Almost one in two aviation workers has been injured on the job, TWU survey reveals

The TWU is warning the aviation industry is in ‘crisis’ due to high rates of injury among the ‘poorly paid, overworked and inexperienced post-Covid workforce’.

a survey of 2000 airport and airline employees found 48 per cent had suffered injuries on the job.

The Transport Workers Union is demanding better conditions for aviation workers after a survey of 2000 airport and airline employees found 48 per cent had suffered injuries on the job and more than half felt unsafe due to time pressures and under­staffing.

Outdated or faulty equipment and fatigue were also cited as factors, along with the loss of experience during the pandemic, with many long-time employees leaving the industry.

The survey found 58 per cent of the respondents had worked in aviation for less than five years, and 60 per cent felt their safety was compromised by high levels of staff turnover.

No one employer was singled out, with the issues considered widespread across airlines, airports and ground handling ­companies.

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said the survey responses confirmed there was an “aviation crisis” as executives chased profits and exorbitant bonuses at the expense of workers.

“Whether you’re a ground handler responsible for loading planes correctly, cabin crew dealing with on-board medical emergencies, or a pilot getting us safely to our destinations, aviation relies on skilled and experienced workers,” said Mr Kaine.

“Many of these roles have critical safety functions. They’re keeping the skies safe but they’re being run into the ground.”

He said aviation used to be an industry of “lifetime careers” but after a decade of cost-cutting and outsourcing, the experienced, dedicated workforce had been “absolutely gutted”.

“Workers are exhausted, pressured and increasingly injured on the job, and standards for the public are plummeting,” said Mr Kaine.

“We’ve got a revolving door of failed airlines and a revolving door of workers who can’t stay in this industry anymore. Aviation is at breaking point.”

The Flight Attendants Association of Australia says moving luggage around overhead lockers is the most common cause of injury to cabin crew. Picture: iStock

According to airports’ and airlines’ annual reports, there were virtually no permanent injury incidents in the last year.

Qantas did observe a rise in its total recordable injury frequency rate, which was attributed to more flying than in the previous year “and especially international flying”.

Virgin Australia recorded 180 injuries to staff in the year to June 30, 2024. Most were “body stress” or “musculoskeletal” injuries and not considered “high consequence”.

The Flight Attendants Association of Australia confirmed shoulder and back injuries were relatively common among cabin crew, often associated with the management of overhead ­lockers.

As a result, two cabin crew were now required to close overhead lockers to try to minimise injuries, and crew were not meant to assist passengers to lift bags into the lockers.

Of the major airports, only Melbourne saw an increase in lost time injuries in the last year, with four employees injured, and 12 contractors.

Ground handling company Swissport did not provide Australia-specific data but across its global workforce of 60,000 employees, 5432 work-related injuries were recorded last year.

The company noted that was an 11.1 per cent reduction on the previous year, with Swissport targeting an annual decrease of 5 per cent a year till 2027.

Originally published as Almost one in two aviation workers has been injured on the job, TWU survey reveals