Exploring the causes of accidents in container terminals of ports in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Among the global competitive industries and the logistic supply chain ports container terminals play a crucial role. A significant amount of manpower and a heavy fleet of machinery equipment are deployed in order to achieve the high level of productivity with the time demands. Containers handling operations are conducted as loading, discharging and trucking from ships to quay, quay to yard and yard to gate or reverse of this around the clock in any weather. Container terminal operation is considered one of the riskiest industries due to the high accident rate reported. This research aims to develop a mechanism for minimizing accidents in container terminals at ports in Sri Lanka by identifying the different types of accidents, investigating their causes, analyzing existing safety practices, comparing them with standard practices, and proposing solutions to mitigate the accidents. The research collects data from literature and interviews with experts from a specific container terminal and analyzes the data using basic statistical techniques and logical reasoning. The findings of the study could benefit safety and health professionals and the management of port container terminals in order to identify the nature of accidents, the causal factors that contribute to accidents and preventive measures for addressing the critical factors behind them