The Steering Group for the project to create health and safety guidance for ports met on 10 October 2006 to approve the:
- Scope of the guidance
- Process to appoint a project consultant
- Procedure for development and approval of the guidance
A small work group has since been formed to trial the production of guidance on a single ‘lead’ topic. This is to ensure that the guidance is produced in an acceptable style and format, which can be applied to all subsequent guidance topics and can be easily updated and accessed. The lead topic is ‘lighting in docks’, which will in effect replace the lighting standards in Safety in Docks under Docks Regulation 6.
The overall aim is to provide health and safety guidance for port operations, which will effectively replace the existing guidance in “Safety in Docks”. It will be recognised by the HSE, and industry generally, as the accepted standard for ports. The widespread involvement of subscribers in the development of the guidance is essential to ensure that the standards meet the specific requirements of the sector.