Schiphol platform employees exposed to carcinogenic emissions: Inspectorate

Employees at Schiphol Airport who work around the aircraft are structurally exposed to carcinogenic substances, the Dutch Labor Inspectorate (NLA) said in a report on Friday. Employers at the airport - Schiphol, airlines, ground handling companies, and other providers - must do more to protect their workers from these dangerous emissions, the NLA said.

The Inspectorate concluded that employees on the platform are exposed to carcinogenic substances in too high concentrations for too long. These carcinogenic and mutagenic substances are released by the combustion of kerosene by aircraft and diesel by ground transport. Mutagens can damage hereditary material and, in combination with other substances, cause cancer. “The employer cannot disregard its duty of care to avoid or minimize this exposure,” the NLA said.

According to the Inspectorate, at least 2,000 employees are exposed to carcinogenic emissions - the ground staff who load suitcases and refill kerosine, but also people who accompany disabled passengers to the plane, for example, or contractors who build at the airport. The companies at Schiphol must now take measures as quickly as possible to reduce emissions and their employees’ exposure to it.

The NLA ordered Schiphol and other employers at the airport to limit the use of aircraft engines around the platforms. Planes must be towed further from the gate before they can use their own engines. The use of the auxiliary power unit - which provides power and air conditioning in an aircraft at the gate - must also be limited.

The NLA launched an investigation into employees’ exposure to exhaust fumes on the platform and occupational health and safety at the airport after an enforcement request from the trade union FNV in December 2021. In May last year, the NLA already published its provisional results - that working on the airport platform is bad for employees’ health - so that the responsible employers could start taking measures.

Trade union FNV is pleased with the NLA’s demand for quick measures to minimize Schiphol workers’ exposure to carcinogens. “We are pleased that the Labor Inspectorate has persevered and is taking its legal role here,” vice chairman Kitty Jong said. “This is an indispensable step toward safe and healthy work for every employee at Schiphol.”

FNV wants employees who have become ill due to aircraft emissions to qualify for the existing scheme for working with hazardous substances. The scheme entitles them to a once-off financial compensation from the government. The RIVM must investigate how harmful the carcinogenic kerosene and diesel emissions are and determine the amount of compensation.