APMT Buenos Aires wins Innovation in Safety Award

APMT Buenos Aires wins inaugural safety award, sponsored by specialist insurance provider TT Club, for safety logging systems

02.03.2016 - The inaugural 'ICHCA Innovation in Safety' Award, sponsored by the TT Club has been won by APMT Buenos Aires for its mobile port equipment 'Safety Logging System'. This innovation produced measurable proven results in incident reduction and behavioural responses from the workforce.

Entries for the award were numerous and varied, and the judges were pleased also to award a 'Highly Commended' prize to Andrew Ryan, as nominated by Asciano in Australia, for the simple concept of the 'Ryan Key'. This tool enables semi-automatic twist locks that have partially failed or been incorrectly installed to be 'locked' open, eliminating the need for operatives to remain in the danger zone to hold them whilst the container is discharged.

Both these concepts are simple but effective. The judges were presented with a very difficult choice from the 23 impressive entries from companies around the globe. All the entries had one common objective: to improve safety in the cargo handling and related logistics supply chain. As all the entries definitely achieved this objective to one extent or another, the judges' task proved difficult indeed. Overall, the judges looked for proven results, originality and the ability for the innovation to have broader industry application.

ICHCA International believes that all the entrants should be very proud of their achievements to date and intend, along with the sponsors, TT Club, to produce a 'digest' of the entries received so that their respective members can benefit from the innovations and best practice demonstrated.

The award was presented to APMT by the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Mr Kitack Lim, at the PSA sponsored Cocktail Reception held in the evening of the first day of ICHCA's Conference at the World Trade Centre in Barcelona on 1 March 2016.

Co-ordinator of the Judging Panel, Captain Richard W A Brough OBE, Technical Adviser of ICHCA International was overwhelmed by the response from entrants, he said; "If this is a representative sample of how individuals, companies, organisations and innovators in technological development are working for the good of the industry and striving to improve safety of personnel in port and related operations, then this strikes right at the core of ICHCA's raison d'être and means we are in a good place going forward. We commend all for their endeavours and congratulate the eventual winner and the highly commended runner up".

Award Sponsor, TT Club provide insurance and risk management services to the international logistics and cargo handling industry, and are committed to the improvement of safety and the dissemination of good practice across the sector. In congratulating the award winner, TT's Risk Management Director, Peregrine Storrs-Fox commented, "This initiative by ICHCA has our whole-hearted support. TT Club continually encourages initiatives aimed at improving operational safety standards throughout the global supply chain. The quality of the developmental work represented by the entries in this, the inaugural ICHCA Award, is of the highest standard and we believe demonstrates a maturing industry that really is putting safety first. We hope that the impetus created by this award will indeed lead to a safer industry as a whole."

ICHCA and TT Club, serving the same broad industry, have collaborated over many years, finding that the philosophy to engender operational safety is paramount to both organisations.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About the ICHCA International 'Innovation in Safety' Award

Open to individuals, teams or companies involved in cargo logistics, entrants for the ICHCA International Innovation in Safety Award had to provide evidence to show that a product, idea, solution, process or scheme had resulted in a demonstrable improvement to safety.

Judging panel:

Jan Boermans, Chair, ISP

Bill Brassington, Owner, ETS Consulting

Richard Brough, Technical Adviser and Observer, ICHCA International

Peregrine Storrs-Fox, Risk Management Director, TT Club

Rachael White, CEO Secretariat, ICHCA International

About ICHCA International

Established in 1952, ICHCA International is an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the safety, productivity and efficiency of cargo handling and movement worldwide. ICHCA's privileged NGO status enables it to represent its members, and the cargo handling industry at large, in front of national and international agencies and regulatory bodies, while its ISP Technical Panel provides best practice advice and develops publications on a wide range of practical cargo handling issues.

Operating through a series of national and regional chapters - including ICHCA Australia, ICHCA Japan and ICHCA Canarias/Africa (CARC) - plus Correspondence and Working Groups, ICHCA provides a focal point for informing, educating, lobbying and networking to improve knowledge and best practice across the cargo handling chain.

www.ichca.com

www.ichca-australia.com

About TT Club

The TT Club is the international transport and logistics industry's leading provider of insurance and related risk management services. As a mutual insurer, the TT Club exists to provide its policyholders with benefits, which include specialist underwriting expertise, a world-wide office network providing claims management services, and first class risk management and loss prevention advice.

Customers include some of the world's largest shipping lines, busiest ports, biggest freight forwarders and cargo handling terminals, to companies operating on a smaller scale but whose operations face similar risks. TT Club specialises in the insurance of Intermodal Operators, NVOCs, Freight Forwarders, Logistics Operators, Marine Terminals, Stevedores, Port Authorities and Ship Operators. The TT Club is managed by Thomas Miller.

www.ttclub.com

Thomas Miller is an independent and international provider of insurance, professional and investment services. Founded in 1885, Thomas Miller's origins are in the provision of management services to mutual organisations, particularly in the international transport and professional indemnity sectors; where today they manage a large percentage of the foremost insurance mutuals. Thomas Miller also manages insurance facilities for all the self-employed barristers in England & Wales, as well as trustees of pension schemes, patent agents and housing associations.

Principal activities include:

Management services for transport and professional indemnity insurance mutuals

Investment management for institutions and private clients

Professional services

Building defects insurance

www.thomasmiller.com

Contacts:

ICHCA:

Holly Thompson

Communications Officer

Tel: +44 (0)20 3327 7560

Email: