ABSTRACT
In 1970, the US federal government enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Port facilities present unique challenges for safety management given the diversity of operations they develop in interfaces among vessels, cargo, and land-based people and conveyances. The primary role of the port safety officer is to work collaboratively with, or as a component element of, the port security organization in managing the port facility’s industrial safety and risk management programs. The establishment of a port safety committee should be a security management priority in all port facilities. Plans and detailed policies and procedures must take into account any reasonably foreseeable emergency or disaster that would affect the safety of people in the port facility. The port safety officer must work together with port security in managing the facility’s industrial safety and risk management programs. The port safety officer should develop relationships with port staff to enhance a culture of safety.
