Speaking at the Trans Middle East Conference in Doha, Qatar last month, Julien Horn, TT Club’s Middle East Regional Executive and Director of TTMS (Gulf), the Network Partner based in Dubai, lay particular emphasis on the role human error plays in creating damaging incidents at cargo handling terminals and other facilities.
According to TT Club’s analysis some 82 percent of accidents in the port and terminal sector can be attributed to human error. The club urges counter measures, particularly professional training and the installation of safety technology, to combat these risks.
TT Club’s research, covering more than 9,500 claims of a value in excess of $10,000 made over the last seven years, and totally over $425 million, provides compelling data that pinpoints the areas of concern. Of claims resulting from operational incidents for example, 20 percent involved lift-trucks, 18 percent quay cranes and another 18 percent yard cranes or straddle carriers. This analysis in itself can guide operators in where best to concentrate their risk planning. However it is on the root causes of accidents that TT Club urges attention to be made.
“The prime concern is one of culture,” declared Horn, “There must be a ‘safety first’ running through the work ethic of all terminal personnel throughout the Middle East, and indeed the world as whole.”
Through a detailed examination of it historical claims, TT Club has found numerous examples of a lacking in safety awareness among terminal personnel. This ranges from little understanding of areas in which lifting machinery operates and from straying into prohibited sectors in vehicles or on foot, to wrongly identified weights or cargoes in containers.
Preventative measures are numerous, and many are specific to the type and nature of the equipment operated in individual facilities. Such measures may include quay crane boom anti-collision devices and adequate crane braking systems, regular equipment maintenance regimes, fire prevention systems, adoption of best practice in packing and handling of cargo and appropriate processing of dangerous goods.
Horn returned to the human aspect, “We often hear descriptions of incidents as, ‘a freak accident’ or ‘just bad luck’. Inevitably, however, it is a preventable human action that is the cause of these ‘one in a million’ chance occurrences.”
He concluded, “Good, consistent and diligent training regimes are clearly a fundamental building block in eradicating incidents that can result in serious bodily injury and sadly, in some cases, death. But at the heart of a successful risk management policy is the attitude that safety is everyone’s responsibility.”