‘Ground crews’ in the Air Transportation industries are exposed to significant physical hazards and likely have an increased risk for workplace injury. However, detailed workplace injury and illness data on ground crews (sometimes alternatively described as “ramp workers” or “under the wing workers”) are sparse. At the request of stakeholders, we developed methods to identify this subset of workers in the Washington workers compensation data.
METHODS:
We used a combination of North American Classification codes and workers’ compensation specific manual classification codes to identify businesses in the air transportation and support activities industries employing ground crews, freight handlers or airport operations staff. For this set of employers, claims from 1995 – 2015q3 were reviewed for compensable events – those with a disability payment made to the claimant. Ground Crew claims and injury demographics are compared to non-ground crew staff (flight attendants, couriers, and pilots) at these companies and to Washington Workers’ Compensation (WC) covered employment over this period. We used hours reported by classification code for rate calculations.
RESULTS:
From 1995-2015 baggage handlers and other ground crew filed 8391 compensable claims for a rate of 709 per 10,000 Full Time Equivalents (FTE). This is more than 3 times the rate of other covered Washington workers. The rate ranged from a high of 1129 in 1997 to a low of 312 in 2012. The rate generally declined over time in line with all industries.
Over half of the classifiable claims (4143) were related to overexertion. The resultant rate was nearly double that of other staff at these companies and more than 4 times the rate for Washington overall. Luggage and other containers were implicated in over a third of all compensable injuries (overexertion 31%, struck by [falling container] 3%).
Compensable claims rates for air transportation ground workers had remained relatively stable for a four year period before rising markedly over the last year and a half.
CONCLUSIONS:
Manual baggage handling represents a high occupational risk that merits constant attention in this industry.
Recently rising injury rates should be monitored for emerging problems.