CS 316346-B 04/23/2020

What Airline Workers Need to Know about COVID-19

As an airport baggage or cargo handler, how can 

I protect myself?

For baggage or cargo handlers, while the general 

risk remains low, potential sources of exposure could 

include surfaces touched or handled by a person with 

COVID-19 or by touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

• Limit close contact with others by maintaining a 

distance of at least 6 feet, when possible. 

• Practice routine cleaning and disinfection of 

frequently touched surfaces. These include 

baggage or cargo transport devices, vehicles, 

scanners, and shared/common two-way radios or 

other mobile devices. Follow the directions on the 

cleaning product’s label. 

• Follow your employer’s normal guidance for 

handling animals in transit and biological cargo.

• Proper hand hygiene (https://www.cdc.gov/

handwashing/index.html) is an important infection 

control measure. Wash your hands regularly with 

soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and 

water are not readily available, use an alcoholbased hand sanitizer containing at least

60% alcohol.

• Key times to clean hands in general include: 

» Before, during, and after preparing food

» Before eating food

» After using the toilet

» After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing 

• Additional times to clean hands on the job include:

» Before and after work shifts

» Before and after work breaks 

» After handling, loading, and unloading 

baggage, packages, or cargo 

» After touching frequently touched surfaces

» After putting on, touching, or removing cloth 

face coverings

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with 

unwashed hands.

cdc.gov/coronavirus

AIRPORT BAGGAGE AND CARGO HANDLERS 

Accessible version: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/airport-baggage-cargo-handlers.html

6 ft

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a 

respiratory illness caused by a virus called

SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms often include a 

fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Our 

understanding of how the virus spreads 

is evolving as we learn more about it, so 

check the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/howcovid-spreads.html) or the latest information.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from

person-to-person:

Between people who are in close contact

with one another (within about 6 feet).

Through respiratory droplets produced

when an infected person coughs, sneezes,

or talks.

Recent studies indicate that the virus can be spread by 

people before they develop symptoms (pre-symptomatic) 

or who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic). It 

also may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by 

touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and 

then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their 

eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the 

virus spreads. Older adults and people of any age who have 

serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher 

risk for more serious complications (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-athigher-risk.html) from COVID-19.

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings (https://

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/

diy-cloth-face-coverings.html) in public settings where 

other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, 

especially in areas of significant community-based 

transmission. Cloth face coverings may prevent people 

who don’t know they have the virus from transmitting it 

to others. These face coverings are not surgical masks or 

respirators and are not appropriate substitutes for them in 

workplaces where masks or respirators are recommended 

or required.
cdc.gov/coronavirus

What steps should my employer take?

Your employer should develop a COVID-19 health and 

safety plan to protect employees. This plan should be 

shared with you and your coworkers. Your

employer should:

• Take steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 

if an employee is sick (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-whensick.html). Actively encourage sick employees to 

stay home. Sick employees should not return to 

work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation 

are met (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-

ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html), in 

consultation with healthcare providers and state 

and local health departments. 

• Provide information on who to contact if 

employees become sick. 

• Implement flexible sick leave and supportive 

policies and practices. Consider drafting nonpunitive emergency sick leave policies if sick leave 

is not offered to some or all employees. 

• Designate someone to be responsible for 

responding to COVID-19 concerns. Employees 

should know who this person is and how to

contact them.

• Provide employees with accurate information 

about COVID-19, how it spreads, and risk

of exposure.

• Provide training on proper hand washing (https://

www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html) practices 

and other routine infection control precautions. 

This will help prevent the spread of many diseases, 

including COVID-19.

• Providing employees with access to soap, clean 

running water, and drying materials, or alcoholbased hand sanitizers containing at least 60% 

alcohol at their worksite. 

• Provide disposable disinfectant wipes so that 

commonly touched surfaces including baggage 

or cargo transport devices, vehicles, scanners, 

and communication systems such as two-way 

radios or other mobile devices can be wiped 

down by employees before and after each use. For 

disinfection, use products that meet EPA’s criteria 

for use against SARS-CoV-2 (https://www.epa.

gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectantsuse-against-sars-cov-2), diluted household bleach 

solutions, or alcohol solutions with at least 70% 

alcohol, and are appropriate for the surface. Follow 

manufacturer’s directions for use.

• Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles 

for use by employees.

• Conduct frequent cleaning of employee break 

rooms, rest areas, and other common areas.

• Place posters that encourage staying home when 

sick (https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceuticalinterventions/tools-resources/educationalmaterials.html), covering coughs and sneezes 

(https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/

etiquette/coughing_sneezing.html) and washing 

hands often (https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/

materials.html) at the entrance to the workplace 

and in other workplace areas where they are likely 

to be seen.

• Follow all applicable federal regulations and public 

health agency guidelines.

Where can I get more information?

Stay informed. Talk to your employer, supervisor, 

union representative, or airport personnel who are 

responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns. 

See these sources for more information on reducing 

the risk of worker exposures to COVID-19:

CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers 

to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 

2019 (COVID-19) website: https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidancebusiness-response.html

NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic website:

www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/2019_ncov.html

CDC COVID-19 website:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/

OSHA COVID-19 website: www.osha.gov/SLTC/

covid-19/controlprevention.html

CDCINFO: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) |

TTY: 1-888-232-6348 | website: https://wwwn.cdc.

gov/dcs/ContactUs/Form