Injuries and Illness

Airline Settlement Benefits Newark Baggage Handlers

There’s relief in sight—both physical and legal—for United Airlines’ baggage handlers at New Jersey’s Newark Airport. According to OSHA, United baggage handlers reported at least 622 musculoskeletal injuries from 2011 to early 2015. Learn more about this significant job safety settlement.

The Department of Labor recently announced a precedent-setting agreement with the airline to protect employees from future injuries by improving baggage-handling operations. The agreement settles a lawsuit filed by DOL on behalf of OSHA to eliminate hazards identified by OSHA inspectors. The case stemmed from a citation issued by OSHA’s Parsippany area office following an inspection at the Newark airport.

OSHA inspectors found hazards including:

  • Employees exposed to repeated bending, lifting, and reaching hazards;
  • Use of dual-tier conveyor belts to transport baggage that required employees to bend over or reach awkwardly;
  • Manual loading and unloading of gate-checked baggage;
  • Use of handheld scanners that exposed employees to the hazards of repeated testing, pushing, and pulling; and
  • Prolonged loading and unloading in confined areas.

Under terms of the settlement, United Airlines will to install mechanical conveyor belts on passenger jet bridges. This will eliminate the need for the handlers to lift and lower luggage by hand. United agreed to retain a qualified expert to perform an evaluation of repetitive stress or injury risks in baggage-handling operations. The airline also agreed to adopt expert recommendations to reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury. A dedicated safety committee will include the expert, as well as management and employee representatives.

Said DOL attorney Jeffrey S. Rogoff, “As one of the world’s leading airlines, United Airlines is setting a workplace safety standard that other airlines will be compelled to follow.”

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