Port of Oakland Applauds Record Low Injury Rate

The Port of Oakland today applauded labor and management on the U.S. West Coast waterfront for a record-low injury rate among dockworkers. According to an annual Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) safety report, there were 108 Lost-Time Injury Incidents at West Coast seaports in 2014. That’s down nearly 50% from a 2002 high of 202 incidents. There were no fatalities in 2014.

“We thank all of our maritime partners for maintaining the highest standards of safety along the Oakland waterfront and at ports up and down the West Coast,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “We are very excited to see this significant drop in injury incidents.”

As a landlord, the Port of Oakland leases its facilities to marine terminal operators. These terminal operators along with other PMA member companies submit data to the PMA Accident Prevention Department. The Accident Prevention Department maintains data submitted for compliance with federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

“We are experiencing record low loss time injuries on U.S. West Coast terminals such as the Port of Oakland during a time when ships are getting bigger and more cargo is coming onto the terminals in a shorter period of time,” said PMA Accident Prevention and Security Director Gerald Swanson. “That’s something we can all be proud of.”

Two marine terminals at the Port of Oakland received special certificates from the PMA Accident Prevention Committee for reducing injury rates in 2014: Ports America Outer Harbor Terminal and Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT).