BLOG | Schwarz & Schwarz, P.C.

July 21, 2020

What Airport Workers Need to Know About COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything the world has ever seen or experienced. This infectious illness is impacting people of all ages and backgrounds from all over the world. Symptoms of this upper respiratory illness include coughing, fever, chills, and loss of breath. People are susceptible to catching this illness in all public places, especially public areas that feature large crowds because this illness is spread from person to person.

One of the major public areas of concern is the airport. With people traveling from all over the world, the airport acts as a breeding ground for the COVID-19 virus. Airport workers are subject to contracting COVD-19, especially catering, customer service, cargo, and ramp workers. Below is what you need to know COVID-19 as a cargo or baggage handler at the airport.

How Can I Protect Myself From COVID-19 as an Airport Worker?

It would be best if you took all the necessary precautions to protect yourself from COVID-19, including:

Pay Special Attention to Personal Cleanliness

To avoid contracting COVID-19 be sure to pay special attention to personal cleanliness by making small efforts such as:

Wash your hands as much as possible for at least 20 seconds
Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
Clean hands after blowing your nose/sneezing/coughing
Clean hands after removing or putting on your face mask

Other Ways Airport Workers May Protect Themselves From COVID-19

Being proactive is the best way to preserve your health; here are some additional ways to do that as an airport worker:

Limit your contact with other people; maintain a 6-foot distance whenever you can
Frequently disinfect surfaces
Wear proper PPE (personal protective equipment)
Clean cargo, catering, customer service, and ramp equipment and transportation devices, such as radios, often.
Wash your hands after loading or touching packages, bags, and cargo/dispose of gloves you wore to move baggage

Protecting yourself from COVID-19 doesn’t have to be challenging; in fact, it can be straightforward as long as you follow standard guidelines and make it a point to adhere to new ones.

Steps an Employer Should Take to Create a Safe Work Environment

Employers are just as responsible for employee safety. It is up to the employer to provide a safer and clean work environment for employees. Here are some steps that employers should take to create a safe work environment for cargo and baggage employees.

Make Sure to Provide the Right Sanitation

Employers must provide proper sanitation for employees, this includes:

Hand sanitizer
Soap and clean water/cleaning stations
Disposable disinfectant wipes
Tissues
Gloves and face masks

Additionally, employers should encourage their employees to wipe down the baggage, cargo, and baggage transportation devices, radios, and vehicles as much as possible and provide employees with a frequently cleaned break room.

Keep Your Employees Informed

One of the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 amongst airport workers is to keep them informed. Employers should make it a point to get employees the right information when it comes to COVID-19 and have a designated person that can answer any questions about it.

Likewise, employers should implement training programs that will teach employees how to sanitize properly.

Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home

Employers should encourage sick employees to stay home without being penalized to stop the spread of COVID-19 best. Additionally, employers should implement flexible sick leave and support for employees that end up contracting the COVID-19 virus.

Employees should not be allowed to return to work until they fit specific criteria and have gotten the proper medical care that they needed.

Stay Up to Date on COVID-19

If you are a baggage or cargo handler, it will be worthwhile to stay up to date with the latest COVID-19 information. Don’t be afraid to ask your employer questions about COVID-19 guidelines as well as safety and precautionary procedures.

June 26, 2020

Baggage Handler Injuries: How a Few Cents Saved Thousands

About twenty years ago, we met with a man and woman who both had several fingers amputated due to a workplace injury that left them with missing and crushed fingers. These workers were baggage handlers at an airport. After learning about the details of their injuries, our team came to an important realization that would ultimately impact baggage handlers’ lives for the better.

This realization was that baggage handlers nationwide are at risk of serious, yet preventable injuries when they report to work each day. After talking to multiple people who also sustained the same kind of injury, we began investigating ways to prevent this. What we found was important yet alarming.

Equipment Problems Lead to Amputation Injuries

When we first started this investigation twenty years ago, we found that the way that bags were maneuvered put baggage handlers at serious risk. The design of the mechanisms included pulling a handle on a cart, dropping a pin into an eye; and ultimately, the inertia of pulling the cart would lend itself to crushed fingers and hands. We recognized that it was not the fault of employees but instead the responsibility of the manufacturer’s design.

Losing Fingers is a Common Baggage Handler Injury

Despite years of baggage handlers losing fingers and having their hands crushed at work, no one was talking about it or figuring out why this continued to happen. This was shocking as this sort of workplace injury was impacting employees for the rest of their lives. Losing fingers not only prevented them from returning to work as a baggage handler but also got in the way of them living their lives to the fullest extent. Lastly, it cost the baggage handlers thousands of dollars in medical bills to treat their hand injuries.

