Port Safety

Stevedoring workers continue to suffer injury and death around the world's ports

Death on the wharves

SANTOS, BRAZIL July 08: The death of a fourth worker at the Brazilian port of Santos this year has caused an uproar over safety and brought union calls for tighter safety standards, Lloyds List reports.

Carlos Silveira, 57, was crushed to death when helping to load steel plates into the hold of a vessel. Steel fell off a forklift onto Carlos.

Patrick Casualty

BRISBANE 14.5.08: Waterside worker Danny Chapman was hospitalised with multiple fractures to his right ankle and foot when a steel pipe was being discharged at Patrick Bulk and General at 5am without the aid of pipe racks.

Only bearers and 44-gallon drums filled with concrete were used for the lift. MUA Deputy Branch Secretary Trevor Munday reports the drums toppled and the pipe rolled on Danny's legs.

"Members have been requesting pipe racks for some time," said Trevor Munday. "But it appears the funds allocated for the procurement of pipe racks have been spent on private investigators."

Trevor Munday met with national and Brisbane safety managers and four of our members who were on shift, after the accident.

"They were scathing of management for not having pipe racks and for the reactive nature that is applied to safety in Brisbane," he said. "Delegate Brett Membrey made the point in no uncertain manner that the way the company deals with safety is akin to putting scrambled eggs back in a shell."

The union also again raised concerns about the lack of training and skills enhancement at the site.

"From our perspective, the most important issue relayed at the meeting is how hesitant the company seems to be to engage with our members in relation to stevedoring methods. We have members with nearly three decades of experience in general stevedoring and their views are rarely, if ever sought."

Patrick is asking MUA members to participate in the design and manufacture of new pipe racks. A hazard report and recommendation was completed on January 20 this year for the procurement of pipe racks to reduce risks associated with steel discharge. The Cape Conway was the first vessel of the recently acquired AAL contract to be stevedored in Brisbane.

Crane operator injured

KARACHI, Pakistan 4/7/08: A crane operator

has been critically injured and disabled at

Karachi Port.

Workers at the port said Sher Zada, 44, received severe injuries to his neck when an outdated ship's crane on the MV Hearty Falcon carrying an oversize and overloaded gripper broke and fell.

The dockers are demanding the ship owner pay compensation to Sher Zada and his 10 dependents and called on the government to stop the ship sailing until there is a full inquiry.

Meanwhile S.M Ejaz, General Secretary Karachi Harbour & Dock Workers Union (KHDWU) said the International Transport Workers' Federation would tackle the vessel at its next port of call.

The MV Hearty Falcon, built in 1982, had brought some 38,666 tonnes of coal from Indonesia. Its equipment was not properly functioning, according to the workers.

Crane collapse

VIETNAM, 16/7/08: Seven people died at the port of Cai Lan in the north of Vietnam when a crane on which they were working collapsed, according to the state-run media, Lloyds List reports.

Two workers were killed instantly while five more died later as a result of injuries, the Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) newspaper said, quoting a senior army officer as the source.

The tragedy follows an incident at APM Terminal's facility in Apapa, Nigeria on July 12, which saw a boom fall onto a boxship chartered by APM's parent company Maersk. No one was hurt in this incident.