Guidelines for safe transport and storage of goods on the waterfront

Safe Work Australia recently released three guidance publications to help improve materials handling safety in the transport and storage industries in stevedoring applications on the waterfront. The material aims to reduce the incidence of fatalities and injuries in this type of workplace by addressing environmental, physical, mechanical and psychosocial risks associated with stevedoring operations.

The series of booklets: ‘Working safely on the waterfront’, ‘Working safely with general cargo - steel products’ and ‘Working safely with containers’ were launched late November by Safe Work Australia in an endeavour to improve safety in the transport and storage industries. The booklets have been developed in consultation with a range of key stakeholders including state and territory OHS regulators, unions, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the stevedoring industry. They are intended to be used as reference tools for employers and employees in these industries, including shipping agents and stevedoring companies.

The chair of Safe Work Australia, Tom Phillips AM, said that the booklets were written with the aim of offering a national approach to improving safety in the Australian stevedoring industry by providing guidance on the best OHS practice for the industry, adding: “The emphasis is on demonstrating that the highest possible level of health and safety protection has been achieved.

“The majority of serious injuries and fatalities in stevedoring occur because the work environment is constantly changing and is often unpredictable. By providing clear and concise OHS information in an easy-to-read format, the industry now has a resource that can help employers and employees gain a better knowledge and understanding of workplace safety.”

The transport and storage industry is listed as a priority industry under the National OHS Strategy 2002-2012. There were 45 fatalities in the industry in 2006-07 and an average of around 11,000 serious injury claims each year.

The booklets are based on materials originally developed by WorkSafe Victoria, which have been adapted for use nationally.

To help users quickly comprehend the information, the guidebooks utilise comparative charts that summarise identified hazards and assessment of risks of particular stevedoring work practices. A ‘green, amber and red-coloured’ format helps identify high-risk practices so employers can implement safer work practices. The rationale is simple: to reduce injury rates and compensation claims, high-risk situations must be addressed.

For the companies whose work practices fall into the red, the high-risk areas identified are likely to be in breach of legislation. However, what is more significant is that they are likely to place the health and safety of their employees in jeopardy. If high-risk practices are used in the workplace, duty holders should immediately determine whether it is possible to implement the practices in the green, low-risk column straight away. If that is not practicable, the comparable practices in the amber, medium-risk column should be put in place immediately. It should be understood, however, that generally, these medium-risk practices only provide an interim solution. In most instances, the green low-risk solutions reflect good practice.

The risk controls in the green are not exhaustive and if duty holders can demonstrate that the appropriate risk assessment process has been undertaken and can verify that the ‘reasonably practicable’ test has been applied to the controls to be implemented, then control measures falling within the amber range may well be the only practicable solution given the circumstances.

Often a range of controls may be required to achieve the best solution. For instance, in stevedoring the environment is constantly changing, and it may be impossible to implement just one control measure to address all of the possible circumstances that may arise during the course of the work. While the green may be the optimum solution, in effect, a range of controls supported by an appropriate OHS management system (eg, planning procedures, training and supervision) may be necessary to give effect to the best and safest way to undertake the work.

The stakeholders involved in the development of the waterfront safety handbooks agreed that container terminal operations pose significant risks to worker health and safety. It was agreed that containers would be one of the first areas to be addressed given the number of fatalities and serious injuries that have occurred in this area of stevedoring.

The SafeWork Australia documents can be downloaded from www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/swa/AboutUs/Publications/NationalStandards/NationalStevedoringGuidanceMaterial.htm, while the WorkSafe Victoria documents can be downloaded from www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe/Home/Forms+and+Publications/Publications/Working+safely+with+containers.

‘Working safely on the waterfront’

This guidebook makes a number of recommendations that are based on general OHS practices and have been adapted to the waterfront environment. The topics covered include consultation with employees, representation of employees through health and safety representatives (HSRs), induction and training (particularly important in stevedoring where the workforce may change frequently, and/or may be employed for short periods or intermittently), supervision, vessel/work environment inspections, traffic management, prevention of falls and fatigue.

Fatigue is particularly important because Australian industries have faced increasing pressure to become more competitive in recent years, resulting in the introduction of new technologies and significant changes to the labour market. These changes have led to an increase in the need for continuous or more flexible business operations, which have in turn increased the number of employees engaged in shiftwork, working irregular and/or longer hours.

‘Working safely with containers’

The handbook focuses on the handling of containers at terminal operations and provides a range of options to address identified risks showing ‘what compliance could look like’ for the range of issues that have been identified by WorkSafe together with stakeholders.

A vessel/work environment checklist specific to container discharge and loading activities is included in the handbook. It is suggested that this checklist be used to supplement the general vessel/work environment checklist contained in the handbook. The comparative charts provide detailed information on ‘what compliance could look like’ to supplement the checklists.

Safety topics in this guide include:

• Environment
  • Vessel type, condition and equipment;
  • Cargo presentation;
  • Weather conditions;
  • Lighting;
  • Noise;
  • Traffic management;
  • Housekeeping;
  • Access and egress;
  • Suspended loads;
  • Work at height;
  • Contaminated or oxygen-deficient atmosphere; and
  • Stowage techniques and procedures.
• Communication
  • Emergency procedures.
• Equipment
  • Lifting appliances;
  • Loose gear for lifting of product (jigs, hooks, slings, chains, specialised handling systems etc); and
  • Loose gear for storage, stowage or securing of product.
• Personnel
  • Fatigue;
  • Induction and training;
  • Supervision; and
  • Contractors.

‘Working safely with general cargo - steel products’

The stakeholders involved in the development of this handbook agreed that activities involved in discharging and loading general cargo pose significant risks to worker health and safety. It was agreed that steel products would be one of the first areas to be addressed, given the number of fatalities and serious injuries that have occurred in this area of stevedoring.

This handbook has its focus specifically on handling steel products and provides a range of options to address identified risks - showing ‘what compliance could look like’ for the range of issues that have been identified by WorkSafe together with other stakeholders. A vessel/work environment checklist specific to steel discharge and loading activities is included. This checklist should be used to supplement the general vessel/work environment checklist contained in the Working safely on the waterfront handbook.