On this page
Ramp agents and baggage handlers, aircraft fuelers, cabin cleaners, aircraft mechanics, catering and provisioning crews, gate and ticket agents, wheelchair attendants, and cargo handlers.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Ramp work is among the loudest routine occupational noise environments there is, and hearing loss in this workforce is close to universal and almost never claimed. Backs and shoulders from baggage handling are the dominant cumulative trauma claim. And airline ground employees are generally covered by California workers’ compensation — whether a contractor or the airline employed you, both may bear responsibility.
Noise — and why the rating disappoints
Ramp work is among the loudest routine occupational noise environments there is. Hearing loss in this workforce is close to universal and almost never claimed.
Understand the rating before you are surprised by it.
The AMA formula averages 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 Hz, subtracts a 25 dB low fence, multiplies the remainder by 1.5%, then weights your better ear five times more heavily than your worse ear.
A genuine, permanent 25 dB loss rates zero. Total deafness in one ear rates about 6% whole person.
And the classic noise notch at 4,000 to 6,000 Hz — the diagnostic signature of occupational hearing loss — is not one of the four rated frequencies. It is strong evidence of causation and contributes nothing to the number.
What helps: your employer’s hearing conservation program audiograms. Where a program was run, there is a baseline audiogram and annual audiograms in the file showing exactly when the shift occurred. Request them. Where no program was run at all, that absence is itself significant. The full explanation.
Tinnitus can add up to 5% to the hearing impairment rating — but only where it accompanies measurable hearing loss and interferes with activities of daily living. Both conditions have to be documented.
What else the ramp does
Backs and shoulders. Baggage handling in the confined space of a cargo hold, kneeling and twisting, thousands of bags a shift. This is the dominant cumulative traumaCT — Cumulative trauma Injury from repeated exposure over time. The largest injury category in California and the least claimed. claim in the industry. Low back injuries. · Shoulder injuries.
Knees, from working on knees in a hold and climbing on and off equipment. Knee injuries.
Struck-by and crush — belt loaders, tugs, pushback tractors, container loaders, and jet bridges. Amputation.
Jet exhaust and fuel exposure. Jet fuel and combustion products, plus de-icing fluids and lavatory chemicals. Chemical exposure claims.
Heat and cold on open tarmac with no shade — outdoor work squarely within 8 CCR § 3395: shade above 80°F, high-heat procedures at 95°F. Heat illness.
Falls, from equipment, stairs, and wet or icy surfaces.
Cabin cleaning — repetitive strain, chemical exposure, sharps injuries, and biological exposure.
And assault. Gate agents, wheelchair attendants, and cabin crew face passenger violence, and being the victim of a violent act opens the psychiatric rating exception that most injured workers cannot access. Since July 1, 2024, the law requires your employer to maintain a Violent Incident Log — ask for it. More.
Two questions specific to this workforce
“I work for a contractor, not the airline.” Ground handling is heavily contracted, and both the contractor and the airline may bear responsibility depending on control. Do not accept a denial that turns on which entity employed you.
“Am I covered by state or federal law?” Airline ground employees are generally covered by California workers’ compensation. Separate federal systems exist for railroad workers and for maritime and longshore work — and if your duties touch marine terminal operations, that question is worth asking. Port and longshore claims.
Sources
Labor Code § 4660.1(c)(2)(A)§ 6401.98 CCR § 3395AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th ed., ch. 11
General information about California law, not legal advice about your case.
Impairment values described are from the AMA Guides, 5th Edition as applied under the California rating schedule; the Guides are a copyrighted medical text and figures here are summarized rather than reproduced. Your rating depends on your own examination findings.
Reviewed by Jamey Teitell, Partner & Trial Attorney · Last reviewed
Law Offices of Solov & Teitell, APC · (213) 380-9310
Printed from https://www.solovteitell.com/industries/airport-airline-workers/ · Last reviewed