FAA grants workplace safety rules to flight attendants

{mosads}“Safety is our number one priority – for both the traveling public and the dedicated men and women who work in the transportation industry,” Foxx said in a statement. “It’s important that cabin crewmembers on our nation’s airlines benefit from OSHA protections, including information about potential on-the-job hazards and other measures to keep them healthy and safe.”

The OSHA rules will regulate the amount of noise and chemicals that flight attendants are exposed to.

The development of OSHA safety standards for flight crews was part of the $63 billion funding bill for the agency that was passed by lawmakers at the beginning of 2012. The bill, which was dubbed the “the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,” included a host of changes Congress instructed the FAA to make in exchange for its budget appropriation.

The changes were cheered on Thursday by unions who represent flight attendants.

“AFA flight attendants have been forceful advocates for OSHA protections. We appreciate the efforts of FAA and OSHA to bring workplace safety and health standards into the cabin,” Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Veda Shook said in a statement. “This change will improve the working conditions of tens of thousands of flight attendants while benefiting the millions of passengers who travel on commercial flights every day.”