22/11/2016
ITF port experts work to improve ILO safety code
The ITF and its dockers’ unions have been putting their
proposals for safe working environments for dockworkers to the ILO
(International Labour Organization).
The workers’ group was
participating in a meeting of experts in Geneva to adopt a revised ILO code of
practice on safety and health in ports.
The workers’ group is
hoping to improve the code of practice
in relation to safety committees, personal protective equipment, first aid
coverage, amenities, protection from nefarious substances, considerations for
an increased female workforce and establishment of a workplace harassment
policy.
It also wants to introduce new language for safe lashing
of containers.
In its opening statement
to the ILO on 21November the group’s spokesperson, Albert Le Monnier, said: “The
port industry is undergoing significant changes. New technology, the growth
of shipping alliances, overcapacity in many regions plus a volatile global
economy are exerting downward pressure on working terms and conditions. Demands for unsustainable levels of
productivity and cost cutting are a lethal combination for dockworkers,
literally.
“Our deliberations take
place within this context, and what we decide will have a significant impact on
the lives of men and women who work in ports around the world. Their health and
safety is our collective responsibility as governments, employers and unions.”
He added that it was
“paramount” for the ILO to participate in discussions at the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) to amend SOLAS (International Convention for the
Safety of Life at Sea) and its accompanying guidelines, which aim to establish
criteria for the installation, inspection, examination, testing and maintenance
of lifting appliances.
The review of the ILO code is a priority for the
occupational health and safety programme of the ITF dockers’ section.
Other important
initiatives include the publication in September of independent, landmark
research commissioned by the ITF and the Institution of Occupational Safety and
Health on the health, safety and welfare of workers in the global container
port industry.
The study identifies
continuing dangers, causes for concern, and flaws in the behavioural management
systems commonly employed by operators; and offers clear pointers to
improvement.
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