All passengers throughout airports across England and Europe will be appealed to, to make their baggage lighter to help reduce the widespread instances of injuries caused to the workers who handle baggage. According to one estimate, a single worker lifts the weight equivalent to that of an elephant every day.

This “pack less” campaign for lighter bags has been initiated by the union Unite, and is being supported by the HSE Aviation Industry Committee and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The campaign aims to petition airlines to reduce the maximum weight of cases from 32kgs to 23 kg per bag.

Steve Turner, Unite National Officer, in his statement with connection to this campaign has said that passengers need to be aware that the baggage handling processes at airports are not fully mechanized. Although machines are involved in the process, there are several times when the baggage has to be manually handled.

Talking about the grave risks faced by workers each day, Steve Turner said that the possibility of sustaining injuries due to this work is five times higher than in other areas of work. Further, injuries can even lead to permanent damage because the space constraints are intense and the workers are forced to handle weights in confined areas. Unite wants the government and the HSE to create mechanisms for the protection of workers from musculoskeletal disabilities.

The “pack less” campaign will include distributing leaflets to passengers at airports, especially at Heathrow, which is the focus for the drive. Fifteen trade unions of other European countries are participating in this drive. Similar events will be organised in other airports like Paris, Rome etc.

Apart from this awareness campaign, the trade union Unite is also calling upon the government to pass a formal regulation. Further, the European Transport Workers’ Federation is also lobbying for a regulation that will apply to Europe as a whole.

‘Working Safely’ is for those staff who are exposed to common workplace hazards on a day to day basis and who need a basic grounding in the essentials of health and safety. The IOSH working safely programme is therefore especially suited to operatives within most organisations as it covers a broad range of common workplace hazards.