A trade union has chosen Gatwick to conduct one of the biggest surveys of workplace health and safety.

The GMB union will send out the first of 10,000 questionnaires next week, in an exercise it hopes will set new standards in the rapidly-expanding industry.

Survey co-ordinator Mark Betteridge said there was no hard evidence at present to support fears airport workers were subject to high levels of stress, or health problems caused by exposure to noise and aviation fuel.

He said: "I hope we really make some waves. I don't know of any workplace that is going to be as relevant to our community and economy in the next 50 to 100 years, where there is a clear lack of understanding around the issues of health and safety."

Terminal workers were experiencing increased stress as the rise of low-cost air travel led to a rapid increase in passenger numbers. Anxiety had grown because of the threat of terrorism and worries about diseases such as Sars.

Baggage handlers suffered health problems linked to lifting heavy weights, while there was concern among all airside workers about the health risk of long-term exposure to noise from jet engines and fumes from fuel.

Mr Betteridge said the objective was to create a stricter health and safety regime for workers and people living in towns and villages near the airport.

The survey's findings, expected towards the end of the year, could alter work practices at all Britain's major airports.

Gatwick is the sixth busiest airport in the world, with about 30,000 employees. It handles about 31 million passengers a year.

Crawley MP Laura Moffatt said: "I think there is an opportunity for the people who contribute to Gatwick to make it a safer place."

Brendon Sewill, who chairs the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, said thousands of people living nearby already suffered because of noise and pollution. Conditions inside the airport were bound to be worse.