What are the risks?

The biggest risks to people working in stevedoring include:

• being struck by equipment (e.g. forklifts, vehicles and other powered mobile plant) or cargo (e.g. containers or steel)
• musculoskeletal injuries resulting from handling of cargo and cargo securing equipment
• falls from height
• slips and trips
• stress
• noise
• environmental hazards (heat, cold)
• fatigue
• exposure to chemicals

Often a lack of communication and consultation, together with ad hoc or unstructured inspection, induction, training and supervision regimes, exacerbates these problems.

WorkSafe is working with the representatives from the stevedoring industry to identify the hazards and provide a range of solutions to assist in managing the risks.