Health & Safety


“Any injury in our industry must be avoided, and serious injury and death is unacceptable. All accidents and industrial diseases are preventable with the right safety culture, the right management approach to safety, the right workforce approach to safety and the right tools in the hands of employers and the workforce.”
Paddy Crumlin, ITF President and Chair of the Dockers’ Section




The Health and safety of dockers and other port workers can potentially be compromised when employers seek to reduce costs or privatise their operations; ITF unions will fight to stop this happening. The health and safety of men and women port workers can be threatened when casual or untrained labour don’t follow health and safety best practice, also when they work for long hours or without adequate breaks, dealing with increased workloads as employers seek to do more work with less people. Inadequate or unsuitable safety equipment, clothing or procedures is also a danger. Training for all port workers is essential and the ITF is campaigning to win acceptable training standards in ports around the world to ensure the highest standards of health and safety possible are guaranteed.

The International Cargo Handling and Coordination Association says that “31 and 40 percent of all injuries at container port facilities occur aboard ships during lashing operations.” The ITF has influenced health and safety codes at an international level – read on to learn how.

Comments