HSC Chair welcomes Safer Ports initiative

HSC Press Release C043:02 - 17 September 2002

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), has today welcomed new proposals from the port industry to improve occupational health and launched new guidance on managing health and safety in dockwork.

Speaking at the launch of the Safer Ports Initiative, Mr Callaghan said:

"This initiative demonstrates the industry's high-level commitment to drive down accidents and ill health. The commitment is there. The challenge is to implement."

Mr Callaghan emphasised the commitment of the HSC and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to a partnership approach with industry. He said:

"The development and maintenance of partnerships is the key: partnership between the industry and ourselves, partnership between players in the industry, including partnership between employers and the workforce and their trade union representatives, and partnership between those who work in each individual port."

Continuing with his theme and to emphasise a joined-up approach between the two main regulators in ports, he added:

"We are working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to help ports address the high number of accidents and injuries onboard ships during dock operations."

As part of the HSC's contribution to the partnership with industry, Mr Callaghan also announced new HSE guidance aimed at reducing accidents in docks. Every year many workers are injured or even killed in docks, while others suffer ill health such as back injuries or other musculoskeletal disorders. Managing health and safety in dockwork follows on from the HSE's Safety in Docks by providing additional guidance on the management responsibilities of the many employers and contractors in the industry.

Mr Callaghan said:

"This guidance will assist in the development of robust and effective health and safety management systems, resulting in co-operation, co-ordination and communication between all employers and contractors. These are essential where so many employers and workers depend on one another for their health and safety.

"This document will be an invaluable tool to clarify where responsibilities lie and to promote communication and co-operation between the workforce, the trade unions and other interested parties."

The Safer Ports Initiative was launched in London by Ports Skills and Safety Ltd (PSS) whose Chairman Mike Fell, OBE, set out the industry's plans to improve health and safety in ports. Other speakers at the launch were the Minister for Shipping, David Jamieson MP, and Maurice Storey, Chief Executive of the MCA.

Mr Storey echoed the commitment to partnership. He said:

"By their nature, ships can present a hazardous working environment. We are aware that a significant proportion of the accidents to dockworkers occur onboard ships. With this in mind, we are looking to develop a much closer working relationship with HSE and believe that together we can contribute significantly to the goal of improving safety in ports."

Copies of Managing health and safety in dockwork (HSG177), ISBN 0 7176 2020 4, price £9.50, are available from HSE Books.

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