Safe entry to freight containers

Entry to freight containers may be for security purposes; for customs and excise checks and to stuff/destuff the container. The two primary hazards are:

• Being struck by the doors where containers have been overfilled
• Exposure to hazardous substances, either due to fumigation products left inside or from leaking packages

Simple precautions to prevent being struck by doors:

• Fixing a short strop by means of karabiners to both doors.
• Use of a forklift or other heavy equipment to restrain the doors - anyone assisting the forklift operator must stand in a safe position while the forklift is being manoevered.

Fumigants are highly toxic. Cargoes most likely to have been fumigated include foodstuffs, leather goods, handicrafts, textiles, timber or cane furniture, luxury vehicles and cargo in timber cases or on timber pallets from China.

Containers transported under fumigation are required to be labelled and declared in accordance with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. However, absence of marking cannot be taken to mean fumigants are not present. Containers marked as having been ventilated after fumigation may also contain fumigant that was absorbed by the cargo and released during transit.

Any container suspected of containing fumigant should be:

• Carefully opened in the presence of a competent person, such as a pest officer trained in using fumigants
• Tested for the presence of fumigants
• Ventilated if necessary
• Competent person to remove any traces of fumigant
• Competent person to issue a ‘gas free’ certificate

More detailed guidance is available in the following ICHCA safety pamphlets:

• No. 3 The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code
• No. 7 Safe cleaning of containers
• No. 20 Unseen dangers in containers
• No. 21 Stow it right!

• United Kingdom P and I Club publication ‘Book it right, pack it tight’