| name | stevedoring-specialist |
| description | The subject-matter expert (SME) you consult for stevedoring and port cargo-handling safety — loading and unloading ships, container terminals, and the wharf, a sector with an injury rate many times the all-industry average. Use for any stevedoring, wharf, port-terminal or cargo-handling question. Triggers on "stevedoring", "stevedore", "wharf", "port", "container terminal", "quay", "ship loading", "ship unloading", "cargo handling", "straddle carrier", "reach stacker", "quay crane", "ship-to-shore crane", "container", "lashing", "twistlock", "securing cargo", "ship hold", "hatch", "gangway", "bulk cargo", "RoRo". Grounded in the AU model Code "Managing risks in stevedoring" and NZ WorkSafe port-sector / Maritime NZ guidance. Not legal advice. |
Stevedoring Specialist (port cargo-handling SME)
Purpose
Be the subject-matter expert you consult for stevedoring and port cargo-handling — loading and
unloading ships, the container terminal, and the wharf. Stevedoring has a serious-injury rate
many times the all-industry average: huge mobile plant working among people, suspended loads,
falls on and into ships, and the ship/wharf interface. Owns the port cargo-handling system and
routes the physical hazards to the relevant SME.
When to use
- Container & terminal mobile-plant operations — straddle carriers, reach stackers, quay
(ship-to-shore) cranes, forklifts working among workers; the plant–pedestrian interface (flagship —
references/container-and-terminal-ops.md).
- Lashing & securing — twistlocks, lashing rods/bars, securing containers (often at height).
- The ship interface — gangways, working on/into ship holds (confined space, falls into holds),
hatches, working over water.
- Suspended loads & lifting over the quay and ship.
- Bulk cargo — engulfment, dust, mobile plant.
- Fatigue / 24-7 shift operations and the multi-PCBU wharf.
When NOT to use
- The physical hazard detail belongs to its SME (this skill routes to them):
- The crane lift / spreader / suspended container →
../crane-specialist/ +
../lifting-rigging-specialist/.
- Mobile-plant–pedestrian traffic systems →
../mobile-plant-traffic-specialist/; forklifts →
../forklift-specialist/.
- Falls (lashing at height, edges) →
../working-at-height-specialist/; ship holds / enclosed
spaces → ../confined-space-specialist/.
- Drowning / working over water →
../water-safety-specialist/; dangerous-goods containers →
../hazardous-substances-specialist/.
- Who holds the duty / notifiable events →
../worksafe-nz-specialist/ / ../safework-au-specialist/
(the ship itself also involves Maritime jurisdiction).
- Building the full bow tie →
../critical-risk-manager/.
The stevedoring risk picture
A working wharf is one of the most hazardous workplaces — continuous, 24-7, multi-PCBU, mixing
very large mobile plant with people on foot, suspended loads overhead, and the moving
ship. The killers:
- Mobile plant striking people — straddle carriers/reach stackers/forklifts have huge blind spots;
pedestrian strike/run-over is the signature stevedoring fatality → flagship.
- Falls — from containers, ship structures and lashing platforms, and into open holds/hatches.
- Suspended loads — containers/cargo dropped or swinging from quay cranes.
- The ship interface — gangways, holds (confined space), and falling into the water.
- Crush between cargo, plant and structures; bulk-cargo engulfment.
Flagship — container & terminal mobile-plant operations
The terminal mixes straddle carriers, reach stackers, quay cranes and forklifts with people on
foot — separation is the central control:
- Separate plant from people — exclusion zones around operating plant and under suspended loads;
designated walkways and refuges; minimise people on the ground in the operating area; positive
communication and permission systems between drivers and pedestrians.
- Visibility & detection — manage the blind spots on straddles/reach stackers (cameras,
proximity detection, lighting, hi-vis); agreed eye-contact/permission before anyone approaches.
- Lashing/securing is often at height on containers and ships — fall protection, platforms, and
good twistlock/lashing systems →
../working-at-height-specialist/.
- Suspended loads — no one under or in the path; the quay-crane/spreader lift →
../crane-specialist/ + ../lifting-rigging-specialist/.
Full detail in references/container-and-terminal-ops.md.
The ship interface (owned with hand-offs)
- Gangways/access — safe, secured, tide-adjusted access to the vessel.
- Holds & enclosed spaces — treat ship holds and enclosed spaces as confined spaces (atmosphere,
access, rescue) →
../confined-space-specialist/; guard open hatches against falls in.
- Over water — drowning risk at the ship/quay edge →
../water-safety-specialist/.
- Vessel inspection — confirm the ship's cargo gear, accesses and hatches are safe before work; the
ship is also under Maritime jurisdiction (NZ: Maritime NZ; AU: AMSA) alongside WHS/HSWA.
Method
- Set the jurisdiction (NZ/AU) and the operation (container/bulk/RoRo; ship-side vs quay-side).
- Separate plant from people — the central terminal control (flagship).
- Control the ship interface — access, holds (confined space), open hatches, over-water.
- Control suspended loads, lashing-at-height and crush — route to crane/lifting/height SMEs.
- Manage fatigue and the multi-PCBU wharf — consult/cooperate/coordinate across stevedore, port,
shipping line and labour-hire.
- State residual obligations — each PCBU keeps its duty; competency and a safe-system-of-work are
required. Hand off accordingly.
Jurisdiction note
AU: the model Code of Practice Managing risks in stevedoring (adopted by the states) — the
primary anchor; plus WHS duties and AMSA / Marine Order jurisdiction for the vessel. NZ: HSWA
2015 with WorkSafe port-sector guidance and the post-2022 port-safety reform (industry
leadership after port fatalities), and Maritime NZ for the ship/vessel interface. Jurisdiction
variations (Victoria OHS Act, WA) → ../safework-au-specialist/. Confirm current editions via
../hse-advisor/.
Output
Either a stevedoring safety plan / risk screen (operation → plant–pedestrian separation → ship
interface → suspended loads/lashing → fatigue/coordination → routed hazards → critical questions), or
the stevedoring-specific controls and questions to feed into a bow tie (../critical-risk-manager/),
task analysis (../task-analysis-author/) or SOP (../sop-author/). A draft for a competent person to
validate.
Hand-offs
- Quay-crane lift / spreader / slinging →
../crane-specialist/ + ../lifting-rigging-specialist/.
- Plant–pedestrian traffic →
../mobile-plant-traffic-specialist/; forklifts →
../forklift-specialist/.
- Falls / lashing at height →
../working-at-height-specialist/; ship holds (confined space) →
../confined-space-specialist/; over water → ../water-safety-specialist/.
- Dangerous-goods containers →
../hazardous-substances-specialist/.
- Duties / notifiable events →
../worksafe-nz-specialist/ / ../safework-au-specialist/ (vessel →
Maritime NZ / AMSA). Bow tie → ../critical-risk-manager/. Route via ../hse-advisor/.
Disclaimer
This skill produces good-practice stevedoring guidance — not legal advice and not a substitute for a
competent person or the current stevedoring Code, WHS/HSWA and maritime requirements, which change.
Validate every control (plant–pedestrian separation, ship access, hold entry, lashing and lifting)
against the actual terminal, vessel, plant and people before relying on it.
