An Analysis on the Impact of Port Operations on the Health and Safety of Dock Workers (a Case Study of Onne Port)
CHAPTER ONE
Aims and Objectives of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of port operations on the health and safety of Dock workers. Specifically, this study will seek to;
- ascertain Dockworkers’ perception of risk during port operations in the study area.
- To examine the role of Dockworkers in the study area.
- determine if there is cointegrating relationship among port operations and the health and safety of dockworkers in the study area.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Conceptual Framework
We reviewed the concepts of port operations, risk and harzard in port , cargo handling equipment, Dock capacity, occupational health and safety of dockworkers, impact of port operations on the health and safety of dock workers.
Port Operations
An important aspect of port management is port operations management in which operational decisions take into account how best to allocate resources in order to optimize the whole system performance (Dahal, Galloway, Burt, and Macdonald, 2003). Port operations normally arise out of the fact that ports receive imported or exported materials from either landside or seaside respectively. After that, these materials are stored, processed and dispatched using port components such as unloader, loader, conveyor, transfer station and cranes, among others (Bassan, 2007). Ports then act as buffers between the incoming and outgoing vessel traffic. The arrival and departure of vessels from a port are the inputs and outputs of the facility (Dahal et al., 2003). The influence of uncertainty and variability on seaport performance is tremendous.
Changes happen extremely fast, impacting highly on operations output. It is therefore not surprising that port authorities pay a great attention to the analysis of their ports operations performance. According to Renke (1988), at the core of these port operations are dockworkers who are commonly employed in the loading and unloading of ships, the transfer of goods between ships and barges, trucks, trains, pipelines and wharfs, and vice versa. De La Hoz and Szeinuk (2003) expands the horizon of dock work to include the storage of goods in warehouses, the inspection and packaging of goods, the transport of personnel and goods within the confines of the port, and the maintenance of special plants for transferring goods. Thus, stevedores, crane operators, truck and trolley drivers, forklift truck operators, staff in charge of weighing and packaging, maintenance workers and others, all work on the wharves, on the quays, or in transit sheds and warehouses as part of the dock work team.
Risk and Hazard in Port
Loading and unloading at docks involves the use of a wide range of lifting equipment. This may include gantry cranes, slewing cranes, forklift trucks or other similar machinery. Poorly planned lifting operations can create significant risks to people working in the area. Typical hazards from lifting operations include:failure of lifting equipment, falling loads and workers being crushed by a moving load or lifting equipment. In some cases, poor visibility or traffic congestion may lead to serious and costly accidents. Poor road surfacing, poor maintenance of traffic lanes, and sharp differences in the level of illumination can create serious hazard, based on observation of port operations and findings from studies, some common and frequent hazardous risk factors have been identified, which incude the following:
- Falls from Heights, which occurs while carrying out trimming, sheeting and container lashing, securing loads, accessing ships, working on board a ship or working on heavy machinery (Oenning, Carvalho, Lima, 2012). O’Toole (2002) identifies falling objects, which normally happen when carrying out loading and unloading operations and stacking and stowing goods, as a common hazard. Items may loose and incorrectly or poorly slung or stacked, fittings and fixtures used during lashing operations may drop. Loads or objects may collapse or fall having become unstable during transport or having been poorly loaded.
Chapter Three
Research methodology
Research Design
The research design adopted in this research work is the survey research design which involves the usage of self-designed questionnaire in the collection of data. Under the survey research design, primary data of this study will be collected from selected staff of Onne Port in order to determine analysis of the impact of port operation on the health and safety of dockworkers. The design was chosen because it enables the researcher to collect data without manipulation of any variables of interest in the study. The design also provides opportunity for equal chance of participation in the study for respondents.
Population of Study
The population of study is the census of all items or a subject that possess the characteristics or that have the knowledge of the phenomenon that is being studied (Asiaka, 1991). It also means the aggregate people from which the sample is to be drawn.
Population is sometimes referred to as the universe. The population of this research study will be Seventy-five (75) selected staff of Onne port, River state
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter is about the analysis and presentation of data collected from the field through questionnaire. The analysis of the data with particular question immediately followed by the presentation of findings.
As mentioned in chapter three, 63 questionnaires were administered and 50 were retrieved and necessary analysis was carried out on them and presented as follows:
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
This study was on the analysis of the impact of port operation on the health and safety of dock workers in Onne port, rivers state. Three objectives were raised which included: to ascertain Dockworkers’ perception of risk during port operations in the study area, to examine the role of Dockworkers in the study area and to determine if there is cointegrating relationship among port operations and the health and safety of dockworkers in the study area. The total population for the study is 75 selected staff of Onne port, River state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies. In Onne port there are challenges inherent in the implementation of health and safety management programmes are inadequate financial resources, non-compliance by some workers with health and safety management guidelines, inadequate cooperation from top management, unclear health and safety management programme objectives, inability of workers to report colleagues who engage in unsafe and unhealthy practices at work, and the refusal of workers to put to practice the skills imparted to them to deal with safety and health problem
Conclusion
Overall, the objectives of the study have been achieved. The dockworkers perceive their work as risky and are clearly aware of the risks to which they are exposed, except that due to negligence, complacency or over-confidence, some of them risk their lives by not putting on safety and protective kits, while working. In addition, the various risks which are associatedwith dock work have been identified with noise, trips and falls as the most dominant risks. It has also been established that dockwork results in accidents and injuries, but it is also associated with diseases which affect the musculoskeletal, respiratory and circulatory systems, as well as mental and behavioral disorders
Recommendation
The dockworkers must strictly comply with the health and safety management policies and regulations of their respective organizations, particularly that of the port authority. This is necessary for the dockworkers to respect their own personal safety and that of other colleagues. However, the port authority and the supervisors of the dockworkers must supervise the dockworkers more effectively to ensure that they do not work without taking safety and protective measures under any circumstances. In this regard, dockworkers must report those who flout the rules and regulations in order for penal actions to be taken against them.
The dockworkers must make an official report on every health and safety incident that occurs in the course of their work. This is necessary to assist the port authority and stevedoring companies to have a clearer picture of the main hazards or risks which the workers are exposed to, so that the appropriate remedial actions can be taken to deal with the situation. This however calls for a deliberate action plan by the port authorities to review the hazards at the port from time to time to know which of them affects the health and safety of dockworkers most, in order to make decisions based on the information. A quarterly review will be very appropriate.
