Schiphol has taken a new step to continue to improve the working conditions in the hall of luggage by purchasing 30 new lifting aids.
This equipment, known as Transfer Belt from Power Stow, has been specially developed to easily and quickly unload the luggage of transfer passengers, but can also be used for the luggage of arriving passengers. This lifting aid has been extensively tested by baggage handlers over the past two months. The use of this lifting aid considerably lightens their workload physical. Partly for this reason, CEO Ruud Sondag visited the Danish manufacturer to see if production could be further increased.
“One of our top priorities is to improve the working conditions of baggage handlers. We are working hard on it. For example, by accelerating the purchase of 19 new baggage robots and these 30 new lifting aids,” says Ruud Sondag, CEO of the Royal Schiphol group. He adds that “Reactions from colleagues in the baggage hall clearly showed that they were positive about this lifting aid”. “So we decided to order them right away. Together with Power Stow, we are looking for ways to further speed up production of the lifting aid and make adjustments to it as quickly as possible to make it even better. »
The transfer belt will be placed on the baggage belt and will act as a walkway to the baggage container so that employees only have to pull the baggage from the container to the lift aid. The transfer belts will be installed in different baggage halls. All baggage handlers will use the lift aid and all workplaces where transfer baggage is handled will be equipped with a lift aid.
These new lifting aids represent a further step towards meeting the requirements of the Labor Inspectorate. Within a year (April 2024), every workplace will be equipped with a lifting aid that can be used by employees. The airport had previously announced that it would accelerate the establishment of 19 luggage robots. Together with the baggage handlers, Schiphol is currently testing three further solutions to facilitate working at other types of workstations in the baggage halls so that the most suitable options can be introduced if necessary.