If you are a baggage handler and have sustained significant injuries due to unsafe work conditions, you may be entitled to some sort of compensation. Call Schwarz & Schwarz, P.C. at (215) 925-1200 to find out more about the compensation you may be entitled to.

The Equipment Solution

During this time there was no solution to understand how this could be prevented, and there was also no information on how many baggage handlers this happened to. The only way that we were able to identify other people that sustained these kinds of injuries was by word of mouth as this was before the age of the internet. Therefore, this system-wide issue was too hard to quantify, yet still needed to be addressed.

The System-Wide Effect of Unsafe Equipment and Subcontractors

As we work towards addressing this flaw in the system, we have found that the system-wide effect of unsafe equipment, as well as vendors, is enormous and is an issue that is present throughout the entire country. With that being said, below are some of the significant issues that go arise from this faulty system:

Workers Not Returning Home Safely. Employers should always be looking to protect and ensure that their employees come home safely; it’s their obligation to provide the employees with a safe work environment.
Increased Lost Time. If employee equipment and conditions are unsafe there is bound to be a vast amount of lost time at work.
Increased Workers’ Compensation Costs. Workers’ compensation costs are skyrocketing. To lower workers’ compensation costs for the companies, unsafe equipment and vendors should be monitored and/or removed.

What’s Next for Baggage Handler Safety?

At Schwarz & Schwarz, P.C., our team of talented and knowledgeable lawyers are working tirelessly to find a solution to the issues listed above. Our goal is to provide baggage handlers with a safe work environment and with the legal support they may need if they were impacted by unsafe work conditions.

If you have been affected by unsafe work conditions as a baggage handler we may be able to help. Contact Schwarz & Schwarz, P.C. at (215) 925-1200 today to let us know how we can help you.

June 22, 2020

Airline Workers Call For PPE & Stricter Safety Regulations Amid COVID-19

In our fifth month of the pandemic, many employees in workplaces lacking enforced social distancing protocols are still struggling to avoid being infected with the coronavirus or possibly infecting others. Airline workers are among them.

Because an airplane is necessarily a closed environment in flight, pilots, flight attendants, customer service and fleet service agents are exposed to passengers and the airborne bacteria and viruses they bring on board. Baggage handlers work in confined indoor spaces, which also causes a health risk. Considering that many carriers of the coronavirus are asymptomatic and do not know they have it and are spreading it, how can airline workers avoid infecting others, if they themselves are asymptomatic carriers? How can airline workers possibly avoid contagion from others?

Airline workers are still reporting to work because air travel has been deemed “essential.” These workers have a right to a safe work environment. No one should have to put their life and possibly the lives of their families or others at risk by doing their job. Schwarz & Schwarz represents those who have been critically injured on the job. If you or a loved one have experienced life-altering complications due to contracting COVID-19 at the workplace, give us a call.

Coronavirus Related Deaths of Airline Workers

According to the LA Times, fifteen airline workers died from COVID-19-related illnesses between April 5th and 13th. Because there is no central tracking of causes of airline workers’ deaths, there may be many more since then.

Airline workers have been reluctant to speak out due to company policy regarding communication with the media. Some workers have claimed that airlines have required workers who think they might have COVID-19 from telling their co-workers.

Shortages of Personal Protection Equipment

Since March, airlines report that they are providing cabin crews with masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and wipes, but airline workers complain that the provision of PPE is inconsistent flight-to-flight. Many have even been forced to bring their own PPE to work in order to protect themselves.

Recently Delta Airlines reported that it is testing every employee for the coronavirus, and instituting mandatory PPE use. In a nod to social distancing protocols, Delta has blocked, and will continue to block, the middle seat from use.

Every airline should do the same, but it may be too little too late for most who have continued to work despite the risk of infection. The only alternative for asymptomatic workers is to take unpaid leave, which is unrealistic for most.

Cabin Crews Fear They Are Spreading Coronavirus

Feeling forced to fly in order to keep their jobs, cabin crews fear they are spreading the illness like “bees spreading pollen.” As of April 8, at least 100 flight attendants for American Airlines had tested positive for COVID-19, the flight attendants’ union reported. Because symptoms take up to 14 days after infection to arise, untold numbers of passengers and coworkers were put at risk for infection.

PPE and Protocols for Airline Workers Recommended by the CDC

The Center for Disease Control has recommended that cabin crews take the following five steps to minimize contagion:

Regularly And Thoroughly Wash Hands

Using soap and hot water, lather your hands by rubbing them briskly together, then be sure to scrub the backs of the hands, between fingers, and under fingernails. Wash for at least 20 seconds.

