20120415007139I

After a 40 minute delay that night because of ramp closures due to thunderstorms and lightning, ual 1280 began a single-engine taxi using the bravo south line towards and holding short of taxiway alpha. The crew switching over to ground and anticipating a taxi clearance, started-up the left engine. As the captain was bringing-up the power for taxi, he felt a "little bump". The flight crew attributed this to the weather which at the time was gusty high winds and rain that was shaking the aircraft. They only rolled forward a few feet when the cabin crew called and told them that passengers witnessed a baggage cart hit the left side of the aircraft. The captain immediately stopped the aircraft then saw "two rampers" approaching the left side of the aircraft, one showing a stop signal. When the captain saw them approaching the left engine area he immediately shut the left engine down. Ramp personnel removed the baggage cart from the area in front of the left engine nacelle and towed it away. The captain shut the aircraft down and not knowing the extent of any damage, requested to be towed back to the gate. The aircraft was taken out of service because of damage to the forward left fuselage and left engine nacelle. The cart belonged to delta airlines which was blown from an area near E-12 and E-14 towards the bravo south line where it contacted ual 1280. This office contacted delta station management with safety concerns about ramp personnel that were so concerned about removing a cart; they may have momentarily forgotten the major hazard of a running jet engine. Delta station management held a departmental briefing for all 120 below wing workers and reviewed safety procedures concerning "blast and suction hazards".posted in the delta operations/staging area for below wing workers are written procedures for securing ground equipment during specific weather conditions.