An ergonomic assessment of the airline baggage handler

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CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION1.1 Baggage HandlingBaggage handling is a very physically demanding task. Like other professions thatrequire intense physical labor, baggage handlers are required to lift and handle heavybags and materials. Unlike some of the other material handling jobs baggage handlershave to work in rotating workstations (i.e. baggage room, cargo hold, baggage sortingarea with conveyor belts) and in various types of weather.In addition to customer baggage, airline material handlers must deal with freightand postal materials as well. Baggage, freight and parcels come in all different sizesmaking it difficult to develop fully or semi automated systems that can handle the diverseworkloads of the airline baggage handlers. It is this diversity in work environment aswell as in the materials handled that makes the airline material handler's job unique.The Baggage handler's job can also be extremely repetitive with recurring lifting,pulling, and reaching for bags, and materials. Handlers load and unload aircrafts,transports materials to and from aircraft to collection and storage areas, and work inconfined quarters loading and unloading materials.1.2 Background Information1.2.1 ObjectiveThe author was interested in studying the baggage handlers' job because a large part ofthe job requires heavy to moderate physical labor. Having seen baggage handlers atwork, and having a good idea of what types of materials primarily handled, the author1
2had a good understanding of what the baggage-handling job entailed. Other jobs thatprimarily focus on material handling and lifting deal in handling uniform type weights(i.e. boxes versus some types of baggage which can hold materials in loose structuredshapes). Unlike other jobs that have a primary focus on material handling, the materialsthat the baggage handlers deal with are not typically uniform. The baggage handler dealsmostly in commercial baggage and postal freight (mail bags). Commercial baggage isbaggage of passengers that will be flying on the aircraft.Handling passenger baggage is one of the things that make the baggage handler'sjob very different from other material handling type jobs. One major reason for this isbecause passenger baggage design is highly variable from one bag design/style to theother. Baggage comes in all different shapes, sizes and dimensions making it challengingfor the handler to be able to get accustom to a general baggage type. Baggage handlershave to lift and handle odd size bags with centers of mass asymmetrical to the baggage,making it difficult to handle heavier bags, with awkward centers of mass, which lead touneven weight distributions. Heavier bags with asymmetrical mass centers ofdistribution are more difficult to gage, thus making it more difficult to lift and manage thebags. This makes it difficult to develop a consistent lifting rhythm and technique addingto the difficulty of the job. Add in the time factor where in many cases during themorning and afternoon shifts baggage handlers have to make a timeline to keep flightsgoing out on time, or in the case where flights have been delayed they must worked evenfaster to compensate for the lost time. For the baggage handlers this makes their jobmore difficult and thus more hazardous than the other manual lifting jobs.
Page 5: AN ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENTOF THE AIRLI
Page 8 and 9: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHAuthor: Stephen
Page 10 and 11: ACKNOWLEDGMENTI would like to expre
Page 12 and 13: TABLE OF CONTENTS(Continued)Chapter
Page 16 and 17: 31.2.2 Author's PreparationMany tim
Page 18 and 19: 5way in and out of the work area. T
Page 20: 71.3.4.4 Evidence of No Effect of W
Page 23 and 24: Figure 2.1 Principle muscle groups
Page 25 and 26: 12vertebrae are aligned, their cent
Page 27 and 28: 14which obesity, poor conditioning,
Page 29 and 30: Figure 2.4 Musculature of the Later
Page 31 and 32: Figure 2.5 Anatomy of the Shoulder
Page 33 and 34: CHAPTER 3LITERATURE REVIEWS3.1 Summ
Page 35 and 36: 22loading and unloading of narrow-b
Page 37 and 38: 24When the safety professionals wer
Page 39 and 40: 26exceeded 70lbs (32kg). However, 1
Page 41: 28slowing changing along the landsc
Page 44 and 45: 31aircraft on the tarmac, the bagga
Page 46 and 47: 33baggage handlers with 111 (71%) p
Page 48 and 49: 35In response to the training quest
Page 50 and 51: 37question about loading the wide b
Page 52 and 53: 39combinations were calculated. Eac
Page 54 and 55: 41participants from the Royal Dutch
Page 56 and 57: 43The heights, angles, and velociti
Page 58 and 59: 45placed on various joints on the b
Page 60 and 61: 47The purpose of introducing the pi
Page 62 and 63: 493.6 Back Belt LiteratureThe notio
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51It was out of this necessity for
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53The fleet service clerks, or bagg
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55increase in TAP can increase the
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57A concern for this study is the m
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59A body chart diagram to assess wo
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615.2 The Future of Baggage Handlin
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635.2.1 Workstation RedesignThe wor
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65injury because the top and lower
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67baggage handlers as well as aviat
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APPENDIXMODEL FOR FUTURE BAGGAGE HA
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INSTRUCTION: PLEASE CIRCLE WHICH BO
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74[12] Harman, E A, Rosenstein, RM,
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An ergonomic assessment of the airline baggage handler

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