The Port of Dar es salaam managed by Tanzania Harbors Authority (THA), it established in 1977 after the collapse of the East Africa harbors corporation that was operating under the east African Community. Sultan Seyyid Said of Zanzibar first conceived the Dar es Salaam Port, the idea of having a Port of Dar es Salaam in the year 1867. Port development went through the German era to British era before returning to the indigenous people during the post-colonial era. Dar es salaam Port is Tanzania’s leading Port as well as the largest transit port in Eastern and Central Africa with the annual Cargo handling capacity of just over 10 million tones. 

In each year, the Port has the capacity to handle up to 6milion of liquid bulk, 3.1 million tons of general cargo and 1tones of containers, with annual though put currently running at some 4.5 million tones. Dar es Salaam port container terminal has tree berths with total quay length of 541 meters with a 9.2m depth alongside for the berth 07. It has a paved area with modified two railway lines trucks (TAZARA and TRL) Ibid, 2011. Equipment’s available includes, Mobile harbor Crane (Gottwaldov), Rubber Tyre Gantry Cranes (RTGs) Front Loader, terminal tractors, empty handlers, reach stackers and forklift. In 2007, Dar es salaam Port served 4380 vessels and handled a total of 7.4 million tons of cargo including almost 57 million tons of imports 1.3 million tons of export and 434 thousand tons of transshipments. In this study, the investigation of the effectiveness of occupational well-being and safety to workers and management system at Dar es Salaam port is main concerned.

Cargo Handling at the Dar es Salaam Port

Dar es Salaam port currently has a total population of 2000 workers, 1200 being male and 800 female. Dar es Salaam port is the Tanzania principal port with a rated capacity of 4.1 million (dwt) dry cargos and 6.0 million (dwt) bulk liquid cargos. The port has a total quay length of about 2,000 meters with eleven deep-water berths. Dar es Salaam port handles about 95% of the Tanzania international trade. It is continuously improving its operations through installation of modern machines and tools. Data at the port shows that the port suffers many occupational health and safety accidents. For example in 2013-2014, an estimated 15% of its workforce suffered different injuries. There was no data apparently showing the material losses and monetary compensation paid to victims of accidents.

Promotion of Occupational Health and Safety

Encompasses provision and maintenance at the highest degree of safe and healthy working conditions and environment [1], Occupational health and safety is prerequisite for the facilitation of optimal social, mental and physical wellbeing of workers at workplaces as well as safety of property. Occupational health and safety services are important for sustainable development of a country, as they reduce occupational accidents and diseases that can have huge economic burden to individuals, enterprises and the nation as whole. Occupational health and safety is a crosscutting disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. All occupational health and safety programs are therefore geared towards fostering a safe working environment [2]. The question of occupational health and safety, as a global issue, is now taking a new look. The main contributory factor towards this development is the rapid industrialization in the developing countries such as Tanzania, in which injuries and accidents are inevitable to occur. 

Safety and Health Management System (SHMS)

Occupational health and safety management systems sometimes addressed as Safety and Health Management System (SHMS), but describing analogously the same concern, LARA, 2016 describes Safety and Health Management Systems as systematic approach to managing safety and health activities by integrating occupational safety and health programs, policies and objectives into organizational policies and procedures. Simply stated, SHMS is a set of safety and health program components that interact in an organized way. An effective SHMS must uniquely design for each organization and cannot be “one size fits all,” (LARA). Designing safety and health management systems in ports has been an important subject for the ILO since the 1920s, when the first Convention on accident prevention in ports adopted. The most recent one being a comprehensive code of practice on the subject entitled Safety and Health in Ports [3].

Analysis of the Problem in Dar es Salaam Port

The Dar es Salaam port faced with the problem of recurring human accidents resulting from the use of machines and tools, handling of hazardous cargo and improper walking environment. These accidents cause long-term health problems, death and permanent bodily impairment. For example in 2015 alone, 130 injuries were reported at the port. It not known how safety and health management system has implemented at the port [3], therefore, the intention of this study is to examine to what extent, safety and health management systems are effective at the Dar es Salaam port.

The Current Situation in Tanzania

OSHA currently undertakes the enforcement of occupational health and safety standards. The enforcement accomplished through the following activities, workplace registration, statutory inspections (electrical Inspection pressure vessels inspection and lifting equipment inspection); risk assessment; training and information on occupational health and safety, scrutiny and approval of workplace drawings plans. Other activities include; diagnosis of occupational diseases occupational health surveillance work environment-monitoring, investigation of accidents, authorization of private OHS Providers. In the years 2003 and 2004, in Tanzania Mainland, the number of accidents reported countrywide were 1,692 and 1,889 respectively [1]. During the same period 668.5 million Tanzania shillings were used to compensate occupational accident victims, the money used in compensation could be used for accident prevention to reduce human loss and suffering. The actual statistics might depict higher figures as there is a possibility of underreporting at enterprises level.

Diseases and illnesses due to occupational hazards are other issue of concern among workers in many workplaces. New stress factors a consequence of technological development and work organization add further burden to the health of workers. However, the magnitude of the above problems not well quantified due to inadequate experts and technology in the field of occupational safety and health. Weakness in the institutional framework for managing the services both at enterprise and at national levels has hindered effective implementation of programmed.

Effectiveness of Health and Safety Management System in Dar es Salaam Port

According to Dababneh [4], Safety Management System sets the requirements for a SMS that is very similar to OHSAS 18001, but with more specification and details stemming from the ILO Guidelines and the OROSHA model. It consists of six sections:

• General Requirements 

• Policy

• Planning

• Implementation and Operations 

• Checking and Corrective Action and 

• Management Review

Professional bodies, international organizations such as WHO and IL0 and national bodies and authorities, have produced several definitions of occupational health and safety and occupational health services. If one summarizes those definitions, occupational health considered multidisciplinary activity aiming at:

• Protection and promotion of the health of workers by preventing and controlling occupational diseases and accidents and by eliminating occupational factors and conditions hazardous to health and safety at work development and promotion of healthy and safe work, work environments and work organizations [5]

• Enhancement of physical, mental and social well-being of workers and support for the development and maintenance of their working capacity, as well as professional and social development at work

• Enablement of workers to conduct socially and economically productive lives and to contribute positively to sustainable development, thus, occupational health has gradually developed from a monodisciplinary risk-oriented activity to a multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach that considers individual’s physical, mental and social well-being, general health and personal development [5]

The following principles found in international instruments on occupational health and safety and in the legislations of the countries with the strongest occupational health and safety traditions:

• Avoidance of hazards(primary prevention) and use of safe technology

• Government responsibility

• Authority and competence to regulate and control working conditions

• Optimization of working conditions

• Integration of production and health and safety activities

• Primary responsibility of the employer or entrepreneur for health and safety at the workplace

• Recognition of employees’ own interest in health at work

• Cooperation and collaboration on an equal basis participation, right to know and transparency; continuous follow-up and development of working conditions

The key strategy principles of international and national occupational health and safety policies are:

• Avoidance of hazards (primary prevention) Safe technology

• Optimization of working conditions

• Integration of production and health and safety activities

• Government’s responsibility, authority and competence in the development and control of working conditions

• Primary responsibility of the employer and entrepreneur for health and safety at the workplace

• Recognition of employees’ own interest in occupational health and safety

• Cooperation and collaboration on an equal basis by employers and workers

• Right to participate in decisions concerning one’s own work

• Right to know and principle of transparency

• Continuous follow-up and development of occupational health and safety

Implementation of such above principles requires appropriate legal provisions, administrative enforcement and service systems for occupational safety and health and occupational health services. For occupational health services, the following functional principles are recognized; prevention and promotion, adaptation and adjustment of working conditions to the worker, rehabilitation, curative services and acute response (first aid and emergency response).

General Cargo Handling in Ports

Different kinds of cargo handled in ports. There are those termed as dangerous cargoes, dangerous substance, dangerous goods, hazardous and harmful substances etc. Dangerous Cargoes includes dangerous goods as well as materials that only hazardous when shipped in bulk. Dangerous cargoes do not apply to dangerous goods or fuel required for the operation, safety or maintenance of a vessel. 

Dangerous Cargoes include, dangerous  goods,  hazardous and  harmful  substances, materials  and  articles including  environmentally hazardous substances (marine pollutants) and wastes covered by the IMDG Code. Gases covered by the IMO Code for the Construction and equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk; noxious liquid  substances  or chemicals,  including  wastes, covered  by  the IMO  Code  for the  construction and equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk; solid bulk materials possessing chemical hazards and solid bulk Materials Hazardous only in Bulk (MHBs), including  wastes. 

