Airport ground worker safety

The safety of airport ground workers was considered during a recent three-day conference of the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration, but recent reports in the Washington Post and the Confined Space blog suggest the workers aren’t safe and not much is being done about it.

The Post reported four workers killed or seriously injured this year, including one who was sucked into the engine of a Continental jet and another who was struck by a baggage cart at the Detroit airport.

The most common injuries result from heavy lifting, with 4.53 injuries and fatalities per 100 workers in 2004 according to Bureau of Labor statistics.

The Post reports that working conditions increase the risk of injury. “They fix planes and load and unload heavy bags in sweltering heat and frigid cold and do their jobs amid the deafening roar of aircraft engines. They must avoid stepping in oil slicks and watch out for baggage carts whizzing by.”
Meanwhile, they may not be protected by OSHA regulations, since OSHA is prevented from enforcing its regulations if working conditions are regulated by another Federal agency, such as the FAA, Confined Space says.

Paul Kempinski, director of ground safety for the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers District 141 union, urges government agencies to more rigorously monitor ground operations. "Something needs to be done sooner,” he says. “Someone needs to be in charge of oversight."