The causes and prevention of airline baggage handler back injuries : Safe designs required where behaviour and administrative solutions have had limited effect
Description:
"Back injuries have consistently been the most common types of injuries suffered by people at work. They have been a significant worker injury problem in most, if not all, industrialised countries for many years and manual handling has long been established as a significant task related back injury causal factor.[...] This research project established that the manufacturers of the jet airlines used by the airlines in this study had not previously been acquainted with the issue of baggage handler back injuries.[...] This study also canvassed the opinion of airline safety professionals and airline baggage handlers concerning baggage handling tasks and working environment related causal factors. [...] A major focus of this research project was also to measure the effect of ACE and Sliding Carpet, two commercially available retro-fit baggage systems, on the risk of back injuries to baggage handlers stacking baggage within Boeing B737 narrow-body aircraft."
Description:
"Back injuries have consistently been the most common types of injuries suffered by people at work. They have been a significant worker injury problem in most, if not all, industrialised countries for many years and manual handling has long been established as a significant task related back injury causal factor.[...] This research project established that the manufacturers of the jet airlines used by the airlines in this study had not previously been acquainted with the issue of baggage handler back injuries.[...] This study also canvassed the opinion of airline safety professionals and airline baggage handlers concerning baggage handling tasks and working environment related causal factors. [...] A major focus of this research project was also to measure the effect of ACE and Sliding Carpet, two commercially available retro-fit baggage systems, on the risk of back injuries to baggage handlers stacking baggage within Boeing B737 narrow-body aircraft."
Description:
Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel is a substantial form of tourism worldwide. In Australia, official data measure VFR in one of two ways: purpose of visit or accommodation. This is only a measurement of those factors, yet tourism practitioners often mistakenly use these data to state the size of VFR travel in their destination. Based on quantitative research undertaken in three contrasting destinations in Australia, estimates for the size of VFR travel in those destinations is provided. These results highlight that using official dala for measuring VFR travel will underestimate this segment in any Australian destination. Using the VFR definitional model as a conceptual model, this research has estimated that VFR travel represents 48 percent of Australia's total overnight tourism market.
Description:
The airline industry has been accused of being the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gases, yet being environmentally friendly does not appear to be an issue very high on the current agenda of airlines, despite the extremely competitive industry they operate within. This exploratory study examined the existence of carbon offset schemes among airlines which operate into and within Australia and questioned the way in which customers are facilitated on these websites to purchase a carbon offset option for their flight. The study found that only four of the 59 airlines operating into and within Australia offer carbon offset schemes and those that do so provide low key promotion of the scheme, with the facilities to select the carbon offset flights located external to the airlines' Home Page. The paper suggests that airlines need to become more serious about carbon offset schemes as a means of capturing the current good-will among passengers and, if nothing else, to create a competitive edge. The paper also suggests that airlines could more effectively introduce carbon offset schemes by recognising them as new products being offered to existing markets. However, the paper also reflects on the responsibility of airlines to educate future customers about the environmental impacts of their air travel by suggesting ways to minimise their impact, including the need to reduce the frequency of flying.