Identify Sick And Potentially Infectious Travelers

While taking passengers’ temperature prior to travel has not yet been implemented, there are signs it may be coming. In the meantime, be sure to observe each passenger for the following signs of COVID-19:

Fever
Skin rash
Labored breathing
Cough
Confusion
Bruising or bleeding, not caused by physical injury
Diarrhea
Vomiting, not caused by air sickness
Headache

Federal law requires that airlines report death or illness on domestic flights and international flights arriving in the U.S. to the CDC.

If cabin crew suspects a passenger is ill, minimize exposure to that person by:

Designating one attendant to interact with him or her;
Providing a plastic bag for disposal of tissues, air sickness bags, and anything else potentially contaminated, and;
Locating the passenger 6 feet from other passengers when possible.

Assume That All Body Fluids Are Infectious And Take Precautions

Any passenger or coworker could be carrying the coronavirus and not know it, because they are asymptomatic. If you are going to be exposed to bodily fluids, take the precautions of frequently washing hands, avoid touching your face, and wear PPE.

If a passenger is persistently coughing, offer them a facemask. If a passenger is bleeding, offer towels or napkins and a bag to put them in when used. If there is more than one bathroom, designate that bathroom for a possible sick passenger’s sole use to protect others.

Wear and Use The Recommended PPE for Covid-19

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for COVID-19 may include any of the following:

Facemask
Faceshield
Disposable Gloves
Sanitary wipes
Hand sanitizer
Biohazard waste bag
Sanitary cleanser and disposable applicators

Clean and Disinfect Contaminated Areas

First, the flight crew must properly dispose of contaminated or potentially contaminated items. Then, they must notify the cleaning crew of areas that need more than a routine cleaning, because of possible contamination by bodily fluids. The bathroom used by the sick passenger should be thoroughly sanitized. All materials used to clean potentially contaminated items or areas must be disposed of as bio-hazardous material.

OSHA Coronavirus Guidance

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers guidance on avoiding infection by both blood-borne pathogens and how to clean surfaces after possible contamination. Every airline should have OSHA-recommended protocols and procedures in place and comply with OSHA’s PPE requirements.

Airline workers are entitled to training in procedures to minimize exposure to the coronavirus, and to training in response to possible exposure on the job. All training is employer-specific, though should follow CDC guidelines. Airline workers are also entitled to sufficient and effective PPE.

If your airline does not have procedures in place or has not offered training in how to avoid exposure to the coronavirus, inform your union representative. If you don’t have the recommended PPE on every flight you work, inform your union rep. Our firm has helped unions get the training and protection their members need, and is ready to step in should the airlines fail in their duty to you to protect you from COVID-19.

June 19, 2020

What Aircraft Maintenance Workers Should Know About COVID-19

COVID-19 is unlike anything the world has seen or experienced before. This upper respiratory illness seems to be here to last for the foreseeable future and is forcing businesses to change the way that they operate in efforts to protect employees as well as clients/customers. Businesses all over the world are changing protocol and safety guidelines, from small businesses to larger ones such as airports, employees’ and clients’ safety is being taken extremely seriously.

Perhaps one of the demographics of people that are most at risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus at work is aircraft maintenance workers. Because aircraft workers work with large groups of people/in areas that hold large groups of people, they are at a much serious risk. This post will detail precautions that aircraft maintenance workers can take to preserve their overall health and to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus.

If you are an aircraft maintenance employee who contracted the COVID-19 virus, you may be eligible for some financial compensation. Contact the law firm of Schwarz & Schwarz, P.C. at (215) 925-1200 to determine if your work-related injury qualifies you for compensation.

How Can I Protect Myself as an Aircraft Maintenance Worker?

As an aircraft maintenance worker, you should take some essential precautions to keep yourself safe from COVID-19. Because you are in a space that features large crowds, and people from all over the world, not only are you at a high risk of contracting COVID-19, you are also at risk of spreading it. Here is what you need to know when it comes to protecting yourself and others from COVID-19.

