Dorothy Tackie— Ensuring Cabin safety is her business

Dorothy(women) Edited by LHA
October 17, 2007

Dorothy Tackie —Ensuring cabin safety is her business

Story: Doreen Allotey


One of the new requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is the establishment of a Cabin Safety Section.
In Ghana, Mrs Dorothy Marjorie Tackie, who is an Aviation Safety Inspector at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, is the first to head the section. To prepare for her new role, she took a Safety Oversight Inspectors Course at the Singapore Aviation Academy in Singapore in addition to the ICAO Endorsed Air Operator Certification Course at the Federal Aviation Authority Academy in Oklahoma , USA to add up to other courses she had already done.
Her job requires that she carries out inspection to ensure the safety of the cabin by making sure that all emergency equipment are available and serviceable. Equipment for providing oxygen, fire fighting, first aid and medical kits as well as equipment for resuscitation.
Mrs Tackie also has to ensure that cabin crew are suitably trained and qualified on both domestic and international flights that land at the Accra International Airport.
In a chat with the Daily Graphic, Mrs Tackie said she was enjoying her new job in spite of the challenges.
“Because it is a new thing, some try to resist inspection but with a little bit of explanation they agree that it is for the good of both passengers and the crew”, she explained.
If a local aircraft does not meet standards, Mrs Tackie writes a letter of correction stating the discrepancies and gives a time limit for the airline to meet the standard. With international flights, she writes to the supervising authority of the airline.
Mrs Tackie was a cabin crew, what used to be called flight attendant, for close to 22 years. As a result, she has travelled the world over but has fond memories of the island of Barbados and South Africa. She also has a working knowledge of French and the diplomacy and patience to deal with the most difficult passenger.
Asked how she chose this profession, Mrs Tackie said “ I followed friends, applied for the job and I got it”. She sees this as part of God’s plans for her life.
When not on the job, Mrs Tackie loves to be with her husband and two children, read or listen to music.
She is concerned that society seems to be paying more attention to outward beauty rather than inner values.
She advises that women educate themselves to the highest level possible saying that women are the primary educators of children and are, therefore, responsible for what children became in society.
Mrs Tackie says she is ready to guide girls who want to chart a career in her field.