Study looks at ways to boost dockworker safety

Workers in the global container port industry would be less vulnerable to injuries and long-term health problems if their employers followed a new set of safety recommendations, British researchers say. In a study aimed at improving the health, safety, and welfare of workers at container terminals, researchers identified continuing dangers, causes for concern, and flaws in the behavioral management systems commonly employed by port operators. They also offered recommendations for improvement.

Carried out by Cardiff University in Wales, the study was commissioned by the U.K.'s Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). Six major ports and network terminal operators offered workplace access to the analysts, who "anonymized" the data and drew up suggestions for safety improvements.

Though the report acknowledged the ongoing health and safety progress made by port operators, it also identified seven areas of concern. They include:

• A need for more accurate reporting of workplace injuries, since researchers found that dockworkers report higher levels of workplace harm than their employers do
• Lack of provision for the gender-specific needs of female workers
• A need for workers to get involved as partners in health and safety management, instead of just following rules
• A focus on immediate safety risks at the expense of long-term health effects
• A need to re-examine contracting practices, as subcontracted workers face higher health and safety risks than regular employees do
• High productivity targets that push workers to take short cuts instead of prioritizing welfare.

"The simple fact is that you can't put a price on dockworkers' lives," said ITF president Paddy Crumlin in a press release. "This major collaborative research project points the way to what can be a safer future for container port workers. We invite all companies to walk that route together."

A full version of the report, "Experiences of arrangements for health, safety and welfare in the global container terminal industry," is available online.