Worker fatally crushed unpacking shipping container

Ways to manage health and safety

Taking steps to manage risks is a condition of doing business in Queensland. Effective risk management starts with a commitment to health and safety from those who manage the business. If an incident occurs, you'll need to show the regulator that you’ve used an effective risk management process. This responsibility is covered by your primary duty of care in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Use the hierarchy of controls to help decide how to eliminate and reduce risks in your place of work. The  hierarchy of controls ranks types of control methods from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest. It’s a step-by-step approach to eliminating or reducing risks. You must work through the hierarchy of controls when managing risks, with the aim of eliminating the hazard, which is the most effective control.

Possible control measures to prevent similar incidents

Unpacking containers without a safe system of work may lead to a haphazard, ad hoc approach that exposes workers to risk, especially when they’re dealing with heavy, awkward and unsecured items. The risk of injury from unloading shipping container goods can be eliminated or significantly reduced by:

• planning the order in which the goods should be removed to avoid remaining items becoming unstable and falling
• determining the number of workers required to safely unpack the container
• determining the appropriate equipment to unpack the load safely (this might include, but is not limited to, mobile plant such as forklifts, conveyors and personal protective equipment)
• reducing manual handling by using mechanical systems (this can include powered mechanical aids such as a forklift or electric pallet truck)
• considering the placement of the container, the movement of plant into and out of the container, and the placement of load you are unpacking when outside of the container
• considering risks that may arise during unpacking, and ways to minimise risks by including control measures to either prevent or manage hazards
• only removing the restraints of the item to be immediately unpacked
• ensuring work is never done in the fall shadow of an object without suitable controls in place
• stabilising items temporarily with suitably rated restraint devices such as props, braces or frames where there is a risk of the items falling
• ensuring workers never attempt to restrain or stop an object while it is falling
• keeping the area around the container clear of obstructions
• having an appropriate traffic management plan
• packing small items on a pallet to be removed using a pallet truck or a forklift.

If manual unpacking is necessary you should:

• train workers in the safest system of work to unload the container
• ensure goods are handled between the knee and shoulder height by using pallet jacks, pallet rollers, trolleys or adjustable conveyers
• use PPE such as gloves, hard hats, safety glasses and hi-visibility clothing.

If you are unpacking the container with mobile plant, you should:

• ensure appropriate traffic management measures are in place to separate people and plant
• use a crane or forklift with attachments such as grabs, spikes or slippers that are suitable for the load
• use a tag line to guide loads lifted by a crane to ensure it is steady and away from the main load (note - attachments and slings must be inspected and maintained)
• ensure the ratings of any plant using attachments, such as fork tyne slippers, are known to avoid overloading.