North Carolina Airport Workers Push for Safety Improvements After Fatal Accident

CHARLOTTE, NC. – According to an online news report posted at sun-sentinel.com, workers at a North Carolina airport are pushing for safety improvements in their work environment after a fatal accident occurred this summer. The workers are asking for upgrades at the airport to help keep them safe.*

In August 2019, a 24-year-old man was tragically killed in an accident that happened during a shift at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The man was reportedly driving a luggage vehicle and came upon some luggage on the tarmac by Concourse E. He tied to turn to avoid hitting the luggage but ended up crashing the vehicle. The vehicle overturned and pinned him. 

Following this tragic accident, workers are asking for safety upgrades so that similar events do not happen. It is unclear if anything similar has happened before at the airport. The workers have requested the upgrades from the Charlotte City Council. The report from the South Florida Sun Sentinel did not indicate what specifically the workers want changed at the airport or whether the city council is expected to consider any proposals. 

However, the report does say that the vice president for Communications Workers of America Local 3645, Donielle Prophete, indicated that at least some of the improvements had to do with lighting at the airport. Prophete reportedly stated that Concourse E, in particular, has such inadequate lighting that workers call it “Death Valley.”

It appears from the report that a lighting analysis at the airport is already underway. Brent Cagle, Aviation Director for Charlotte, said that the analysis originally included Concourse C and Concourse D and would now also include some of Concourse E. 

No additional information about the workers’ initiative or safety issues at Charlotte Douglas International Airport was included in the report from the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 

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Source:https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sns-bc-nc--airport-worker-killed-20190924-story.html