Phoenix airport workers' OSHA complaint alleges extreme-heat safety issues

Michael Salerno, Arizona Republic
Updated ·4 min read

Corrections & Clarifications: ​​An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed a statement on the Sky Harbor Airport workers' OSHA complaint. The statement should be attributed to the Service Employees International Union.

Airport workers filed an occupational safety complaint against a contractor at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, alleging health and safety violations related to this summer's extreme heat.

In the complaint filed Aug. 24 with the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the workers stated that Prospect Airport Services, a contractor at Sky Harbor Airport, failed to provide them protections from extreme heat as Phoenix experienced record-breaking temperatures this summer.

The workers allege violations of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations through the contractor's actions, which they say included failing to provide shade, water and adequate medical care for injured workers.

Four Phoenix Prospect workers signed the complaint. They designated the Service Employees International Union as their representative for the purpose of filing the complaint, though the complaint also stated Sky Harbor's Prospect workers are not in a union.

The Service Employees International Union told The Arizona Republic in an emailed statement that the workers' complaint "comes as airport service workers nationwide continue to fight to hold major airlines and their contractors accountable, as flight cancellations, lost luggage and broader travel chaos plague U.S. air travel."

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What's in the Phoenix airport workers' OSHA complaint?

The workers allege at least three violations of OSHA regulations and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, concerning workplace safety, offering potable water and ensuring availability of medical care and first aid.

The complaint documented these incidents:

  • Workers experienced heat exhaustion from working in extremely hot temperatures. Linda Ressler, a cabin cleaner with Prospect, stated in the complaint that she experienced "nearly every symptom of heat exhaustion ... extreme fatigue, weakness, headaches, vomiting, muscle cramps, loss of coordination and nausea." She said she was recently hospitalized for heat exhaustion.

  • Many Prospect employees work on or in jet bridges, aircraft cabins or transport vans, areas that are "consistently exposed" to direct sunlight and radiant heat from the tarmac, creating conditions that can cause serious injury or death. One employee who worked on the tarmac said the only available shade was under the jet bridge, yet sometimes it would not be extended enough to provide adequate shade.

  • Workers described how they struggled to get Prospect management to provide scheduled breaks. Airport workers depend on break rooms for rest breaks, but they say in the complaint that the rooms at Sky Harbor are "hot, crowded and difficult to access." Prospect does not allow workers to sit down in parts of the airport facing the public.

Workers said Prospect restricts them from carrying water in certain locations and on certain assignments. One worker discussed this in a New York Times article about how extreme heat was affecting people who work outside. In response to concerns the article raised, Sky Harbor posted on X, formerly Twitter: "We work closely with our airport vendors and stakeholders to ensure their employees have access to water and receive proper information about staying hydrated."

However, workers said the water Prospect makes available through public water fountains in a break room on the fifth floor of Terminal 3 is not cold, and the fountains are often dirty and leaky. No cups are available, and workers must bring their own containers. Workers said that going to the break room to get water takes them away from work duties for at least five minutes.

The workers also allege that Prospect did not facilitate treatment for all heat-related illnesses.

Ressler, the cabin cleaner, said she told her supervisor — whose name is redacted in the complaint — the last time she experienced fatigue from extreme heat on the job. She said the supervisor told her she could go home or they would call an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She declined the ambulance because she could not afford to pay for it.

Workers said there was little to no training on how to respond to heat illnesses. Cecilia Ortiz, a passenger service assistant, described attending a mandatory safety fair in August that included training on cleaning blood-borne pathogens and responding to an active shooter.

"At no point throughout the safety fair was there a presentation on the risks of heat or managing heat-related illness," Ortiz said in the complaint.

What did the contractor say about the OSHA heat complaint?

A phone call and email from The Arizona Republic to Prospect Airport Services' headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois, were not immediately returned.

This article will be updated if a response is provided.

What did Phoenix airport officials say about the complaint?

Sky Harbor declined comment and deferred questions to Prospect Airport Services. A spokesperson for the airport did say the airport takes several measures to protect employees during extreme heat:

  • Airport officials encourage employees to stay hydrated, postpone noncritical outdoor work, schedule time-sensitive outdoor work at night and ask employees to take frequent breaks.

  • It provides information and resources via its safety team. Sky Harbor said it usually begins this outreach in March because Phoenix can experience temperatures in the 100s as early as April.

  • The airport offers free water refill stations on both sides of security so people can stay hydrated.

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Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix airport workers cite extreme-heat violations in OSHA complaint