Health and Safety

Passengers' lives depend on the alertness, skill and expertise of aviation employees. However, many of these employees face uncomfortable or hazardous working conditions - in airports, in noisy or hot catering kitchens, on the ramp in all weather conditions and using heavy machinery or aircrafts where air quality is low and the impact of cosmic radiation is still underestimated.

We bring together the occupational health and safety representatives from ITF affiliated civil aviation trade unions from around the world, to share their specialist knowledge and promote action and campaigns to improve standards for workers and passengers alike.

The industrial committees of the civil aviation section have developed group-specific policies and documents on health and safety issues, which can be found in the relevant parts of the Policy Digest (please see the right hand navigation bar).

ASHDI, the Aviation Safety and Health Database – International, is a website that has been set up to provide a quick and easy way to report problems with aircraft that employees have faced in or around the flight environment. This includes air quality problems, exposures to pesticides, or any other general safety, health or security incidents. The reporting system is primarily intended for cabin crew, but passengers, pilots and mechanics are also invited to report. 

Aviation safety

Liberalisation has led to an economic environment of fierce competition. In this environment airlines to seek to save costs, including in areas affecting safety; governments are under pressure to relax safety rules; and regulators find it increasingly difficult to keep up with structural changes in the industry. In 1996 the ITF launched its "Safe Skies" campaign aimed at introducing international safety regulation adapted and strengthened to catch up with the new global industry environment. This policy is actively being pursued within regulatory bodies.