Nigeria’s largest container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa on Thursday marked its 2023 Annual Global Safety Day with the theme “We Make It Safe To Speak Up”.
The theme, according to the leading global terminal operator, was chosen to reflect its unwavering commitment to fostering an environment where employees feel confident to ask questions, raise concerns and suggest solutions.
Speaking at the event, The Terminal Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, said APM Terminals has a system in place that fosters feedback at the supervisory, managerial and leadership levels.
“It is important as we grow up in the organisation that we are comfortable in challenging the status quo, and taking the challenges very seriously will create positive changes and improvements in the business.
“We need to be able to stand up and say when things are not right or when we have ideas to improve something. It might take courage, but it is the duty of all APM Terminals employees – so that we can avert incidents that can lead to fatalities,” he said.
Knudsen said APM Terminals Apapa is committed to protecting its employees, business partners, host community and customers by ensuring that its operations are carried out safely and securely with minimal impact to the environment.
He said the leading terminal operator fulfils the commitment by providing a safe, healthy and secure work environment, complying with relevant Health, Safety, Security and Environmental (HSSE) legal and contractual requirements, ensuring business continuity to its customers through the consistent application of effective HSSE related processes and ensuring that HSSE risk management is embedded across its operations and decision-making process to secure sustainable growth and earnings.
Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, Frederik Klinke, expressed appreciation to the employees and other stakeholders for maintaining a high safety record at the facility.
Klinke said the act of speaking up contributes to the process of finding solutions to safety challenges at the port.
He listed the three major principles that underpin APM Terminals’ commitment to safety as leading with care, learning and adapting, and recognition of its people as experts.
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, commended APM Terminals for observing the annual Global Safety Day to promote safety in the workplace, encourage global awareness and actions related to safety and health.
“Your voice has the power to prevent accidents and to save lives, so let us make safety everyone’s responsibility,” Bello-Koko, who was represented by NPA’s General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Mrs Khadijat Sheidu-Shabi, said.
The 2023 Global Safety Day celebration was attended by many stakeholders including the representatives of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigeria Customs Service and the Western Ports Police Command, among others.
The highpoint of the event was the presentation of certificates to APM Terminals employees that distinguished themselves in safety practices.