may2023 - 10

Industry Expert Column
Hamburg Airport's
Efforts to Improve the
Health of Ground Handlers
In 2016, HAM and other agencies launched a project aimed at
significantly improving the well-being of airport ramp personnel.
BY HELGE HOMANN
W
hile safety is crucial
across the aviation industry,
some inherent risk
remains. For example, ground handling
agents like baggage handlers
can suffer from musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs) from repetitive tasks
like working in cramped locations
and lifting heavy items.
Data from the European Agency for
Safety and Heath at Work (EU-OSHA)
indicates MSDs become more common as
workers age. What's more, current social
trends indicate that the average age of
workers at German airports is increasing.
In fact, it is predicted that the average
Hamburg Airport worked
with agencies to develop
a program intended to
prevent and rehabilitate
work-related injuries
through personalized
instruction, occupational
training and exercise.
age of employees across German airports
in 2024 will be 54 years old.
To address MSDs and the issues they
create for ground handling personnel,
Hamburg Airport (HAM) worked with
social security agents in Germany,
including BG Verkehr, to develop a
program intended to prevent and rehabilitate
work-related injuries through
personalized instruction as well as occupational
training and exercise.
The Project
The goal of this project was primarily
designed to prevent accidents and
injuries. According to data collected,
back problems accounted for more than
20 percent of time off requests from
ground handlers.
Leadership at HAM had attempted
to avoid employee injuries by finding
solutions such has providing gym memberships
and offering training and fitness
advice. But despite these incentives, airport
officials didn't achieve the desired
results. Ultimately, it was determined
that people were more likely to adopt
better fitness goals if it was part of their
daily work activities.
The project's leaders worked with
approximately 850 airport employees
made up of two groups - those most at
risk of developing MSDs and a second
group who were not faced with enough
challenges for their musculoskeletal
systems. The first group was comprised
primarily of baggage handlers, who regularly
lifted heavy items, and aircraft
cleaners, who often find themselves
working in difficult ergonomic positions.
The second group included HAM's bus
and truck driving staff, who face longer
stretches of inactivity.
The goal was to reduce requested
time off by ground service personnel
caused by musculoskeletal disorders. To
accomplish this, project leaders worked
to optimize the way ground handlers
performed tasks in the short term and
then make those changes to work habits
sustainable for the long term. To aid this
effort, a training center was created to
improve endurance and force training
and to provide a job simulation environment
to enhance work training.
10 || Ground Support Worldwide || May 2023
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR
may2023

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