Schiphol doing too little to protect employees against aircraft emissions: Inspectorate

Schiphol does not sufficiently protect its staff against exposure to harmful aircraft emissions. That is the conclusion of the Dutch Labor Inspectorate, which also said that the airport’s plans to minimize exposure are insufficient. The shortcomings appear in a draft decision by the Labor Inspectorate. Schiphol can now express its views before the regulator makes a final decision.

The Labor Inspectorate urged Schiphol to use “adequate work equipment” to allow staff to work more safely. The degree and duration of exposure must also be reduced. That can be achieved, for example, by using taxi bots to move aircraft across the airport so that they don’t emit anything while taxiing.

Schiphol wants to do this by 2030. But according to the Labor Inspectorate, there is no elaboration of this measure in an action plan. How Schiphol intends to reduce the harmful substances to which staff is exposed is also missing. The action plan “does not indicate within what period which measures will be taken,” the Inspectorate said.

The regulator gave Schiphol until the end of this year to further develop its action plan. Concerning aircraft emissions, the airport must have “drawn up a fully phased plan” by the end of 2024 at the latest.

Schiphol called the Inspectorate’s draft decision “a mirror that cannot be ignored.” CEO Ruud Sondag said: “It is clear that working conditions at Schiphol must be improved. That is also a priority in the new course we have set out. Employees must have a healthy workplace. Improvements have been made over the years, of course, but it must be faster and better.”

The airport said it was already trying to reduce exposure to harmful emissions. For example, Schiphol is making aircraft taxi with fewer engines. Measures are also being taken to increase the distance between the source of the emissions and employees. Schiphol is also investigating how to improve air quality.

It is not the first time the Labor Inspectorate investigated working conditions at Schiphol. In March, the regulator demanded that six baggage handling companies at the airport immediately start using tools so that employees did not have to do so much heavy lifting themselves.