Safety Features for Container Yard Equipment

TT Club, collaboratively with PEMA and ICHCA International have published recommended safety standards for container yard equipment. Together we have identified additional safety devices that can be implemented on yard equipment, along with other operational changes in order to reduce injuries and fatalities as well as cargo, property and equipment damage.

This initiative was developed as a result of some telling statistics:

• 53% of the total cost of TT Club's operational related claims are caused by yard equipment
• 75% of the cost of injury claims in terminal facilities result from yard equipment accidents
• 67% of costs relating to fires can be attributed to yard equipment

These headline findings point to a heavy concentration of avoidable incidents. Analysis of the Club's data shows that up to 1,600 claims, amounting to USD 130million, resulted from such incidents. Changes to operational procedure, additional training and/or fitting safety equipment to machinery could significantly reduce this bill.

Lift trucks, for example, are involved in 30% of the bodily injury claims analysed. This is mainly the result of trucks reversing into people. The installation of anti-collision devices could potentially have saved USD30 million and prevented 51 workers from being killed or suffering serious injury over the last six years.