Port Work Safety Week 7.-11.10.2024

When it comes to occupational safety education, there is no need to “reinvent the wheel,” so to speak. A notice posted on a stevedoring company’s bulletin board half a century ago reiterates the basics: watch out for traffic, be careful with loads and don’t walk or stand underneath them, hold onto railings, obey the signaller, and many other common safety-related matters. These same things are still being reminded of today, and the typed note at the end saying, If you use your wits, you won’t get hit, hasn’t aged a day.

The trend in workplace accidents in the port industry has been positive over the decades. Of course, factors such as mechanization and automation have had an impact, as has the reduction in the number of workers. Education, constant reminders, and especially face-to-face communication also play a significant role. Repetition is the mother of learning, and this holds true for occupational safety communication. While the primary responsibility for workplace safety lies with the employer, safety is everyone’s concern, and no one can protect themselves better than the individual.

Occupational safety is a central area of development in the port industry, and workplace accidents have decreased as a result of continuous efforts. Since 2017, the industry has celebrated Safety Day every year on the first Monday of October. In 2022, this theme day was expanded to a themed week, allowing as many people as possible to participate in events organized by the port and the companies operating there.

This year, Ports’ Occupational Safety Week will take place from 7 to 11 October. The theme of the week, Use your wits, and you won’t get hit, applies to all of us, regardless of the nature of our work.

The main organiser of the theme week is The Finnish Port Operators Association in collaboration with The Finnish Port Association and The Transport Workers’ Union AKT and Trade Union PRO.

KWH Logistics is participating in the Port Work Safety Week, and it will be visible in various ways at all our locations. Follow us on social media and see what’s happening during the Port Work Safety Week!