BEING crushed by cargo remains the biggest single cause of dockworker deaths, accounting for 27% of fatalities, according to an analysis of data going back to 2000 from the International Cargo Handling Co-Ordination Association.

The findings highlight the need for “concerted, on-going risk management in the shoreside cargo handling work environment”, the UK-based trade body said.

Safeguarding workers employed both directly and indirectly should be seen as a prime responsibility for operating organisations and authorities at cargo terminals, chief executive Richard Steele added.

The research is based on an examination of nearly 500 incidents involving shore workers over the past 25 years.

There is an almost equal split between on-vessel and onshore risk to port workers, the ICHCA concluded, with three-quarters of incidents occurring during cargo operations.

Some 23% of high-consequence incidents involve vehicles — chiefly mobile handling equipment — hitting pedestrians, making this the second-highest cause of deaths.

Falls either from heights (10%) or into water (8%) were in third place, while incidents in confined or enclosed spaces (14%) also stand out as a key hazard.

Absolute numbers of deaths and injuries among dockworkers were not included in an announcement from the organisation today.

The ICHCA publishes a Severe Risks Dashboard, enabling trends to be discerned over time and pointing to ways of improving outcomes.

Current recommendations include retesting existing management controls for focus, completeness and robustness; ensuring that procedures are in line with what happens in practice; and engagement with workforces and other stakeholders.

Established in 1952, ICHCA is an independent not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the safety, productivity and efficiency of cargo handling and movement worldwide.