EMB190 FIRST OFFICER REPORTS CONTACT WITH TUG WHILE BEING MARSHALED INTO GATE. MARSHALLER WAS PAYING ATTENTION TO STOP LINE AND NOT TO PROXIMITY OF TUG; WHICH HAD BEEN POSITIONED FOR OUTBOUND PUSH.

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GND MARSHALLER GUIDED THE ACFT TO ITS DESIGNATED STOPPING POINT (LINE) ON THE RAMP. WHILE PAYING ATTN TO HER STOP POINT SHE FAILED TO NOTICE THAT SHE HAD BROUGHT THE ACFT INTO CONTACT WITH A PUSH TRACTOR THAT WAS PREPOSITIONED ON THE RAMP RESULTING IN LIGHT CONTACT WITH THE RADOME OF THE ACFT. GND MARSHALLER WAS CONCENTRATING ON THE STOP LINE AND FAILED TO GET AN OVERALL VIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENT THAT SHE WAS MOVING THE ACFT IN. THIS FIXATION RESULTED IN THE PREVENTABLE CONTACT WITH THE TUG. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE PREPOSITIONING OF THE TUG FOR THE OUTBOUND PUSH. ITS CLOSE PROX CONTRIBUTED TO THE EVENT AS THE MARSHALLER ONLY HAS A FEW INCHES TO WORK WITH WHILE BRINGING AN INBOUND ACFT IN TO THE GATE. THIS SMALL AREA TO WORK WITH IS NOT VISIBLE TO THE FLT CREW AS THE ACFT IS MARSHALLED INTO THESE FINAL FEET OF MOVEMENT. THE CAPT CAN ONLY RELY ON THE SIGNALS BEING SENT TO HIM BY THE WANDS. FROM THE FLT DECK PERSPECTIVE WE AS A CREW CAN STOP THE ACFT AND REFUSE TO MOVE IT THE MINUTE THAT ANY PERSONNEL OR EQUIP DISAPPEARS FROM ANY POINT OF OUR VIEW. I FEEL THAT THE GND PERSONNEL SHOULD STOP THE PRACTICE OF PREPOSITIONING EQUIP FOR THE OUTBOUND PUSH UNTIL THE INBOUND ACFT HAS BEEN STOPPED AND SHUTDOWN COMPLETELY.