Originally Posted by LessO2
You're kidding, right? What function would those items do?
Assuming you're not kidding, what would the criteria be? Most number of retaliatory secondaries? Fewest number of prohibited items missed? Number of bags searched?
Talk about "not kidding." There's a thing called employee morale. May be foreign to you, but it actually helps improves the work place if done correctly. Nothing wrong with recognizing good employees, and it's money well-spent. I'm curious if you would have the same smart-... comments if "tsa" weren't part of tsadude's handle or if you're just taking pot-shots because you know he's a TSA employee.
Originally Posted by LessO2
The TSA is long overdue to set requirements on physical fitness. There are plenty of out of shape and people who do not (or cannot) lift the bags off or onto the CTX machine (as seen at IAD int'l connections, at SMF where the machine is in front of the ticket counters and DTW where they are right behind the UA ticket counter).
I'm sure there are some physically fit people who get injured, but having seen what I've seen, I would imagine physical fitness standards would greatly reduce the number of OTJ injuries.
Good point on the one hand, but missing the boat on the other. There's more to it than just setting a physical fitness standard and demanding that employees maintain it. Biggest contributor to employee injury is the poor ergonomics of the machines we use. Repeatively ifting heavy bags from the floor and loading them on the the CTX ramp and then removing them on the output ramp from a 12 inch high platform and either moving that bag to a CTX table approximately 36 inches off the floor or to an airline baggage conveyor belt system with platforms usually about 12 inches off the floor is not good for the back. Involves a lot of twisting of the torso and places a lot of strain on the shoulders, wrists and elbows. TSA spent money on the first CTX models because they were the first ones available. Not much thought went into the ergonomic design.
Yes, while true that a lot of employees don't follow the basic mechanics for heavy lifting, ergonomics still has a lot to do with it. Then you have some of the dumb decisions management makes from time to time which also exacerbates the situation. Our front office mandated that CTX chairs be removed and employees stand at the CTX X-ray machine. This is a major violation of OSHA standards because the machine was designed for the X-ray operator to sit in front of the screens. Standing in front of it causes the operator to stoop down to look at the screen or manipulate the buttons; yet another ergonomically-related injury that will affect screeners in the long run. (I've ignored this idiotic mandate, btw. Don't know yet if there will be any repercussions as a result. Don't care if there is.)
I'm an avid weightlifter and consider myself to be in excellent shape. Yet I've also suffered injury, primarily at baggage, a couple of times. TSA needs to analyze why screeners are often injured on the job. I'm willing to bet that poor ergonomics has a great deal to do with it. By working from the neck up, TSA can help reduce screener injuries and the workman's compensation expenses that it requires to take care of those injured screeners. I think I heard somewhere that TSA screeners are among the highest, if not THE highest, frequencies of on-the-job injuries in the federal government.