Common Hazards in Docks

Environmental Conditions

• Weather: cold or wet weather can reduce concentration and make manual tasks more difficult.
• Tidal movements can have an effect on the safety of access to ships and increase risk of collision between dockside equipment and the vessel.

Falls From Height

Accidents can occur when:

• Carrying out trimming, sheeting, container lashing operations, securing loads, accessing the hold and working on board the ship.
• Mounting and dismounting from vehicles.
• Working around unfenced dock edges.
• Accessing the ship - risk of falling into water and subsequent drowning.

Fatigue

• Can affect health, safety and work performance. Can increase the risk of accidents through poor perception or physical exhaustion.

Hazardous Substances

Exposure to:

• Dusty cargoes or respiratory sensitisers during loading or unloading of solid bulk cargoes.
• Flammable, toxic, poisonous or corrosive cargoes.
• Fumigated cargoes such as grain.
• Gases due to decomposition or bacterial action of some solid bulk cargoes in the hold, for example, wet fish, fishmeal and bark.
• Vehicle exhaust emissions

Lifting Operations

Accidents can occur:

• Whilst carrying out loading and unloading operations and stacking and stowing goods there is a risk of falling objects. Items may be loose, incorrectly or poorly slung or stacked or fittings and fixtures used during lashing operations may be dropped. Loads or objects may collapse or fall having become unstable during transport or having been poorly loaded.

Mooring

• On board ship, there is a risk of getting caught in ropes or winches.
• On the dock/jetty, there are manual handling risks due to heavy, awkward or wet ropes and risk of lash back if the rope breaks.

Slips, Trips and Falls

• Wet or icy surfaces.
• Poor housekeeping.
• Badly stowed ropes, cables, lashing gear.
• Inadequate lighting.

Manual Handling / Poor Ergonomics

• Operating container cranes, straddle carriers, tug masters and so on.
• Lifting, carrying and manoeuvring loads, lifting gear and attachments.

Workplace Transport

• Risk of being run over, crushed or falling from a vehicle due to operations involving terminal tractors, straddle carriers, lift trucks, side loaders, cranes or roll-on roll-off traffic.