Pay Special Attention to Personal Hygiene

Paying attention to personal hygiene is perhaps the best way to protect yourself from the COVID-19 virus as an aircraft maintenance worker. Some ways to take extra care of your hygiene include:

Washing your hands regularly with soap and water for about 20 seconds
Using hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol
Remembering to clean hands after:
- Removing any PPE (personal protective gear)
- Putting on/removing your face mask
- Touching frequently used surfaces such as a table, bathroom, or seat
- Blowing your nose coughing, sneezing

Take Extra Daily Precautions

In addition to paying attention to your hygiene, there are some other impactful ways that you can protect yourself from the COVID-19 virus as an aircraft maintenance worker, such as:

Be sure to maintain a 6-foot distance from others when possible and limit contact with people
Use gloves as much as possible but especially when touching surfaces that may contain contaminated bodily fluids
Make it a point to avoid touching your mouth, eyes, and nose

Additionally, depending on the kind of work you do as an aircraft maintenance worker, you will need to take even further precautions. Below are some recommendations based on your everyday work tasks:

Interior Work

Be sure to wear PPE gear such as gloves and a face mask
Do not use compressed air/water spray to clean because they may make infectious material airborne
Make it a point to review CDC cleaning guidance

Waste Handling

Utilize proper PPE such as gloves, mask/face shield, liquid-repellent coveralls, and rubber boots
Do not vent aircraft vacuum waste tanks
Follow standard guidelines and be sure to clean your hands/body often

Air Filter Replacement

Avoid dropping/hitting the filter
Do not use compressed air to clean
Dispose of the used filter in a sealed plastic bag
Properly wear your PPE

Steps an Employer Should Take to Provide a Safe Work Environment

Your employer should also be taking vast precautions when it comes to creating a safe work environment for all aircraft maintenance employees. Employers should create a health and safety plan that includes things such as:

Detailed Sick Leave

Employees should encourage employees that are sick or are showing early signs of COVID-19 to stay home. Employers should detail criteria that employees will have to meet in order to return to work as well as provide information as to whom he or she should contact if he or she does contract the COVID-19 virus.

Likewise, employers should create a plan that features flexible sick leave for employees so that employees are not penalized for calling out of work due to COVID-19.

Up to Date Information to Keep Employees Informed

Keeping employees informed is crucial as an employer. Employers should designate someone responsible for all things having to do with COVID-19, and employees should be able to contact this person easily. Similarly, employers should provide employees with accurate COVID-19 information.

The Proper Sanitation Equipment

This is perhaps the most important thing that employers can do to keep their employees healthy. Employers must make it a point to provide their aircraft maintenance employees with the proper sanitation equipment; this includes:

Disposable disinfectant wipes
Soap, water, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and cleaning stations
Tissues
Proper PPE (personal protective equipment) such as masks, gloves, etc.

Stay Up to Date With the Latest COVID-19 Information For Aircraft Maintenance Workers

To best stay informed and get the most information possible, talk to your employer and the person responsible for all COVID-19 concerns and questions. Be sure to ask copious questions about things you may not be sure about and things that you think may be able to be improved. Don’t hesitate to speak up if you believe that malpractices are occurring in your area of work in regards to the COVID-19 virus.

If you have addressed malpractices to your employer and were ignored or contacted the COVID-19 virus while working as an aircraft maintenance worker due to your employer’s lack of adherence to guidelines, you may be entitled to some compensation. Contact the law firm of Schwarz & Schwarz, P.C. at (215) 925-1200 to learn more.

May 19, 2020

5 Safety Tips to Prevent Injuries as a Baggage Handler

Being a baggage handler is a physically demanding and strenuous job for workers, potentially putting their physical health in jeopardy every day. Baggage handlers are crucial employees of an airport; without them, luggage would not make it on the right flights in an organized fashion, and bags would likely be lost. However, with this crucial job, baggage handlers find themselves at risk of serious injury as they are regularly lifting and quickly moving heavy objects.

This post is going to provide tips to help you avoid the most common injuries that baggage handlers suffer.

If you are a baggage handler, it’s important to know how to do your job safely and effectively in order to prevent injury. Here are some ways that you can maintain your career as a baggage handler in a way that will keep your body safe and prevent you from suffering from a work-related injury.

If you are a baggage handler that has been injured on the job, you may be eligible for some type of financial compensation. Contact the law firm of Schwarz & Schwarz, P.C. at (215) 925-1200 to find out if your work-related injury qualifies you for compensation.

The Most Common Injuries that Baggage Handlers Face at Work

Work-related injuries, in this case, those suffered by baggage handlers, can impact a person for the rest of their life. Here are some of the most common workplace injuries that baggage handlers face.

Injury to the Lower Back

Baggage handlers have a high risk of injuring their back.

Due to performing repetitive motions, for hours a day and for many days in a row, the lower back is subject to a variety of injuries. Some of the most common lower back injuries that baggage handlers suffer from include:

A slipped disk
Sciatica pain
Lumbar strain
Nerve irritation

In addition to performing the same repetitive motion, baggage handlers also have to lift heavy objects, which put a direct strain on the lower back muscles as well as the spine, called spinal loading.

