Practice

Work Health and Safety Management Systems

GovernancePlanning and DevelopmentOperations

Aspect contributions

How this practice contributes to the green port aspects.

Aspect	Role	Justification
Workforce Standards and Engagement	Core	-
Regulatory Compliance	Secondary	WHS is regulated under national OHS law
Risk Management	Secondary	WHS management systems address a core risk category
Maintenance	Secondary	Maintenance workers face specific WHS exposures

Summary

Work health and safety (WHS) management systems provide a structured approach to identifying, managing, and reducing workplace risks. This may include, among others, formal safety policies, procedures, and risk assessments aligned with ISO 45001, incident reporting and investigation systems, regular safety audits and inspections, contractor safety management requirements, emergency preparedness and response planning, and safety committees and worker participation mechanisms.

For DMC ports, WHS management systems can reduce workplace injuries and fatalities, prevent environmental incidents caused by unsafe operations, improve operational reliability and productivity, strengthen regulatory compliance, and build a strong safety culture across the port community.

Details

ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems, Requirements with guidance for use (with Amendment 1:2024) provides an international framework specifying requirements for an occupational health and safety management system, including, among others, worker participation, hazard identification and risk assessment, legal and other compliance obligations, operational planning and control, emergency preparedness, performance evaluation, and improvement (ISO, 2018). ISO 45001 replaced the earlier OHSAS 18001 standard and aligns structurally with ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environment), supporting integrated management system approaches.

For ports specifically, the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Ports provides sector specific guidance addressing hazards of port work, including, among others, cargo handling, mooring operations, work at height, confined space entry, and interaction with port equipment (ILO, 2018). The ILO Dock Work Convention, 1973 (No. 137) and the Occupational Safety and Health (Dock Work) Convention C152 (1979) establish binding obligations for ratifying states on dock workers' employment and registration (C137) and occupational safety and health (C152).

Peer reviewed research published in Safety Science has conducted systematic reviews of occupational risks and health and safety in ports, identifying priority risk areas and effective controls (Gonçalves et al., 2025). The research identifies, among others, musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive handling, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions associated with dust and emission exposure, fatigue related risks in shift work, and interactions between workers and heavy mobile equipment.

Safety management system certification is offered by recognized certification bodies, supporting independent verification of conformity with ISO 45001 requirements. Complementary frameworks include the PEMSEA Port Safety, Health and Environmental Management (PSHEM) System Certification, which integrates safety with environmental and health management specifically for ports in East Asia (PEMSEA, n.d.).

In ASEAN ports, PSA Singapore applies comprehensive health, safety, and security management across its Singapore container terminals (PSA SG, n.d.). Johor Port Berhad applies safety standards across its multi purpose port operations (Johor Port Berhad, n.d.). PEMSEA reports that Bangkok Port and Laem Chabang Port in Thailand have implemented its PSHEM Code (PEMSEA, n.d.).

Enabling factors

Policy Environment

ISO 45001; ILO OSH and Dock Workers Conventions; ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Ports; national occupational safety law; PEMSEA PSHEM.

Improved Technologies & Standards

Digital WHS management platforms; incident reporting systems; automated equipment reducing worker exposure.

Sustainable Procurement

Contractor WHS requirements in service contracts; safety performance KPIs in contractor evaluation.

Partnerships & Collaboration

ILO and IMO training programs; PEMSEA PSHEM certification; worker unions and representative organizations; certification bodies.

Port type applicability

All 15

port types applicable

Case studies

Global

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), Port of Hamburg, Integrated WHS Management

Hamburg, Germany

Southeast Asia

Johor Port Berhad (Malaysia), Safety Standards and WHS Management

Johor, Malaysia

UN Sustainable Development Goals

ASEAN Taxonomy V4

Not directly applicable (Social Aspects criteria only)

Work health and safety management systems are not activities with their own Technical Screening Criteria under the ASEAN Taxonomy V4. Social Aspects is the third Essential Criterion (EC3) of the ASEAN Taxonomy V4 and applies under both the Foundation Framework and the Plus Standard (Sections 3.2.3 and 4.5). It is assessed at company level, not activity level, and covers promotion and protection of human rights, labor rights and worker protection, and impact on people living close to investments. The key requirement is to meet the relevant social laws of the ASEAN Member State, with guiding questions used where national standards are absent.

Under labor rights and worker protection, the guiding questions ask directly whether the company employs occupational health and safety practices (Section 4.5). ISO 45001 certification and alignment with the ILO Code of Practice on safety and health in ports provide evidence for this question. Some activities also name ISO 45001 directly, for example 383[002] Depollution and dismantling of end-of-life products (ASEAN Taxonomy Board, 2025).