Safety is important in shipping industry: Official

SAFETY is of utmost importance in the shipping industry and companies should always make sure their employees are aware of all safety requirements, a shipping company manager says.
Lae Swire Shipping depot manager Ralph Wallace said his company strived to ensure it observed safety in all aspects of its operations and this had led to it celebrating an injury-free year.
Wallace said the last injury his company reported was five years ago.
“This year marks the fifth year that we at Swire Shipping depot in Lae have not reported any accidents to our employees and that was what we are aiming for,” he said.
Wallace said the incident in Oct, 2015, was with one of their sub-contractor’s employee’s working at their depot at the time.
“That is why we took it as the injury happened on us but our own employees haven’t been injured on the job to date.”
He said maintaining an injury-free status, especially in their industry, was an achievement and indicated the level of safety awareness and risk management practised by the company.
Wallace said Swire Shipping staff worked with usual conventional heavy machinery moving large freight on a daily basis and their record was one to be proud of. The company handled an estimated 6,000 shipping containers a month.
“We constantly remind our employees of safety rules and regulations as most of their working hours are spent here where there is high risks involved,” Wallace said.
He said the company’s employees wore protective gear at all times and observed strict safety protocols when handling and inspecting cargo.