Sleep-deprived seamen‘put dockers’ lives at risk’

The lives of dockers in Irish ports are being put at risk because they are working alongside seamen who are “drunk” through lack of sleep, it has been claimed.

According to the International Transport Workers Federation, ship owners whose fleets are delivering a significant percentage of this country’s cargo are forcing their crews to work between 90-161 hours per week. They say that is not only endangering the seafarers but also the dockers receiving their cargo.

Earlier this week the Health and Safety Authority, representatives of employees in the shipping industry and the shipping companies, agreed a draft “code of practice for health and safety in dockwork” which is to be presented to the Government and, it is hoped, will be signed into law.

That document set out the distinction between a port worker and a seafarer and says “persons exhibiting the signs of fatigue” should not be involved in cargo handling and measures should be put in place to ensure rest periods are appropriate. It also says “when organising of the workload and job, account is taken of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.”

According to the ITF, seafarers are being made to work hours at sea which put them far in excess of the limits set by that act when they reach land.

Yet the ITF estimates the owners of 25-35% of the ships bringing cargo into Irish ports are demanding their crews take part in unloading. It says, but for the unionisation of dock workers who are now taking a stand, up to 75% of ships would force their crews to handle the cargo in port.

“There are a growing number of shipping agents and cargo brokerages that have identified the paying of up to $3 an hour for a seafarer to carry out cargo handling as opposed to paying the local professional cargo handler,” said ITF inspector for Britain and Ireland Ken Fleming. “This is an absolute commercial decision by boat owners to disregard safety and cut the cost of operating in the ports of Europe.”

He referred to the findings of the EU-funded Horizon project which gauged fatigue on board ships by scientifically examining those who worked two of the most common watch-keeping patterns. In a number of cases, the participants fell into what the researchers termed “full-blown” sleep and a number of others fell into “micro-sleeps” while supposed to be in control of the ship.

The Horizon researchers pointed out that fatigue had contributed to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil disaster. The ITF believes seafarers are often “drunk” from lack of sleep.

Here in Ireland, SIPTU and the ITF agreed to the formation of a new committee which will oversee the role out of the new health and safety guidelines to the 800 dockers working in Irish ports.