Both ICHCA and TT are delighted that the now well-established industry accolade, with its strenuous process of entering and judging, have once more celebrated safety innovation within the cargo handling and transport sector. There is now a real focus by organisations across the world on constantly searching for better solutions to the challenges of improving safety.
At the first ‘live’ Innovation in Safety Awards ceremony for four years, held in London on 23 February, all three finalists gave presentations of their ground-breaking initiatives, which through their variety of application reflected the broad categories represented by the twenty award entrants drawn from thirteen countries, and covering such diverse fields as digitalisation processes, learning and predictive data application as well as safer physical operations and equipment.
The winning innovation was APMT’s Vessel Inspection Mobile App. “We are delighted with this recognition for the safety app we have developed in-house in collaboration with Maersk,” said Jack Craig, Chief Operations Officer at APM Terminals. “The app provides a standardised digital platform for terminals to carry out vessel inspections, highlighting potential critical risk. It underpins our continuous focus on safety throughout our operations and is a great example of how we can smartly deploy technology to be even better at this.”
Joining APMT on the short-list and presenting its Hazcheck Detect innovation was Exis Technologies. Chief Information Officer Mike Durkin said, “Hazcheck Detect can be accepted by competing carriers, offering the same technical solution with similar rules and immediate outcomes for cargo screening. This is critically important to prevent mis-declared and undeclared cargo being accepted or cancelled and re-booked on alternate carriers. We are honoured to be shortlisted for this award among a host of impressive entries.”
Making up the finalist’s podium was Intermodal Telematics BV (IMT) and its innovative Tank Container Temperature Monitoring. “Safety remains a very hot topic across the tank container transport sector,” said Bernard Heylen, Sales Director at IMT. “With our multiple temperature alerting system we offer a digital answer to the increasing demand to transport dangerous goods safely and monitor them remotely. We continue to work in the interests of improved service quality, and in maintaining social responsibility by preventing dangerous incidents.”
Welcoming delegates (and online participants) to the awards ceremony and its accompanying safety seminar, ICHCA’s CEO Richard Steele underlined the aims of the on-going innovation in safety campaign, of which the awards are a critical part. “We, of course acknowledge safety innovation – especially at a time of increased operational demand on global cargo handling. However, this is much more than a celebration. Our mission is also about, learning and thought leadership. Our priority is to share these ideas with a wide audience, improving how we all can commit to continuous improvement in health and safety. The award highlights direct evidence that our industry is actively innovating and changing.”
Steele went on to recognise the awards sponsor, “If you want evidence of industry commitment, look no further than the TT Club. Not just sponsors in name but actively rolling up their sleeves and proactively driving an innovation and continuous improvement agenda.”
TT Club has been a driving force behind these awards since their inception, and very much committed to improvement in safety as a whole. Peregrine Storrs-Fox is TT’s Risk Management Director, “We are delighted that the award has continued to attract substantial interest around the globe and across the industry, again demonstrating a passion to enhance safety and dynamic action to make this reality. We are pleased to report that this passion is shared by such a diverse group of operators and suppliers, with this year also featuring submissions designed for environmental protection and monitoring,” he commented.
The event announcing the winners was enhanced by a seminar which featured two discussion panel sessions on managing personal injury risk and minimising damage in cargo in transit with speakers from DP World, , Rombit, ConnexBird and the Safetytech Accelerator as well as TT Club and ICHCA. The Keynote Speech was delivered by the vastly experienced Morten Engelstoft. A recording of the proceedings is available on request.
“The Awards have been, and remain pivotal to our safety campaign,” emphasised Storrs-Fox. “However through our own, and our colleagues at ICHCA’s cooperation with conference and exhibition organisers TOC, I am pleased to announce that the Safety Village initiative launched at TOC Europe last year will be repeated and enlarged at the same event in Rotterdam in June.”
The TT Club Safety Village will once more be the venue for workshops and panel sessions throughout the three days of the TOC Europe event. It will also provide opportunities for companies to showcase their innovative safety devices, processes and products. “Providing a focal point for discussion and promotion of such innovations at a leading industry forum will continue to benefit the cause of safety in the supply chain and the development of new solutions to manage significant risks,” concluded Storrs-Fox.
Read the rest of this exclusive interview in our latest issue here
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