An ergonomic assessment of the airline baggage handler

192.5 The KneesBaggage handlers spend a lot of time working in cramped or confined spaces. Whetherworking in cramped baggage rooms with baggage conveyor belts positioned very close tothe other, or in the cargo hold of a narrow body aircraft, the baggage handler must adaptand compromise their posture to carry out their lifting tasks. From an ergonomicstandpoint, the most compromising position that many baggage handlers must workthrough is working on their knees inside the narrow body of an aircraft, which wasnoticed by the author during his walkthroughs of the ramp area and inspection of theworkplace and workers. Working on the knees for extended periods of time can causediscomfort to the body as well as the knees, which overtime may lead to musculoskeletalproblems. Some of these problems associated with overuse and excessive kneeling,squatting and lifting are injury to the knee meniscus, and injury to the patella or kneecap,which may lead to arthritis, dislocation and inflammation of the tendon.Figure 2.6 Anatomy of the knee.