Meridian Ports Services marks 2019 Global Safety Day

Meridian Ports Services Ltd (MPS) has observed this year’s Global Safety Day under the theme “Enhancing Terminal Driving Rules” with emphasis on raising awareness on the necessity of reducing fatalities associated with driving within its terminal.

Over 300 participants gathered to mark this day including Employees of MPS, Contractors and other external stakeholders.

The day was set aside to further entrench MPS commitment to occupational and workplace safety in general and specifically remind workers and all contractors of the necessity of driving safely in the terminal.

Welcoming participants to the event, the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of MPS, Mr. Daniel Manteuffel commended Management and other stakeholders on the attitude to Safety.

Safety, as we all are aware, is the bedrock of our operations; the pivot about which every activity spins within the terminal. Today is the time to congratulate ourselves and also look at the journey before us.

What we have achieved over the past years did not come on a silver platter but came through hard work and dedication as our slogan says “if it’s not safe, don’t do it” and also “see it, own it”.

I wish to therefore take the opportunity to congratulate all staff and contractors for a good job well done.

I wish also to also say kudos to management team members who have tirelessly pushed the safety agenda through management review meetings which always starts with safety on the agenda.

The passion with which we debate and bring finality in consensus regarding safety issues is evident of how much we value safety.

The Head of Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE), Mr. Kingsley Ameyaw gave a presentation on the theme for the celebration. In his presentation, he outlined why the theme had been chosen and its relevance.

“Driving in the terminal constitutes by far the greatest hazard/risk. This is the reason why among the fatal 5 risks in the terminal, transportation risk ranks first among the top 5 most risk identifies. From 2018 till date, 63% of Fatal 5 risks in the terminal, transportation risk ranks first among the top 5 risks identified. From 2018 till date, 63% of Fatal 5 incidents are categorised under Transportation.” We therefore cannot leave anything to chance, at all cost we must ensure that the best practices in terminal driving are adhered to.

The CEO, Mr. Mohamed Samara in his remarks admonished all to put safety first. It is my firm belief that safety is a collective responsibility. Identification of the risks and finding proactive ways to manage these risks is the way to go. We need to make it a conscious part of our activities here. Safety must not be sacrificed for productivity.

With our anticipated relocation to the bigger and more sophisticated terminal next month, we must remind ourselves on this important obligation to be safety aware at all times and follow Terminal Safety Rules.

Safety is the key to efficient operations in this terminal, for us to thrive and achieve the goals we have set, everything must be done in the safest manner. He added.

The day was also used to test the knowledge of participants on safety rules within the terminal, well- deserving MPS employees who have shown exemplary leadership in the safety campaign drive over the last year were awarded while some participants underwent a health screening & blood donation exercise.

Background

MPS is committed to the highest standards of Health and Safety aimed at creating an injury-free workplace and a culture of zero harm. Over the last decade, MPS has gradually inculcated behaviours of “doing things right the first time” thereby building a safety culture where everyone is accountable for their actions.

In achieving an injury free environment various safety rules and initiatives have been implemented in the container handling terminal. Notable amongst them is the ‘Pedestrian Free Policy which eliminates the risk of man-machine interface in all operations.

It also introduced the Fatal 5 Safety Program which seeks to control the top five (5) hazards in operations namely Transportation, Suspended Load and Lifting, Work at Height, Stored Energy and Management of Contractors. With this and other initiatives, MPS is keen on ensuring that everyone returns home safely each day without harm to them.