Schiphol experimenting with air cleaners to protect workers against particulate matter

Schiphol Airport is experimenting with air cleaners to remove particulate matter from aircraft engines and diesel vehicles from the air and protect employees on the platform. The Amsterdam airport is also testing out a whole series of other measures to protect its workers, as ordered by the Labor Inspectorate this spring, Parool reports.

Two years ago, TNO determined in random sampling that Schiphol employees were exposed to far too high consternations of “very concerning substances.” When an aircraft starts its engines, emissions in the immediate vicinity rise to up to 200,000 particles per cubic centimeter, right into the faces of baggage handlers and other platform workers. According to the Health Council, long-term exposure to ultrafine particles can cause respiratory- and cardiovascular diseases, among other things.

Earlier this year, the Labor Inspectorate gave Schiphol until 2030 to ensure that its baggage handlers and other ground crew workers are no longer at any permanent health risks due to particulate matter. And Schiphol is getting to work figuring out how to achieve that.

The most striking experiment is with an air cleaner from the Dutch manufacturer Envinity installed at Schiphol’s largest fire station. The “smog killer” removes ultra-fine dust particles from the air before they are blown into the buildings through the air conditioning.

If it proves as effective as the airport hopes, Schiphol will install these air cleaners in the canteens, baggage cellars, and other work areas, Patricia Vitalis, Schiphol’s operational director, told Parool. “Or in the terminals. It is even possible to blow clean air over part of the platform.”

The airport also installed particulate matter sensors in various places to continuously check the concentrations and figure out where ground crew staff could best stand to avoid exposure. It is testing various types of face masks, and testing what effects it would have for planes to taxi with only one engine on.

“We have until the end of 2024 to adjust the procedures on the platform,” Vitalis said. “So we will conduct research and implement measures at the same time. We not only look at which solution works best, but also whether it is comfortable and feasible. People have to work with it for hours, sometimes in the baggage hold.”