Many dangerous goods are also classified hazardous substances but the terms should not confuse as they classified according to different criteria. Hazardous substances classification based on the health effects particularly in relation to people in workplaces. Hazardous substances may be in the form of a gas, dust, fibers, vapours,  smoke and  fumes  and chemical  substances  and often  have  a related exposure standards “representing airborne chemical concentrations of substances which should guard against immediate discomfort as well as medium and long term negative health effect on workers. 

The Number of Accidents in Tanzania

The National Audit in Tanzania reports a report on a study to access the number of accidents in Tanzania that happened at workplaces between 2003 and 2004 in the mainland to be 1,692 and 1,889 respectively and a total amount of TZS 668.5 million used to compensate occupational accident victims [6]. The Government of Tanzania established the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) and charged it with the responsibility of ensuring safe and healthy working conditions in all workplaces, by setting and enforcing laws and standards that will observed by employers in every workplace. Also the Government established the Labour Court (LC) which is the Division of the High Court of Tanzania, the Employment and Labour Relations Act No. 6 of 2004, the Commission for Mediation and Arbitration (CMA) and the Registrar of Trade Unions. Despite these initiatives, the occupational safety and health in Tanzania is still a serious problem and the Tanzanians workers in all social economic sectors are daily affected. Another study conducted in Tanzania to review the state of accidents in the construction industry [7]. The study therefore, aimed at finding out the current practice of health and safety risk assessment, risk communication and risk control in Tanzanian context. In pursuing this objective, the case study strategy adopted whereby two construction sites in Dar es Salaam selected through convenience sampling.

The findings of the study show that all responsibility on risk management was with the contractor and it carried out only during construction phase. The study also showed that no systematic method used for risk assessment, but rather risks assessed based on individual judgment guided by experience, educational background and existing regulations. Meanwhile, risk information communicated through toolbox meetings, informal discussions and controlled by using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The study also revealed that, the regulatory system, the organization/company system, the individual system and the work environment had impact on health and safety risk management. Further findings of this study showed that, site location, site configuration, procurement system and complexity of design were the main challenges hampering health and safety risk management. The study recommends the necessity of incorporating of key project stakeholders such as client and design team and other consultants in managing health and safety risk.

This is a qualitative study data gathered analyzed qualitatively, taking opinions of the respondents and putting their counts in tabulations, percentages and averages the study area was at the Dar es Salaam port in Dar es Salaam city. Dar es Salaam Port is the largest Port in Tanzania; Primary data collected primarily for the study at hand, Secondary data are processed data, collected earlier for a different published and unpublished article, document papers and journal.

Sampling Methods

Sampling techniques constitutes the methods to adopt in getting the sample for the study. Because this study intended to gather information from the management and employees, both purposive and random methods of selecting respondents used. Having privileged information, the management members of the Dar es Salaam port selected purposively while the employees selected randomly. This is because each employee could provide the same experience regarding the study question.

Therefore, Table 1 describe, the total sample size for the study was 60; including the port manager of Dar es Salaam port, heads of departments and normal employees.

The Investigation Break

The observed studies included in this study have shown that many work places lack effective occupational health and safety measures. As such, workers are exposed to daily accidents, endangering their lives and the lives of their colleagues who happen to visit them. 

The Dar es Salaam port, like many work places in Tanzania is also exposed to many and different occupational health and safety accidents. No study has been conducted to explore such risks and hazards in a specific way and the measures required controlling such possible accidents. It is therefore the intention, imperative now to conduct such a study today.

Table 1: Sampling distribution 

Analysis of Data and Discussion of the Findings

This part presents the investigation data as collected from the field, analyses the findings and discusses the findings on the research problem; “assessment of the effectiveness of occupational health and safety at the Dar es salaam port”. Data collected from 60 respondents comprising the Dar es Salaam port employees and management. The respondents are here with analyzed basing on their composition and gender see Table 2.

Table 2: Gender Distribution of Respondents

Table 3: Distribution by Occupational Experience

The reveal the nature of cargo handled at the Dar es Salaam port and their health threat to workers’ health and safety. The responses were drawn from the port manager and heads of departments. Table 4 shows the list of cargo handled and their health hazards.

It shown in Table 4 cargo handled at the Port of Dar es Salaam is of different kinds. Some have direct hazards to human health and others have indirect hazards. The cargo can be corrosive when it comes into contact with human flesh. They can be too sharp, able to cut and make a wound. Some cargoes emit fumes and radiation that can be too dangerous. These include uranium minerals. Some cargoes are heavy and if the equipment used to handle them are not strong enough can cause disastrous accidents. Some by virtue of being bulk do have dusts, which can be very dangerous if inhaled for a long time.

Table 4: Kinds of Cargo and Health Hazards

The management of Dar es Salaam port reiterated that workers who were handling the cargoes were always given training, seminars and workshops on the means to protect themselves from health and safety hazards of the cargoes. Protective gears, use of special clothes and wearing of helmets were some of the precautions used to protect workers from the hazards. When workers asked to tell; to what extent they were aware of the safety and health management system, it found that some were conversant but others were not. The results were that 75% of the respondents said they understood while 25% said they did not. This casted the inference that the system was well known and probably it means the system had been at the work place for some time see Table 5.

Table 5: Awareness on SHMS at Dar es Salaam Port

Responses from the Management

The management replied that until that time SHMS already implemented. They said this was also a requirement by the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) that required the system to  implemented at all work places. The items mentioned as part of the system include these shown in Table 6.

Table 6: Items mentioned as part of SHMS at Dar Es Salaam Port

Responses from the Staff

Responses from the staff indicate that they were aware of safety and health management system. For example, they mentioned that their management insisted the use of safety gears, wearing of helmets and training and seminars, always conducted at the port. Environmental assessment as well as alignment also conducted several times to make the workers aware of the procedures, precautions and the measures to take when handling different kinds of cargo.

Frequency of Accidents at the Port

The paper inquired the frequency by which accidents occurred at the port and the measures taken to curb them. In this case, all management members and the staff asked to tell the extent to which they experienced the occurrence of accidents at workplaces. There were various responses as to the number of accidents per week from 0 to 4+ but the average was computed as 2.52 accidents per week (Table 7).

The study inquired whether there were measures taken on implementation of effective safety and health management system at the Dar es Salaam port and the barriers faced. The study investigated whether staff was involved in the programmer, receiving training, laws administered and whether environmental assessment frequently conducted.

Table 7: Weekly Frequencies of Accidents at the Dar es Salaam Port

Staff Involvement

The results were that; 58.3% of respondents believed there were efforts to involve employees on the exercise of SHMS while 13.3% believed that there were no efforts. Another 28.3% did not know availability of anything about the subject (Table 8).

Table 8: Whether Measures Taken to Reduce Workplace Accidents

Training on SHMS

The study inquired if there was any training of staff to make them aware of the potential accidents at work place. Determination of the measures required to improve occupational health and safety at Dar es Salaam port. The results were 43.3% said there was such training and 20.0 percent said there was not any training. 36.7% said they did not know (Table 9).

Table 9: Staff Training on SHMS

Laws on SHMS

The study further inquired whether there were any known laws at the workplace, to enforce the exercising of SHMS. The management and staff members were asked to tell whether they knew anything of any such laws. The results showed 3.3% of the respondents said they knew of such laws while 66.7% said there was not. Another 30.0 percent said they did not know anything about any such laws (Table 10).

Table 10: Awareness of the Existence of Laws on SHMS

Environmental Assessment

Lastly, the study inquired whether environmental assessments carried out frequently to detect any risks existed any whether corrective measures taken timely. Both management and staff members asked about their experience with this matter. The results were that 28.2% of respondents said they have had never seen any environmental assessment exercise at the work premises. 

Another 26.8% said they have had seen several (often done) of the exercise but 45.0% said they did not know anything about it (Table 11).

Table 11: Whether Environmental Assessment Conducted

Barriers Faced

Lastly the study inquired what the respondents thought were the barriers effective SHMS at the Dar es Salaam Port. Every respondent was asked to give only one factor that she or he believed would help to improve the effectiveness of SHMS at Dar es Salaam Port. The results showed 38.3% named ‘low awareness’ while 16.7% said ‘low number of environmental assessments’ and 13.3% said ‘administration of SHMS laws’. A remaining 31.6% did not know what to do (Table 12).

