day risks, decision-making pressures, and “in-the-moment” realities that don’t always make it into formal project plans but have a direct impact on safety outcomes.
Born for aviation
Decades before he was managing runway safety and overseeing construction implications at one of America’s busiest airports, Sam was like a lot of kids drawn to aviation: he wanted to fly.
That early interest wasn’t a flight of fancy. It carried him into college where he pursued aviation, earned his pilot’s license and intended to build a career in the cockpit.
Timing and a shifting industry had other plans.
As the aviation sector tightened during the late-2000’s economic downturn, Sam reconsidered his path. He still had a deep passion for aviation.
After much searching and studying, Sam didn’t find his seat in the cockpit, but he did find it around the table of airport operations. And while it wasn’t exactly where he envisioned himself, he’s discovered that airport operations and construction safety management are mission critical.
Following the protocol
Over the course of his career, Sam has since worked across multiple airports, each with their own systems, challenges and cultures. That breadth of experience shapes how he sees the work and where he sees opportunity.
“You can potentially have ten different companies and ten different ways of doing things,” Sam said, highlighting the value of working with third-party safety experts. “A piece of standardization is really nice.”
Sam said there are many regulations, all designed to keep operations running smoothly while infrastructure evolves. But in his decades of experience in aviation safety, one critical piece often gets less attention than it should, and that’s not the “what if” of a project. It’s the “how to.”
“Most of the proactive approach on the construction side is in the planning and the phasing of the project. But very rarely do people focus on the execution, the individual employee, and the ‘so what’ of a project.”
At many airports, multiple construction projects mean multiple contractors, each with their own teams and methods. That can create inconsistency and something operations teams have to manage in real time.
Sam said Alder Airfield Services’ model, working directly with airports, helps create that standardized approach, something he appreciates as an AOA leader with multiple tasks to manage and priorities to sort. For operations teams, that means clearer expectations. For contractors, fewer surprises. And for everyone involved, a more proactive approach to safety.
Listening to people
On paper, construction projects are meticulously designed. In practice, they depend on people who are often in roles that don’t get much recognition: escorts, flaggers, ground personnel, and the like.
“They’re sometimes viewed as interchangeable,” Sam says. “But they’re not. If those individuals make a mistake, the consequences can be significant.”
From safety incidents to project shutdowns, the ripple effects can be severe. According to Sam, too often, the response is reactive: identify the individual at fault and remove them. Problem solved. Except it isn’t.
“Basically what happens is it becomes, ‘oh, well, that guy’s the problem, so get rid of him.’ And it’s like: no, no. We need a systematic approach instead.”
That focus shows up in practical ways: training, consistency, and a more intentional approach to roles that are often overlooked but essential to safety.
Leading by example
There’s another layer to Alder Airfield Services that Sam is quick to point out, and that’s leadership.
In an industry often defined by urgency and pressure, the tone at the top matters. And Alder’s leadership brings something uncommon to the table: a background rooted not just in construction, but in education and counseling.
“It’s a more people-centered approach,” Sam says. “There’s an emphasis on understanding why something happened, not just reacting to it.”
That might sound simple. But in practice, Sam says, it’s anything but typical. “What I’ve seen here is different. There’s more investment in the individual.”
Airfield construction will always be complex and the stakes high, but as Sam sees it, improving outcomes isn’t just about better plans or tighter controls. It’s about recognizing the role people play at every level and building systems that support them.
Read Sam’s Safety Share series
About the author: Shannon Steffke is a marketing and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience developing creative content for brands across the United States. She enjoys writing about people, places, and products that are creating safer tomorrows.