Ramp Worker Safety

It's not often I fly through three airports by noon. But I did just that this past Sunday, starting on the East Coast and ending up in the Southwest. Air traffic was very light – probably because it was the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks and the "credible but unconfirmed" threats against the United States had scared many people into staying home. I admit it is a tough day to fly, when your thoughts are with all those who lost their lives. In thinking about all the terrible events of that day 10 years ago, I thought about how helpless we are as individuals in the face of terrorist attacks, but how much control we have – that we often don't choose to exercise – in other areas of our lives. That got me thinking about ramp worker safety. What was noteworthy to me at each of these airports was the missing safety equipment on the workers. Taking off before dawn, I noticed ramp workers without reflective vests. It's tough to be seen out there in the dark – and with some of the crazy driving that goes on in the off-hours, workers without reflective tape on their clothing are at risk of getting hit by vehicles and even aircraft. At the two other airports, I noticed workers without ear protection. Maybe they had ear plugs in their ears that weren't visible, but I tend to doubt that. Usually you can see the bright colors from a short distance. So while there is much we may not be able to control, better training and better supervision can certainly improve worker safety on the ramp.