Table 12: Barriers to Effective SHMS at Dar es Salaam Port

General View of the State of Occupational Health and Safety at the Port

The study inquired the general view of the respondents as to the effectiveness of the state of OHS. The results were that 56.6% thought OHS was effective while 15.0% thought it was not effective. Another 28.4% did not know whether it was effective or not (Table 13).

Table 13: Effectiveness of Occupational Safety System at the Port

The study findings reveal that cargoes handled at the Port of Dar es Salaam are of different kinds. Some have direct hazards to human health, others have indirect hazards, some are corrosive when they meet human flesh, others are too sharp, able to cut and make a wound. Some cargoes emit fumes and radiations that can be too dangerous. They include uranium minerals. Some cargoes are heavy and cause disastrous accidents. Some have dust that can be very dangerous. Different kinds of cargoes have different health hazards. Awareness of the hazards for each kind of cargo is the first step towards formulation of measures to protect workers from such hazards. Health and Safety Authority observe that, due to loading and unloading of solid bulk cargoes, workers may be exposed to dust or respiratory sensitizers that can cause asthma. Cargoes may be flammable, toxic, poisonous, or corrosive. Some cargoes, for example grain, may have been fumigated [8]. Some solid bulk cargoes in the hold may not be hazardous themselves, for example fishmeal or bark, but may produce gases due to decomposition or bacterial action. Vehicle exhaust emissions in the ship’s hold may also give rise to hazardous fumes. 

 Most frequently encountered major accidents are the grounding or collision of the ship, breaking off the ship-shore connection with a delay in emergency response. Hazards encompass explosion, fire and toxicity. Expert knowledge is necessary where the product and the physical aspects of the hazards are concerned [9]. The study has further found that workers who were handling the cargo always given training, seminars and workshops on the means to protect themselves against health and safety hazards of the cargo. Protective gears, special clothes and wearing of helmets were some measures taken to protect workers from hazards [10-13]. Workers found to be aware of the safety and health management system with 75% saying they were aware against 25% who said they were not. On employee involvement, it was found that, enforcement of laws and frequent environmental assessment were undertaken to spotlight potential risks at the workplace where 58.3% of respondents believed there were efforts to involve employees on the exercise of SHMS while 13.3% believed that there were no efforts and another 28.3% didn’t know anything about it. The study found that, measures required improve occupational health and safety at Dar es Salaam port included training to create more awareness. Further, frequent environmental assessments were necessary and proper administration of SHMS laws was required [14,15].

The study found that, different kinds of cargoes handled at the Dar es Salaam port. They include; chemicals, fertilizers, bulk oil, metals, were being handled; machines and vehicles of different sizes were there’re, pollution resulting from operating machines, light and heavy cargoes etc. Safety and health management system at Dar es Salaam Port found to be close to effective. This effectiveness supported by several considerations. A great section of the employees including the management was aware of the existence of SHMS at the Port. Training on SHMS, environment assessment, enforcement of policies and standards on SHMS and environmental; alignment were always done at the port. It however found that low awareness on safety and health management systems was still a problem and in a way made a barrier to the success of SHMS at the port. Accidents to employees, customers and visitors still subjected to a variety of injuries. The study further found that, on average there were 2.52 accidents at the port in every week, averaging 10.0 in every calendar month. This found to be a great number because it involved mostly bodily injuries. The study therefore found that safety and health management system at Dar es Salaam Port was effective but needed some improvement.

Further Investigation many studies at workplaces tend to concentrate on bodily injury vulnerability but do not pay attention in future health vulnerability due to unseen occupational health risks. There are many people working in mining sites but not much has done to study how the mineral dusts in the mines underground affect them. Such  studies  are  required  so  that  should potential risks be discovered, it could be the basis for the establishment of insurance covers and other health-related problems compensation.

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2. Thomas, J.W. Mathew. A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Safety Management Systems. Australian Transport Bureau, 2011, https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/4053559/xr2011002_final.pdf.

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15. Karr, A.F. et al. Data Quality: A Statistical Perspective. Technical Report No. 151, National Institute of Statistical Sciences, 2005, http://www.niss.org/sites/default/files/technicalreports/tr151.pdf.

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