Freight container safety

All participants in the logistics chain – from owner drivers with one vehicle to large fleet operators, to shippers and warehouse operators – are likely to work with containers on a daily basis as drivers, loaders or handlers.

Accidents may happen at any stage of a container's journey; many of these will be serious or fatal, including crushing and falls from height. These accidents may be caused by human error or failure of technical items.

Typical hazards regarding freight containers in ports

  • Structural failure due to lack of maintenance and wear and tear
  • Structural failure due to overloading, misdeclared weight, uneven or shifted loads
  • Falls from height while working with containers
  • Crush injuries during container manoeuvring and movements
  • Exposure to fumigants used during transit or chemicals given off by cargo that may build up during transit

How the risks can be reduced

All of these can be reduced by proper planning of work and training of workers. Before any work tasks are carried out, the relevant risks should be identified through risk assessment and appropriate control measures put in place to protect against them.

Port Skills and Safety (PSS) have produced a comprehensive 'Health & Safety in Ports' guidance document entitled SIP003 – Guidance on Container Handling [31]that covers these issues in more detail.

This document has been produced by the ports industry, with assistance from HSE, to help dutyholders understand their duties under health and safety legislation and to identify key risks. This guidance also gives examples which dutyholders can use to inform their risk assessments and procedures.

Which laws apply?

Further information

Further guidance and publications on freight container safety[36] and Periodic Examination Scheme (PES) or an Approved Continuous Examination Programme (ACEP)[37] are available on the publications page.

Link URLs in this page

  1. Ports and dockshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/index.htm
  2. Overview - Ports industryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/hse.htm
  3. Key industry stakeholdershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/stakeholders.htm
  4. Enforcing authoritieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/enforcing.htm
  5. Overview - Legal requirementshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/legal-requirements.htm
  6. Dangerous goods - (DGHAR) https://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/dangerous-goods.htm
  7. Fishing vesselshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/fishing-vessels.htm
  8. FAQs on ports and dockshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/faqs.htm
  9. Overview - Freight container safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/containers.htm
  10. Freight container regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/regulations.htm
  11. Container design and manufacture approvalhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/container-approval.htm
  12. Container examination schemeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/container-examination.htm
  13. RAIB - accident reportshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/raib.htm
  14. Overview - Topicshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/topics.htm
  15. Workplace transporthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/transport.htm
  16. Lifting operationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/lifting-operations.htm
  17. Working at heighthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/falls.htm
  18. Dusty cargoeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/dusty-cargoes.htm
  19. Musculoskeletal disordershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/msd.htm
  20. Whole-body vibrationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/vibration.htm
  21. Slips and tripshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/slips-and-trips.htm
  22. Confined spaceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/confined-spaces.htm
  23. Overview - Access to vesselshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/access-to-vessels.htm
  24. Linkspans and walkwayshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/linkspans-walkways.htm
  25. Standards at quayside ladders https://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/quayladder.htm
  26. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/resources.htm
  27. Publications and guidancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/publications.htm
  28. Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/case-studies.htm
  29. Statisticshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/statistics.htm
  30. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/links.htm
  31. SIP003 – Guidance on Container Handling http://www.portskillsandsafety.co.uk/resources/sip-003-guidance-container-handling
  32. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2306/contents/made
  33. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2307/contents/made
  34. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/735/contents/made
  35. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/3004/contents/made
  36. freight container safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/publications.htm#container
  37. Periodic Examination Scheme (PES) or an Approved Continuous Examination Programme (ACEP)https://www.hse.gov.uk/ports/publications.htm#pes
  38. L148 - Safety in docks. ACOPhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l148.htm
  39. L155 - Dangerous goods in harbour areas Regs 2016https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l155.htm
  40. Container approval - Green guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/dis8.htm
  41. Container examination - Yellow guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/dis9.htm
  42. Quick guide to health and safety in portshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg446.htm
  43. Port Skills and Safety https://www.portskillsandsafety.co.uk/resources
  44. Department for Transport - Portshttps://www.gov.uk/transport/ports-harbours-and-offshore-installations
  45. International Maritime Organisation (IMO)http://www.imo.org/
  46. Port skills and safetyhttps://www.portskillsandsafety.co.uk/resources
  47. Logisticshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/logistics/index.htm
  48. Risk managementhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm
  49. Explosivehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/explosives/index.htm
  50. Work equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/index.htm
  51. Work at heighthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
  52. Workplace transporthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/index.htm

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

DGHAR
Duties under the Dangerous Goods in Harbour Areas Regulations 2016
RAIB
Rail Accident Investigation Branch
ACOP
Approved Code of Practice

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Updated 2021-11-08