Flight schedules and occupational accidents among cabin crew: a longitudinal study

Abstract

Background: Flight schedules of cabin crew involve early starts, long working hours, night flights, and the crossing of time zones, all of which might contribute to the risk of onboard occupational accidents. Because it is unclear if cumulative flight schedule exposure affects the incidence of occupational accidents, the objective of this study is to examine this association among cabin crewmembers.

Methods: Data from the 5-yr historic MORE cohort was used. The study population consisted of 6311 cabin crewmembers. For each employee, all flight schedules from 2005 to 2008 and registered occupational accidents in 2009 were collected. The association between the cumulative exposure to different types of flights and the occurrence of occupational accidents was determined using logistic regression analyses.

Results: In 2009, 289 cabin crewmembers reported at least 1 occupational accident. The adjusted logistic regression models showed that the number of short-haul flights during the period 2005-2008 was positively associated with the occurrence of occupational accidents in 2009. Less exposure to long-haul flights was also associated with reporting an occupational accident.

Discussion: The results of this study suggest that cumulative exposure to short-haul flights is associated with an increased risk for occupational accidents among cabin crewmembers. This increased risk may be caused by the specific characteristics of short-haul flights. Future research should focus on possible underlying mechanisms, such as fatigue accumulation, and on the influence of adjustments to short-haul schedules. Airline companies can increase their focus on the short-haul operation in order to reduce onboard accidents.