Creating a Safe Work Environment

8/3/2019 Creating a Safe Work Environment

1/4

CREATING A SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT

BY

ENGR. TAMUNOKUBIE FIBERESIMA, ([email protected]; +2348056028313)

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER (MARINE),

NATIONAL INLAND WATERWAYS AUTHORITY,

PMB 100, LOKOJA, NIGERIA

1. INTRODUCTIONImproving Ports performance and development requires the following factors,

among others:

i.

Efficient and effective ports-community relationship;ii. Port efficiency and productivity;iii. Increase cargo volume;iv. Creating infrastructure;v. Adequate funding;

vi. Appropriate training and re-training;vii. Right workers motivation;

viii. And creating safe work environment.Port is a place on a waterway with facilities for loading and offloading cargo in ships.

These functions or services require adequate and functional port facilities/equipment,

appropriate methods of work and human interface. This facilities/equipment required

is determined by the types of port; though, there is basic facilities/equipment, among

others:

i. Cargo handling equipment and fork lift for use in loading and offloadingships cargo;

ii. Canneries or other processing facilitiesiii. Canals that allow ships further movement inland;iv. Docking facilities;v. Harbour pilots and tugboats that manoeuvre large ships in tight quarters when

near dock;vi. And custom facilities for international traffic.

It is vital, internally, to have man-machine system functioning to fulfil certain defined

objectives; equally, externally, a smooth functioning interface between man and the

environment. Then safe work is efficient work.


2/4

2. WHY SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENTOne of the most important responsibilities of ports authorities management is

safety and health. This objective enhances safe working environment in ports,

guarantying safety operations:

i. Ports managers recognise their responsibilities, including legal responsibilitiesand authority in relation to the prevention of accident and health hazards;

ii. Manage safety and health hazards competently within the ports complex;iii. Prevent accident and health hazards through careful attentions to work

environment, the tools and equipment, and the methods of work;

iv. Carry out planned safety inspection and (sometimes) unplanned;v. Carry out accident investigation;

vi. And carry out risk control/assessment.Therefore, safe work environment will yield the following, among others:

i.

Reduce rate of minor injury, major injury and death;ii. Reduce production losses;iii. Reduce employee replacement costs;iv. Reduce insurance costs;v. Improve customer and community relations;

vi. Reduce direct injury costs;vii. Reduce potential fine arising from prosecution;

viii. Improve employee moraleix. Effective and efficient use of supervisor time;x. Reduce temporary or permanent loss of skills;

xi. Reduce temporary or permanent loss of activity;xii. Reduce disruption in family life;

xiii. Reduce pain and suffering; andxiv. Reduce loss of earnings.

3. SAFETY PHILOSOPHY:Safety is everybody business be considered as overview of safety philosophy in the

ports.

Having safe working environment has not been overlooked considering the far-

reaching and well-cut international safety regulations and rules in the form of

conventions and protocols and maritime nations domesticated laws. These

regulations expressly spelt-out duties for employer and employee, among others:

a. For employer:y Provide safe work place;y Providing safe machine, equipment, appliances and materials for

work;

y Provide safe system of work method;


3/4

y Provide adequate training for all employees; andy instruct them as to the danger arising from their work

b. For employee:y Take reasonable care of the health and safety of himself and others;y Not to wilfully damage or misuse any means, machine, appliance,

device, or anything provided for securing health, safety and welfare of

employee.

4. THE WAY FORWARD:i. Knowing the root causes of accidents, unsafe conditions , unsafe acts and

combination of both;

ii. Identification of hazards and determination of risk associate with identifiedhazards;

iii. Accident prevention:y

Determination and elimination of potential/actual causes of accidentby observation technique and carefully analysizing the work practices

for unsafe components; and instructing employee in the correct

manner of accomplishing task, not overlooking unsafe act even

though minor;

y Keeping appropriate records;y Eliminating unsafe practices by establishing the appropriate job

specification before recruiting by providing job training; and by

establishing the right motivational incentive.

iv. If an accident occur, then the following steps be religiously observed:y Listing all unsafe conditions contributing to the accident;y Listing the reasons for unsafe conditions;y Listing all unsafe acts contributing to the accident;y Listing all the reason for the unsafe acts

v. Safety inspections/audits:y Periodic safety inspections is necessary to timely arrest the inevitable

unsafe conditions that could be developing; this may be achieved by

employing first-line supervisor to identify and correct unsafe

condition or acts; and the genuine concern of ports authorities

management for safety is to carry out regular safety inspection;y Spelling-out the appropriate types of safety inspection;y Unplanned safety inspection/audit is necessary to timely arrest or

prevent unsafe conditions from developing into accidents; and

y Planned safety inspection.vi. Procedure for carrying out planned safety inspection:


4/4

y Standards, regulations or ports policies governing the activities,equipment and facilities;

y Prior accident statistics;y Inspection checklist;y Guidelines for conducting inspection;

Prepare before hand- by scheduling the inspection period; Plan the route of inspection- making it systematic; Talk to the workers- getting workers inputs; Be conscientious in approach; Be alert for unsafe acts; Provide recommendations to correct deficiencies; Not hesitating to request for help; and Retain records.

y Adequate frequency of inspection.5. CONCLUSION

Creating safe work environment is a major factor for improving ports performance

and development; because it encompasses other factors, such as right workers

motivation, appropriate training, port efficiency/production, etc.

Safe work environment is vital; so as to have man-machine system functioning to

fulfil certain defined objective; and smooth functioning interface between and the

environment.

One major responsibility of ports authorities management is to guarantee safety

operation.

Then, there is the need to have elaborate safety philosophy with well-cutemployer/employee duties.

The elaborate safety philosophy with well-cut employer/employee duties will guide

and enhance knowledgeable and practical way forward.

This practical way forward, religiously observed, will create safe work environment

that will improve ports performance.

Documents

Creating a Safe Work Environment