Longshoring Safety Stats and Facts

FACTS

1. Falls from heights are one of the leading causes of injuries and fatalities in longshoring.
2. Longshore workers are at risk of being struck by moving machinery or caught in between equipment.
3. Longshore workers face hazards related to the handling of cargo, particularly when dealing with heavy loads or improperly secured loads.
4. Longshoring involves the handling of hazardous materials such as chemicals, and flammable substances.
5. Longshore operations require the use of various types of heavy machinery and equipment.
6. Longshoring is often conducted in challenging environmental conditions, such as adverse weather, rough seas, or extreme temperatures.
7. Longshore workers may need to enter confined spaces such as cargo holds or containers.
8. Longshoring facilities and equipment undergo regular inspections to identify and address safety hazards.
9. Longshoring operations have emergency response plans in place to address potential accidents or incidents.
10. Longshore workers are required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
11. Longshoring emphasizes workers report near misses, hazards, and safety concerns without reprisal.

STATS

• More than 138 longshoremen experienced disabling work injuries in the course of every million employee hours of longshore work.
• Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports 12.6 injuries per 100 longshore workers involved in lost time at work.
• By the type of work when the accidents occurred, the number of accidents during mooring and anchoring was 31 (32.6%), long shoring 23 (24.2%), working inside tanks and holds 13 (13.7%) and engine rooms 5 (5.3%), showing that work categories of mooring, anchoring, longshoring and working inside tanks and holds accounted for almost 70% of the total.
• Longshoring and working in tanks and holds which accounted for almost 70% of all the accidents when classified by work categories, it becomes clear that the type of deaths and injuries that accounted for the most in each work category were contacts and heavy blows with 35.5% (11 cases) in the case of mooring and anchoring.
• 2018 was the worst year on record for personal injury accidents and fatalities on ships carrying solid bulk cargoes, with at least 24 reported fatalities. Two recently released investigation reports highlight longshore fatalities in enclosed spaces.
• More than 138 longshoremen experienced disabling work injuries in the course of every million employee hours of longshore work performed.