Managing health and safety at ports

Port work often involves a number of different employers and/or contractors who can all affect each other’s activities. These may include harbour authorities, port operators, stevedoring firms, hauliers, ship’s masters and crew. Companies need to have strong and effective health and safety systems in place. These should ensure co-operation, co-ordination and communication between all employers and their workers.

Some key questions to ask regarding your management of health and safety are:

• Have hazards and risks from facilities, plant and work activities been identified?
• Has enough information on risks from the activities of others who share the site been collected?
• Are adequate measures to control risks in place?
• Has a competent person been appointed to provide health and safety assistance ?
• Does everyone likely to be affected by identified hazards know about and understand their potential for harm?
• When working with others is it clear who is responsible for controlling the risks? Is it defined in contracts?
• Is there good communication with neighbouring organisations?
• Has everyone in the work area had adequate induction training?
• Have you provided employees with information they can understand ? This will include workers for whom English is not their first language.
• Has everyone been properly trained and been assessed as competent?
• Is all work properly planned?
• Are checks made to make sure workplace precautions do really control the risk? Is the workforce following them?
• Are health and safety arrangements regularly reviewed?
• Is management at all levels clear about their areas of responsibility for health and safety? Are they made accountable for them?
• Have safety reps/employee representatives been consulted?
• Are health and safety goals set each year?

Further guidance

• Ports resources - Publications and guidance