Loading and unloading baggage every day at Coral Gables International Airport – one of the busiest in the country – is rewarding work, earning a living that allows you to take care of your family. However, the daily lifting, moving and carrying baggage that weighs as much as 75 pounds can take a toll on anyone’s body.
Injuries can vary when regularly lifting heavy things, pushing heavy carts and baggage containers. Among the most common injuries among baggage handlers are repetitive stress injuries. Trips to the doctor or chiropractor may help, but, sometimes, only provide temporary relief through treatment or painkilling drugs. All this time, you have taken care of your family. Now, you must take care of yourself, especially when dealing with an employer that may put the blame for your injuries squarely on you.
Focus on safety, prevent injury
You are not to blame for your injuries from the physical work you perform. The conditions you work under are challenging and difficult, and your employer knows this. This is why it remains critical that your employer makes the proper accommodations and provides essential safety-related training to prevent musculoskeletal injuries. This includes avoiding awkward lifting.
Repetitive stress injuries can lead to:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Serious back injury, namely lower back pain and disc-damaging injuries that can lead to sciatica and nerve damage
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Extreme knee pain that could lead to surgeries, including knee replacement
- Serious damage to your muscles and tendons
The airport is full of a variety of workers, and any one of them can become injured. Baggage handlers, ground crews, gate crews, service crews and flight crews face similar and different job-related hazards that can prevent them from working for months at a time. Look out for yourself and fellow workers. Focus on safety and make sure your employer has the same philosophy.
