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The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) is lobbying politicians on the dangers of badly packed, overweight, inadequately secured and mis-declared containers.
The ITF is warning politicians, the European Union and other stakeholders of the risks from some containers ahead of an International Labour Organisation (ILO) debate on the subject on 21 and 22 February.
It will call for global regulations on packing containers.
ITF general secretary David Cockroft said: “At their best, containers are a key link in the world supply chain; at their worst, they are a danger to the lives of workers and the public.
“Their use across all transport sectors makes this of particular relevance to the ITF and its transport worker members. We are, therefore, delighted to see the ILO recognising the need for debate.”
He added: “So far, best practice and self-regulation have failed to stop the worst kind of incidents.
“We’re recommending that international mandatory instruments be developed that guarantee that those handling and moving containers are informed of their weight, state of packing, stowage and securing, as well as their centre of gravity and whether or not any fumigants or dangerous substances are present.”
The ITF said the ILO forum Safety in the Supply Chain in Relation to Packing of Containers would be the first worldwide examination of the safety problems linked to containers and undeclared dangerous goods.
The ILO said: “Many accidents in the transport sector are attributed to poor practices in relation to packing of containers, including overloading.
“The purpose of the forum is to reach a common understanding by all stakeholders of the underlining issues pertinent to the packing of containers, and a better understanding of the reasons that lead to the application of poor practices in packing containers.”
International Freighting Weekly
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