A recent front page article in the New York Times on the "culture of corruption" among certain baggage handlers at JFK and other airports is a stunning indictment of ramp operations. Aside from all the obvious issues with employees stealing or being involved in the drug trade, is the impact on the equipment itself when it's used by people who care more about their illicit gains than the safety of others.
One way for GSE operators to immediately improve the care and operation of their equipment is to institute a zero tolerance policy with baggage handlers and tug operators involved directly or indirectly with stealing from passenger luggage or involved with transporting drugs. In my experience, people involved in this type of criminal activity on the ramp are dangerous employees. Often, they're so busy planning their crimes or covering them up that they lose sight of the demands of their real jobs - safely loading and operating equipment on the ramp.
And when I say directly or indirectly involved in these crimes - I include zero tolerance for those employees who know something nefarious is going on but choose to stay silent. Those employees put the company and its operations at risk just as much as the employees directly involved in the crimes.
It's not always easy to run an operation and fire employees for what may initially seem like petty theft; but in the long run, you'll be glad you did.