Musculoskeletal Injuries

In addition to hurting your back, you are also at risk of suffering from other musculoskeletal injuries. Several musculoskeletal injuries that baggage handlers typically suffer from include:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Muscle and tendon strain
Tension Neck Syndrome
Wrist injuries
Elbow injuries

These workplace injuries come from doing the same motion over and over. Joints, muscles, and tissues in the body can begin to deteriorate, and nerves can become severely damaged from continually lifting and moving bags.

Head or Other Trauma from Physical Impact

As baggage handlers are loading bags, it’s possible that they can suffer some sort of trauma to a part of the body; usually to the head. Bags can also fall onto a person’s head from high altitudes causing a head injury that may impact the employee for the rest of his or her life. Similarly, other baggage handlers can accidentally hit their coworker while loading bags, causing them to suffer head trauma.

Or, a baggage handler can suffer physical trauma by crushing a hand or finger underneath heavy luggage.

Airplane Tug Accidents

Airplane tugs are battery-operated machines that push an aircraft from one point on the ground to another. As these machines can pull a plane, these machines are also extremely strong; and with that strength comes a variety of potential accidents for airport staff, especially baggage handlers.

Baggage handlers can be hit by airplane tugs, causing extreme physical issues, and in some cases, death. A baggage handler can get struck by a tug if he or she is not paying attention, or if the driver is not following the correct protocol.

How to Prevent Injuries as a Baggage Handler

To avoid injury while on the job, a baggage handler should take proper precautions and look into how to prevent work-related injuries. Below are four simple and easy tips that baggage handlers can do to stop work-related injuries before they happen.

Tip #1 Avoid Back Injuries Through Proper Handling Techniques

Learning proper handling techniques is crucial for baggage handlers when it comes to preventing a work-related injury. When a baggage handler is trained, they will likely be trained in the basics; however, they should also take it upon themself to learn the proper baggage handling techniques in greater detail to prevent an injury. Some essential baggage handling techniques to know include:

Bend your knees when lifting
If you are lifting something large, squat down, get a good grip on it, then stand back up slowly
Do not twist when lifting/carrying luggage
Do not carry bulky luggage for long
Don’t throw bags with force; instead, lightly toss or place the bags
Grab the sides of the bag with both hands and always lift with both hands

Tip #2 Make an Effort to Practice Exercises That Will Preserve The Musculoskeletal System

This is something that you as a baggage handler will have to do on your own time; however, it is worth your while. Exercises that preserve the musculoskeletal system train your body to get used to repetitive motions. Likewise, these exercises build strength and tolerance towards certain movements that cause wear and tear to the body’s musculoskeletal system. Some exercises to practice in order to prevent damage to the musculoskeletal system include:

Weight training; specifically weight training that strengthens the shoulders and biceps
Flexibility movements such as arm, chest and back stretches
Walking, swimming, cycling; these activities will keep the body strong and less susceptible to musculoskeletal injuries

These exercises lessen the strain that handling heavy bags and repeating the same motion will have on the body.

Tip #3 To Prevent Injury From an Impact, Don’t Try to Catch Falling Bags

Catching falling bags can lead to several work-related injuries, usually to the head or hands. If you see a bag falling or about to fall, instead of trying to catch it, let it fall and move out of the way. Falling bags can be extremely heavy and can cause injuries that may lead to head injury or broken bones.

Tip #4 Utilize Technology to Avoid Musculoskeletal Injuries

Technology can significantly reduce the musculoskeletal risks of a baggage handler. Carts, dollies, and other lifting mechanisms are designed to move heavy objects, it’s important to take advantage of them. Instead of trying to lift and move a heavy object on your own, use a cart or dolly in order to avoid injury.

Tip #5 Follow the Right Protocols to Prevent Tug Accidents

A majority of the protocols that need to be followed in regards to airplane tugs must be followed by those actually operating the tugs. However, baggage handlers can follow some of those protocols too, the most important being to verify clearance. Baggage handlers should make sure tugs are not coming their way as they are crossing a taxiway or runway.

Tug accidents are most often preventable if the driver of the machine is following protocol, and other airport staff, in this case, the baggage handlers, are alert and paying attention.

Preventing Injuries as a Baggage Handler

Baggage handlers put their safety at risk every day. Workplace injuries are not something to take lightly; work-related injuries can impact workers for the rest of their lives and can be extremely costly.

If you are a baggage handler, you must take all precautions to prevent work-related injuries and to preserve your health and safety. Or, if you or a loved one have been injured while handling bags on the job, you may be entitled to some financial compensation. To learn more about whether or not you may qualify for financial compensation associated with an injury, contact the law firm of Schwarz & Schwarz, P.C. today at (215) 925-1200.