Laem Chabang Port Develops Port Safety and Management Policy

Thailand — Responding to the challenges facing the port authorities and operators regarding sustainable development, the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) has embarked on the development of a Port Safety, Health and Environmental Management System (PSHEMS) on its Laem Chabang port.Eleven participants representing the different departments of Laem Chabang Port participated in the PSHEMS workshop on 13-17 October 2008, organized and conducted by PEMSEA. The five-day training workshop is the first in a series of trainings, which is designed to enhance the participants' knowledge and understanding on the PSHEM Code and provide them with the necessary skills to establish, implement and improve the PSHEMS of Laem Chabang Port.During the workshop, the participants developed the PSHEMS Policy for Laem Chabang Port. The policy expresses the Port's commitment to: prevent accidents, comply with applicable regulations, prevent pollution and improve safety, health and environmental performance.The workshop also equipped the participants with the necessary skills to identify safety, health and environmental hazards and perform risk assessment to assess the significance of the different hazards found in the port. The workshop also covered the development of a regulatory register and the establishment of PSHEMS objectives, targets and improvement programs. These skills enabled the participants to perform the Strategic Planning Phase of PSHEMS development in Laem Chabang Port.Mr. Thongchai Thammapredee, Director of Port Operations Division of Laem Chabang Port emphasized the need for a concerted effort between Laem Chabang Port (as the Port Authority) and its Operators to achieve the goals expressed in their PSHEM Policy.The next set of PSHEMS training workshops scheduled next year will cover the Documentation and Implementation of the PSHEMS, Monitoring PSHEMS Performance, PSHEMS Auditing and Continual Improvement, and will be attended by representatives from Laem Chabang Port and Private Companies operating inside the port.