Six Essential Topics for Port Orientations

Port orientations are so important because of the uniquely challenging nature of the work. Workers are required to work with heavy equipment and machinery, as well as alongside a variety of people who may not speak the same language. Port work takes place under hazardous conditions, as workers are required to work throughout the day and night and in all types of weather. There are often pressures to load or unload a ship’s cargo quickly or to free up a wharf. Pressure also comes from visiting drivers who may want to quickly pick up or drop off their cargo. While these factors may make working in ports seem exciting to some, it is potentially a high-risk industry to work in and safety port orientations are crucial.

6 Topics to Cover During Port Orientations:

1. Transport: Accidents involving transport are one of the most common causes of injuries at ports. Workers can fall off vehicles, or be struck or crushed by them. One issue is that dock work involves various workers of different roles driving a variety of vehicles. This can cause confusion as many workers may not be familiar with the work environment.

Some of the common transport hazards present at ports are:

• Loading and unloading of vehicles
• Vehicle drivers without appropriate training and/or instruction
• Confusing or lack of signage
• Reversing vehicles on the deck of ships
• Vehicles are not properly maintained

You can reduce these risks by ensuring that signage is clearly marked and correct. Ensure all workers who are driving on the docks have the received the adequate training as part of their port orientations to operate their vehicles. It’s important that the docks are organized so that vehicles and pedestrians are clearly separated.

2)  Lifting Operations: A wide variety of equipment is used in lifting operations at ports. These could include heavy equipment like forklifts, trucks, and cranes. If these operations are done incorrectly there is a significant risk of injury to workers and anyone in the vicinity. Common causes of accidents include malfunctioning equipment, falling loads, and workers being crushed by a load or a piece of equipment.

Measures to reduce the risks of lifting operations hazards include:

• Only competent and properly trained workers who have gone through their port orientations should take part in lifting operations
• Ensure lifting equipment is properly maintained and has been inspected recently
• Ensure lifting equipment is adequate to lift the required load. Never exceed the load capacity!
• Avoid lifting operations over people’s heads in case there is a malfunction

3) Falls from Height: Many of the operations that take place at ports are done at height. This means that if something goes wrong the consequences could very likely be fatal. Factoring in the presence of water and the risk only increases. Falls from height can occur during the unloading and loading of cargo. The other main risk is when workers are crossing to and from vessels when a worker can easily fall from ladders, holds, hatches, and decks.

Measures to be included in your port orientations to reduce the risk of injury from falls from height include:

• Ensure all access points are protected with guardrails
• Conduct risk assessments for any work that has to be done at height and avoiding working at height when it is possible
• Use the right equipment and ensure all equipment is properly maintained
• There should be appropriate ship-to-shore access in place and workers made aware of these procedures

4) Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs): MSDs are injuries that affect the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments and tendons. Carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis are two common examples of MSDs. Workers involved in lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively are at particular risk. Port workers carry out a variety of activities which, when done incorrectly, can result in MSDs. It’s important to identify these issues quickly so corrective steps can be taken.

Potential MSD hazards that should be covered in port orientations include:

• Handling of twist locks and unlocking poles
• Repetitive tasks often found in warehouse activities
• Breaking out pre-packed or palleted loads
• Vibration transmitted through the seat or feet of employees who drive mobile machines

Measures to reduce the risk of port-related MSD injury include:

• Use mechanical aids when possible to reduce the burden on workers
• Provide safety training in your port orientations for all your workers on correct and ergonomic working practices
• Consider whether a load size can be reduced or changed to make it easier to handle

5) Slips and Trips: More than 25% of injuries at ports are due to slips and trips. Injuries can be serious, often resulting in broken bones and dislocations. Poor housekeeping, badly stowed ropes, cables and other equipment can cause clutter that leads to slips and trips. Wet or icy conditions also increase the risk of injury.

Measures to reduce the risk of slips and trips include:

• Have good housekeeping practices
• Ensure that all access and emergency routes are kept clear of any obstruction
• Workers should wear the appropriate footwear to guard against slipping
• Provide adequate lighting to ensure a safe working environment
• You need to have procedures in place for wet, icy, and oily conditions

6) Confined Spaces: The chambers of ships contain many confined spaces, including storage tanks, stairwells, and silos. A number of workers suffer fatalities every year as a result of being trapped in confined spaces. The main hazard of confined spaces is a lack of oxygen which can cause suffocation if an individual is trapped. Toxic or flammable gases can also build up within confined spaces presenting another hazard.

Measures to reduce the risk of injury include:

• Avoid work in a confined space, if possible
• Personal, portable gas detector monitors should be worn by workers in confined spaces
• Workers should only be in a confined space when the air is determined to be safe
• Rescue equipment should be provided in case of emergency

Port Orientations – Safety and Workers

The daily operations at seaports represent potentially dangerous worksites. In an industry where time equates to money, port management often forfeits safety protocols in favor of faster operations to improve profit margins. The result yielded work environments that placed workers at risk for occupational injury and in extreme cases, death. Although worker safety has always been a lesser priority, port authorities and governmental agencies reactively have created safety programmes in response to maritime tragedies—one such program is the mandatory new worker port orientations and safety training.