An ergonomic assessment of the airline baggage handler

22loading and unloading of narrow-bodied aircraft. In more recent study by Dell (Dell,1997) of safety professionals found that the loading and unloading of narrow bodyaircraft was the top cause of back injuries to baggage handlers.3.2.1 Methodology Used to Render SurveysDell created two surveys which summaries the opinions of safety professionals andbaggage handlers from 15 different airlines and two ground handling companies on thesubject of back injury. The surveys are broken up into two volumes, one which focuseson the safety professionals and their reasoning on the causes and prevention of baggagehandler back injuries, and the other, which does so from the baggage handlers'perspective.The first study featured a survey, which polled Safety Professionals from 15airlines and ground handling company. The focus of this survey was to identify the costof back injury to the baggage handler and to identify the rates at which baggage handlerback injury happens. Engineering controls such as re-design of some airport terminalfacilities, baggage handling systems and compartment, and aircraft layout werediscussed.The survey questions were divided into two parts. Part A focused on quantifyingthe back injury problem from a cost and magnitude perspective. Part B focused on thecauses of baggage handler back injury and the preventative measures employed by theairlines in the attempt to circumvent it. The safety professionals were asked:■■■The number of baggage handlers employed per annumThe average number of hours worked per week per baggage handlersThe number of lost time back injuries per annum