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Baggage Make-up Room
Agents who work in the baggage make-up room
spend long hours on their feet. They must move baggage from conveyors
to carts and baggage containers for transport to the plane. Conditions
in the make-up room can be particularly stressful during peak times
when baggage flow rates are at their highest. Controls can help reduce
or eliminate make-up room injuries when using the following baggage
sorting systems:
See also hazards associated with baggage carts or containers.
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Potential
Hazards
- Repetitively lifting baggage from the conveyor
while assuming awkward body postures and extended
reaches (Figure 1)
- Twisting the torso and keeping the feet stationary
when lifting baggage between the
conveyor and the cart
- Lifting heavy baggage
- Bending over and reaching farther for bags
in order to work around curbs, railings, and
bollards
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Figure 1. Bending
over to get baggage
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Possible
Solutions
- Educate agents about proper lifting techniques to increase awareness of good work practices.
- Perform stretching exercises that help loosen and relax the muscles and joints.
- Use both hands to handle baggage (Figure 2) and avoid lifting baggage by the handle to minimize lifting from awkward postures.
- Minimize twisting while lifting
by
- Keeping carts approximately 3 feet from belt (Figure 3), and
- Parking the cart at an angle when space allows. (Figure 4)
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Figure 2.
Two-handed lift
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Figure 3.
Keep carts approximately three feet from
the belts
to avoid repetitive lifting and twisting.
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Figure 4.
Angle of cart for minimal twisting
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- Load heavy bags as close to the cart opening
as possible to minimize force associated with
extended reaches
- Use heavy baggage tags to create awareness
of actual bag weights. (Figure 5)
- Raise the height of conveyors (29 to 33 inches
high) to reduce bending and lifting
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Figure 5.
Heavy baggage tag examples
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Potential Hazards
- Reaching for baggage that has been double
stacked
- Removing baggage that is jammed between the
carousel lip and other baggage
- Twisting the torso and keeping the feet stationary
when moving baggage between the conveyor and
the cart
- Lifting heavy baggage
- Reaching farther for bags to work around curbs,
railings, and bollards
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Figure 6.
Awkward lift
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Possible
Solutions
- Educate agents about proper lifting
techniques to increase awareness
of good work practices.
- Perform stretching exercises that
help loosen and relax the muscles
and joints.
- Keep bags from piling up on the
lip of slope plate systems to avoid
having to exert excessive force
to free the baggage.
- Slide baggage close to you before
lifting to avoid lifting with an
extended reach.
- Minimize the distance between
the belts and the railings/bollards
to reduce extended reaches.
- Raise the carousel lip to minimize
bending (preferably between 29 and
33 inches).
- Minimize the height of the front
lip of the carousel to prevent handles
from getting caught and to decrease
the distance baggage is lifted over
the lip.
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Figure 7.
Carrying two bags at once
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| In Focus |
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The double deck pier system should not be installed in new or renovated make-up
rooms. This section is to provide employees with information on how to work with
their current baggage handling system. |
Potential Hazards
- Repeated lifting of heavy bags from high
locations, such as the top belt of a double deck
pier system
- Repeated lifting with little recovery time
between exertions because belt speeds are set
too fast when there is a high flow of bags
- Extended reaching for a bag located at the
back of a wide top belt (Figure 8)
- Bending and reaching under top belt for bags
on the bottom belt
- Protruding objects from belt sides, such as
"eyelets" through which emergency stop cords run
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Figure 8.
Extended reaching for a bag
on the top belt
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Possible
Solutions
- Educate agents about proper
lifting techniques to increase
awareness of good work practices.
- Perform stretching exercises that
help loosen and relax the
muscles and joints.
- Use top belts that are 30
inches wide or less to reduce
extended reaches.
- Limit the heights of top
belts to under 50 inches (preferably
48 inches) and raise bottom
belts as much as possible
to minimize bending when retrieving
baggage, being careful not
to create a "head-strike"
risk. (Figure 9)
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Figure 9.
Heights of top belts should be
under 50 inches (preferably 48
inches)
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- Using double deck pier belt systems
may lead to more hazards than a
single pier, flat, or sloped carousel
belt system. If present
investigate lowering upper tier to
suggested height recommendations to reduce hazards.
(Figure 9)
- Minimize distance between conveyors
and railings/bollards to reduce
reach distances.
- Have engineers "meter"
the speed of the belt based on the
type of baggage being unloaded so
the agent is not unloading baggage
at a rate that increases his/her
chances of being injured.
- Minimize protrusions from belt
sides to avoid injury to agents.
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Potential Hazards
- When loading or unloading a cart, avoid:
- Reaching away from the body or above
shoulder height (Figure 10)
- Handling heavy bags
- Lifting bags over front rails or guards
- Twisting the body during baggage transfer
- Manually repositioning loaded carts
- Opening and closing curtains on carts
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Figure 10. Reaching to the back of
a
cart can cause back and shoulder strain
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Possible
Solutions
- Educate agents about proper lifting
techniques to increase awareness
of good work practices.
- Perform stretching exercises that
help loosen and relax the muscles
and joints.
- If space allows, park carts on
an angle to minimize twisting motions.
(Figure 11)
- If required to reach, grab the
bag by the handle and slide it to
the front of the cart; lifting baggage
with the arms extended increases
the risk of back and shoulder injury.
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Figure 11. Park carts on an angle to
minimize the angle of twist |
- Conduct preventative maintenance inspections,
such as
- Proper tire inflation
- Lubrication for curtains
- Brake tests
- Avoid stacking bags above shoulder height
in open carts to prevent overhead reaches that
can strain the neck, shoulders, and back.
- Move carts using powered equipment whenever
possible.
- If carts must be manually positioned, push
them instead of pulling them and get help from
at least one other person.
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Figure 12.
Baggage container
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