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Evaluation of Symptoms Among Above-Wing Uniformed Airline Employees
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2023/11/01
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Source: Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 2022-0061-3393, 2023 Nov; :1-32
[PDF-602.50 KB]
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Description:The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received multiple confidential employee requests for a health hazard evaluation at a commercial airline. Employees were concerned about health effects they associated with their new, mandatory uniforms. The requestors also reported that many employees were hesitant to formally report health and safety problems related to the uniform to airline management for fear of being removed from their work assignments. Our evaluation consisted of speaking with airline managers and employees, reviewing documents provided by airline management, analyzing data on worker's compensation claims and accommodations requests, and reviewing scientific literature on health effects related to textiles, skin and allergy conditions, and health effects seen in flight attendants. We found that employees reported a variety of symptoms they thought were related to the new uniforms, but wearing new uniform pieces did not lead to a widespread outbreak of symptoms. Skin or allergy symptoms were the most common symptom types mentioned in workers' compensation data. Of the records we reviewed, no uniform-related workers' compensation claims or accommodation requests were approved. The most common reason for a workers' compensation claim denial was the lack of treatment and diagnosis. Uniform-related accommodation requests were commonly closed because the employee did not submit any documents for review. Airline representatives said a positive patch test for skin allergy was generally needed for a successful workers' compensation claim or uniform-related accommodation request. Although, no positive patch tests had been reported at the time of this HHE, people with skin symptoms who do not test positive might have other skin conditions. Some symptoms employees reported could be associated with the uniforms, although we faced challenges linking symptoms to uniforms. We made detailed recommendations to the airline that focused on allowing for more flexibility in the uniform wear policy and improving communication to address employee concerns.
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Pages in Document:32 pdf pages
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Contributor:Hamilton, Cheryl;Watts, Shawna;
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NIOSHTIC Number:20068863
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Citation:NIOSH [2023]. Evaluation of symptoms among above-wing uniformed airline employees. By;Feldmann KD, Chiu S, Broadwater K, Shi DS, O’Connor C. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of;Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for;Occupational Safety and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2022-0061-3393,;
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Federal Fiscal Year:2024
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Peer Reviewed:False
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Resource Number:HHE-2022-0061-3393
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