Health and Wellbeing

Health and wellbeing programs promote safe working conditions and support physical and mental wellbeing of workers (ILO, 2018; Ma and Liao, 2025). This may include, among others, psychosocial risk assessments (stress, fatigue, harassment), safe working hours and fatigue management, access to healthcare and counseling services, adequate sanitation, drinking water, and rest facilities, programs addressing heat stress and climate exposure, and initiatives promoting work life balance and inclusion.

For ASEAN ports, health and wellbeing programs can reduce absenteeism and turnover, improve safety performance and morale, support climate adaptation for workers, enhance productivity and workforce stability, and strengthen community trust and social license.

Recent international attention has focused on psychosocial risks in workplaces, including, among others, stress, fatigue, harassment and bullying, workplace violence, and mental health conditions. ISO 45003:2021 provides guidance on psychological health and safety in the workplace, complementing ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management (ISO, 2021).

Fatigue is a particular concern in port and maritime work given shift work, long operational hours, and for seafarers, extended periods at sea. Research in Frontiers in Public Health has reviewed seafarer fatigue as a scoping review, grouping the factors affecting fatigue into seafarer, working environment and management factors with implications for safety and wellbeing (Ma and Liao, 2025). Fatigue management programs include, among others, working time limits aligned with international conventions, shift scheduling supporting adequate rest, fatigue risk management systems, and training on fatigue recognition and response.

Heat stress and climate exposure are specific concerns for DMC port workers, both in tropical climates and in arid and continental regions with high summer temperatures. Climate change is increasing heat exposure risks through more frequent and intense heat events. Heat stress programs include, among others, environmental monitoring of workplace temperatures and humidity, work rest cycle adjustments during heat events, access to shade, drinking water, and cool rest areas, appropriate clothing and personal protective equipment, and training on heat illness recognition.

Access to healthcare and counseling services supports worker wellbeing. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) provide confidential counseling for personal and workplace issues. Medical services at ports range from on site clinics at major facilities to referral arrangements at smaller ports. The International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) SeafarerHelp provides confidential multilingual support for seafarers addressing mental health and wellbeing issues (ISWAN, n.d.).

Gender equality and inclusion are dimensions of wellbeing. Marine Policy research on gender equality for sustainability in ports identifies persistent barriers to women's participation in port workforces, including, among others, culture and tradition, informal recruitment, occupational segregation, and difficulties achieving work life balance (Barreiro-Gen et al., 2021). Inclusion programs address these barriers through, among others, workplace design supporting all genders, anti harassment training and policies, and flexible working arrangements.