World’s aviation sector must protect its people

The dramatic recovery in demand for air travel, after a saga of Covid crises left the industry largely for dead, has put under-resourced, overworked airline and airport staff under unprecedented pressure. As this continues to have a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of workers, a range of serious issues in the sector need to be addressed. 

That’s the view of Simon Toseland, head of health, safety, and fire at Birmingham Airport. Toseland is also chair of the Aviation and Aerospace Group at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), a global chartered body for health and safety professionals. “International travel came to a near standstill in 2020, which was described by the International Air Transport Association as ‘the worst year in history for air travel demand’,” he says.

“International passenger demand dropped more than 75% on the previous year, while domestic demand fell nearly 50% below 2019 levels, and yet now the picture is one of long queues of passengers waiting to get through airport security,” Toseland continues.

“Covid restrictions saw the loss of many skilled jobs across the sector and as an industry we’ve had to recruit people and train them up to meet passenger demand. This has taken time, leaving more experienced staff to work longer hours in challenging conditions to compensate, always with a potential impact on their mental health and well-being.”

Toseland calls for the introduction of a six-point plan, featuring:

• The roll-out of training and re-training of ground handling staff.
• Exercises in familiarisation with the airline and the airport environment.
• Risk assessment that considers human performance and consults workers.
• A more active role from leaders and managers in supporting the well-being of aviation personnel and enforcing the “safety first” message.
• More dynamic shifts and the protection of staff breaks.
• More effective communication of harassment and violence policies, as well as training to help staff deal with physical and verbal abuse, including de-escalation. 

“It’s essential aviation companies revisit their health, safety, and well-being strategy to address these new and emerging issues,” he concludes.