OSHA News

OSHA Releases Guidance on Traffic Safety in Marine Terminals

(July 23, 2007)-- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new guidance document, Traffic Safety in Marine Terminals (http://www.osha.gov/Publications/3337-07-2007-English-07192007.html), to help the maritime industry avoid traffic accidents and prevent or reduce work-related fatalities and injuries.

"This new guidance will help employers design and implement a traffic safety program for vehicles and pedestrians. A traffic safety program should address marine terminal traffic hazards and meet OSHA's standards," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "Traffic safety is an important issue at marine terminals with their fast-paced operations and large, heavy equipment."

The guidance document was recommended by the Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health in March, 2004. It is not a standard or regulation and it carries no new legal obligations. Rather, it focuses on the factors that contribute to traffic related injuries and identifies measures to prevent them, such as safety checks, vehicle selection and maintenance, traffic controls, safe operation of vehicles, and safe driving techniques.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 15 fatalities in the marine cargo industry in 2005, eight of which were the result of transportation incidents.

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