What Types of Airline Industry Workers Are Most Likely to Sustain Job-Related Injuries?

For most people around airport workers and airline employees, the risks of these types of jobs are not always obvious. To be sure, employees at airports who primarily perform their jobs on tarmacs are not seen by the general public at the airport to take a flight or to drop off or pick up a passenger. Yet these jobs are critical for airports and airlines to run, and they involve many hazards. While flight attendants are not dealing with the same heavy machinery as certain types of airport workers, they are also exposed to many kinds of job-related hazards. Often, airline and airport employees who are injured on the job can be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Our Maryland workers’ compensation lawyers can tell you more about the types of airport and airline jobs where injuries are most common.

Tarmac Workers: Baggage Handlers, Ramp Agents, and Refuelers 

Airline industry workers whose jobs require them to be out on the tarmac performing various job tasks — from loading and unloading baggage, to directly planes that have recently landed or are backing out from the gate, to refueling — can be extremely dangerous. Indeed, according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, ground staff who do tarmac work are sustaining injuries at an increasing rate due to many different kinds of accidents that can happen, such as:

• Falling off vehicles that push aircraft back;
• Limbs crushed and traumatic amputations due to falling baggage and equipment;
• Being sucked into an engine after getting too close to a turbine;
• Falls from heights; and
• Struck-by accidents caused by baggage and freight vehicles.

In many cases, according to The Wall Street Journal, OSHA has cited poor or inadequate safety training as a causal factor in these types of accidents.

Maintenance Workers and Technicians 

Aircraft maintenance and service technicians often must work underneath planes and must engage in work around heavy machinery, tools, and very large engines and moving parts. Serious burn injuries, as well as struck-by injuries and falls, can be common.

Cargo and Freight Agents 

Any airport or airline worker handling cargo and freight can be at risk of sustaining injuries caused by encounters with heavy machinery used to move cargo and freight, as well as injuries caused by falling cargo or freight or poor lifting techniques. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) actually cites cargo and freight agents as the most commonly injured workers in the air transportation industry.

Airport Customer Service Agents and Flights Attendants 

Flight attendants are on planes primarily to ensure passenger safety, but many passengers assume they are performing a role based in customer service. There are customer service agents at airports who are specifically employed to handle passenger issues, but any of these employees can be injured in altercations with irate passengers, as well as in common accidents such as slips and falls or trips and falls. The BLS says flight attendants sustain the second-highest rate of injuries among air transportation industry workers.

 Contact a Maryland Airline Worker Injury Attorney 

Employees who work at airports and for airlines often perform dangerous work, but many of us do not realize how hazardous these jobs can be. If you were injured while performing work at an airport or for an airline, it is important to seek advice from one of the experienced Maryland airline worker injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC. A lawyer at our firm can speak with you today about your workplace injury and can help you to seek compensation.

Sources:

wsj.com/business/airlines/airport-ground-workers-safety-airlines-c98e3216

bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/nonfatal-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-for-flight-attendants-in-2019.htm

bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/air-transportation-workers-had-high-rate-of-nonfatal-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-in-2016.htm