The continent of Australia features one of the longest coastlines in the world, spanning 25,760 kilometres according to World By Map.

With such a massive amount of coastal space, it’s no surprise that dozens of ports of varying sizes dot the map, many of which are the destination or departure point for the nation’s billions of dollars worth of imports and exports.

In fact, in 2014 over 40 million containers were sent and received from the country’s ports, according to Ports Australia.

All of those goods are either loaded or unloaded into shipping containers by thousands of workers across the nation, each of whom face unique health and safety challenges.

Let’s take a close look at some of the hazards to consider when packing and unpacking containers, and how your work health and safety induction system can help to minimise the chances of injury.

Safer container packing and unpacking can now be a part of your WHS induction.

Dangers involved with container work

As is the case with many industries involving a large amount of manual labour, Australia’s ports can be acutely hazardous places to work.

The presence of large pieces of machinery, coupled with the proximity to water and dynamic, fast-paced workflows opens organisations up to a number of challenging WHS concerns.

In the five years to 2015, SafeWork NSW investigated 21 incidents involving workers unpacking shipping containers, three of which resulted in death.

The most serious incidents involved the packing and unpacking of sheet materials such as glass, stone and timber, but essentially if any freight isn’t packed with safe unloading in mind, or becomes unstable during transit, workers are at risk.

In 2014 over 40 million containers were sent and received from Australian ports.

WorkSafe Victoria – the agency governing Australia’s busiest port in Melbourne – outlines a number of concerns for work health and safety with regards to containers.

These stretch from loading- and unloading-specific concerns such as dangerous placement of containers, falling goods or unsecured cargo, to general hazards of the environment – slips, trips and falls due to wet ground, or falls from height, for example.

Fumigation and dangerous substances

While the risks of physical injuries may seem all too visible on the loading dock, workers face serious health concerns from some sources that are not so obvious – fumigation chemicals and dangerous goods.

Methyl bromide, the most commonly used fumigant for controlling pests – mostly insects and rodents – from entering Australia, is a necessary element of shipping, but one that needs to be handled with significant care.

According to Safe Work Australia, the odourless, colourless gas is a neurotoxin capable of affecting the central nervous system, and is suspected of causing genetic defects.

Other substances can also be harmful to workers packing and unpacking containers, with solvents such as formaldehyde presenting fire risk, and contact with other chemicals causing contact dermatitis, headaches, dizziness and nausea, irritation to the eyes, respiratory system and skin disease.