Skip to content

Port company fined after 600kg FIBC bag falls on employee

What happened?

The UK Health & Safety Executive (UK HSE) have prosecuted Associated British Ports (ABP) for safety breaches after a flexible intermediate bulk container weighing 600kg fell and struck an employee.

What went wrong? What were the causes?

A 600kg flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC) bag of Ammonium Nitrate fell onto an employee as he was removing pallets from the front of a stack. He suffered multiple fractures, a dislocated ankle and knee and back injuries, and he was unable to work for thirteen weeks.

The HSE investigation found that the company had failed to follow their own risk assessments, by stacking FIBC bags directly on top of one another rather than in the recognised industry standard of stacking in a pyramid fashion. The company had also failed to review their stacking practice following earlier incidents of bag spills and stack collapses on the dockside.

This case highlights three things:

  • The importance of following industry guidance;
  • The importance of ensuring that companies and crews follow their own company risk assessments;
  • Learning from previous incidents – ensuring that systems of work and procedures are properly and thoroughly reviewed after incidents.

The full press release can be found on the UK HSE website.

Members may wish to refer to the following incidents:

Safety Event

Published: 11 April 2018
Download: IMCA SF 08/18

Relevant life-saving rules:
IMCA Safety Flashes
Submit a Report

IMCA Safety Flashes summarise key safety matters and incidents, allowing lessons to be more easily learnt for the benefit of all. The effectiveness of the IMCA Safety Flash system depends on Members sharing information and so avoiding repeat incidents. Please consider adding safetyreports@imca-int.com to your internal distribution list for safety alerts or manually submitting information on incidents you consider may be relevant. All information is anonymised or sanitised, as appropriate.

IMCA’s store terms and conditions (https://www.imca-int.com/legal-notices/terms/) apply to all downloads from IMCA’s website, including this document.

IMCA makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained in the documents it publishes, but IMCA shall not be liable for any guidance and/or recommendation and/or statement herein contained. The information contained in this document does not fulfil or replace any individual’s or Member's legal, regulatory or other duties or obligations in respect of their operations. Individuals and Members remain solely responsible for the safe, lawful and proper conduct of their operations.