Separation by paperwork not location
Cari,
I discovered this thread late (day before yesterday) and then had to check on something, so you will be all done and over with your audit. But I'll pass this on anyway.
I an currently working (as a contractor) with -- as they say on some game shows -- a major airline headquartered in the largest (by land area) state East of the Mississippi. They do most of their own maintenance (Part 121). They also do work for other US and international carriers, and are a service center for certain airframe or engine manufacturers (Part 145). Which one applies is identified by the color of the work order tag.
Most paperwork is, of course, on white paper. The paperwork for 145 work is printed on a distinctively different color of paper, and nothing else is printed on that color. That alerts the person that additional things need to be checked before starting. (Does the contract require use of their manual instead of ours? If we use our manual and it has an "alternate" process, can we use that or must we stick with the original? And more ...) It also designates that additional paperwork may be required when the job is complete. Departments that have a lot of 145 work may have segregated incoming and outgoing shelves. Other than that, though, the work is done in the same hangars or shops, using the same workstations and tools that we use for 121 work.
In addition to the different color paper, the people doing the work all have recurring awareness training on the different requirements.
I can't even imagine how horrible it would be if we had to have a separate paint hangar, engine test cell, avionics shop, maintenance hangar, compass rose or other facility dedicated just to part 145 work!
Disclaimer: being a contractor (and maybe not for much longer) I do not and cannot speak for the company; I can merely report on what I see.
