Irish Port Safety Week at Dublin Port
21 October 2024
Community, customers and colleagues come together for Irish Port Safety Week at Dublin Port
Dublin, 21 October 2024 – Dublin Port is celebrating Irish Port Safety Week from October 21st to 25th 2024.
Irish Port Safety Week, organised by the Irish Port Safety Forum, offers a packed schedule of activities aimed at promoting safety awareness for all port users, while highlighting Dublin Port’s commitment to putting safety at the heart of everything we do.
As part of the week’s programme, An Garda Síochána will be conducting road checks throughout the estate, and both Dublin Fire Brigade and the RNLI will be conducting waterborne exercises.
As well as these exercises, port users will come together for safety focused workshops and training sessions in the Dublin Port Substation.
Key Highlights of Irish Port Safety Week 2024 Include:
- Briefing from the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland on key activities affecting the workforce in the port industry and the highlighting the close partnership in the Irish Port Safety Forum
- RNLI simulated rescue exercise in Dublin Bay in partnership with a Dublin Port Pilot Boat team simulating a man-overboard
- Self-defence, cyber security, sleep-awareness, and confined spaces training for Dublin Port staff and port operators
- A water rescue exercise with Dublin Fire Brigade, simulating rescuing people from the quay walls and a medical emergency exercise
- Safety awareness events for local schools and yacht clubs
As part of the overall European Safety Week theme, “Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age,” Irish Port Safety Week will feature a workshop on implementing digital tools to enhance safety protocols. The session will explore the benefits of digital risk assessments, monitoring systems, and smart wearables in improving both safety and efficiency within the port environment.
Speaking about the event, Assistant Harbour Master Paul Hogan commented, “This is the fourth time Dublin Port has participated in Irish Port Safety Week, which is an all-Ireland collaboration that brings together Port Authorities from across the island, and underscores the shared responsibility for health and safety at all our ports.
This year’s event builds on the Dublin SafePort initiative launched in 2022, which continues to drive safety improvements at Ireland’s busiest port. Recent changes include adjustments to the speed limits across the entire north port road network, and the introduction of the Dublin Port Pass, ensuring all port users always conduct themselves in a safe manner in the port estate.
We are also placing a strong emphasis on community engagement by involving local schools and yacht clubs in safety-focused activities. Over 200 students from nearby schools will participate in a safety-themed colouring competitions and lessons on water safety, helping to raise awareness about water safety from a young age.
We are delighted that some of our local yacht clubs, including the Poolbeg Yacht Club, will come together to learn more about safe boating practices and share their views on water safety in Dublin Bay. These initiatives aim to foster a culture of safety, both onshore and offshore, while building connections between the port and our surrounding community.
Irish Port Safety Week serves as a key reminder of the collective responsibility shared by all stakeholders in creating a safe, resilient, and inclusive work environment at ports across the country. We look forward to bringing engaging and interactive activities to port users this week.”
Thank you to all members of the Irish Port Safety Forum, the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland, the Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland for their support, Dublin Fire Bridge, RNLI, An Garda Síochána, Dublin port community and customers and our local communities for making these events happen.