Pacific Maritime Association

Lost time injury (LTI) rates – the standard indicator of safety performance – have been trending downward for more than a decade, dropping coast-wide by more than 40 percent since 2006. This decrease has been driven in part by new tech- nology that enables more workers to do their jobs out of harm's way. In the Pacific Northwest during 2016, workers and employers worked jointly to begin to examine the best safety practices for reducing injuries in log operations, and in Northern California, the focus was emergency response to an injured or stricken worker. In Southern California, a joint work group of employers and ILWU members continued to review work done by lashers – a job that has become more complicated as vessels grow in size. The group's efforts resulted in a new slate of recommen- dations to prevent future injuries, and in the process, 10 new videos were developed to train workers how to lash safely. Also in 2016, the Joint Coast Safety Committee began work to update the General Safety Training program, which trains more than 6,000 workers each year. The new theme, "We Get Home Every Day," will feature long- shore safety testimonials. PMA con- tinued to update its General Safety Training program to keep current with changing terminal operations, as well as new compliance requirements. Crane training goes virtual In 2016, PMA launched a revamped crane simulator program used to train 85 crane operators. The operators are trained using state-of-the-art simu- lators over the course of nine days, logging a greater number of hours than in the past. This practice ensures a higher standard of training before the work on the docks begins. The new technology – similar to that used to train commercial airline pilots – can be adjusted to give the trainee a taste of moving containers in a variety of layouts and weather conditions. In the years ahead, PMA plans to train more crane operators at its simulation-based training facilities in Southern California and Tacoma to keep up with demand. n 22 2 0 1 6 A N N U A L R E P O R T More than 6,000 workers completed the General Safety Training program in 2016. Safety on the Waterfront T H E Y E A R I N R E V I E W O n the West Coast waterfront, injury rates dropped nearly 10 percent, making it the safest year since PMA began keeping records in the 1940s. This improvement is largely the result of longstanding, collaborative efforts between the PMA and ILWU – through Joint Area Accident Prevention Committees established in each port – that are at the heart of the industry's consistent efforts to improve safety on the waterfront. The work includes evaluation of best prac- tices for workplace safety, and an intensive focus on how best to safeguard against accidents in work roles that have traditionally been the most injury-prone. Accident Rates Fall To All-Time Low Coast-wide rates for 2006-2016 Incidence Rate per 200,000 Man-Hours 0 2 4 6 8 2016 208 2009 2007 2006 2010 2011 2012 2013 2015 2014

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