in may harm their lives, bodies and may be hazardous to their health.”
b. Respondents’ defense
a) Do dress codes affect cabin crew’s emergency response
capabilities?
The respondent responded by stating that there are no domestic or
international regulations prohibiting the wearing of skirts, and that there
has been no literature suggesting that skirts pose safety risks during
evacuations compared to trousers. Concerning the issue of exposure when
wearing skirts, this is not unique to the aviation industry; it occurs in other
settings such as subway cars with face-to-face seating designs. As for
escape training courses, cabin crew wear flat shoes and trousers because
the training involves going over the same actions repeatedly. Although
training in dresses and high heels is also possible, training costs would
increase due to uniform wear and tear.
b) Do dress codes increase safety and health risks for cabin crew?
The respondent believes that falls may be related to individual
inattentiveness, arguing that “injuries can occur in both skirts and trousers”
and that “when wearing dresses, cabin crew tend to be more cautious about
their walking speed and the distance of their steps.” Regarding heel heights,
the respondent indicated that they have already been adjusted, and that
“crew members who develop health issues such as plantar fasciitis that
makes it uncomfortable to wear high heels can request permission from the
management department to wear flat shoes; such requests are always
granted.” With respect to stockings, the respondent replied by saying that
stockings do not affect escape. For example, current emergency
instructions to passengers require that they remove high heels only, not
stockings.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications commented that
the International Civil Aviation Organization’s regulations do not provide
specific recommendations regarding the fabrics used in cabin crew’
uniforms. Many high-risk situations on board can lead to clothes melting
and causing skin burns in the event of high temperatures, not just stockings.
The focus should be on the material itself, with the cabin crew having the
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