Whilst advances in technology, such as automation, are helping to reduce the risk of accidents, there have still been 354 shoreside fatalities globally since 2000.
At the recent ‘How to Innovate for Workplace Safety in Ports and Terminals’ webinar, industry figures discussed key issues and agreed that technological advances must be accompanied by buy-in from port users if they are to help keep workers safe.
“The key thing that industry can do is to agree common good practice and then act as champions, role modelling those good values and creating expectation of standards across the industry,” said ICHCA chief executive, Richard Steele.
Rombit’s chief executive Evert Bulcke explained that technology in a driver’s cab can result in a significant decline in accidents, even by as much as 80%, but that continually revisiting training is critical.
Bulcke pointed out that maintenance, energy and repair costs were reduced by around US$5,000 per vehicle per year from such innovations as the real time digital coach, while the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that around 70% of all lift and crane accidents could be prevented through training and the use of digital tools.
Steve Biggs, a senior assistant for the International Transport Workers’ Federation also emphasised the importance of making sure that changes to work practices were agreed with staff, a sentiment echoed by DP World Southampton health and safety manager, Lee James, who said staff needed to understand why changes were necessary in order to overcome possible resistance.
“You hear people say if it’s not broken why fix it, but in my opinion, you have to ask why wait until something breaks before you fix it?” he said.
