West Coast arbitrator recognizes serious risk of exploding reefers, sets safety protocols

CONTACT: Jennifer Sargent, 503-703-2933

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (NOVEMBER 9, 2011) – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced to its members at 29 West Coast ports the results of an arbitration hearing in which safety procedures designed to protect dockworkers and the public from potentially explosive refrigerated containers, or “reefers” were established. As a result of counterfeit coolant that has been added to reefer cooling systems in Vietnam, three workers have been killed and several others wounded by spontaneous explosions that have occurred in other countries. Thousands of at-risk containers are believed to be in circulation and making their way to American ports.

In order to protect workers and the public, the ILWU urged the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) to adopt a definition of “at risk” containers that included all reefers that have transited Vietnam in 2011. The PMA wanted to restrict the definition to include only those reefers that had certain types of work performed in Kat Lai, Vietnam. Yesterday, after about seven hours of arbitration, the Coast Arbitrator ruled that an “at risk” container is any container that has transited Vietnam and had “non-electric/PLC maintenance or service” performed in Vietnam at any time during the 2011 calendar year. Any such “at risk” reefer must be considered potentially lethal and dealt with according to special handling protocols for “at risk” reefers.

The union found out about the potential for explosions in reefers on Oct. 20, 2011, and has worked almost nonstop since then to secure safety protocols given the substantial risk to its members and the general public.

Protocols now include, among other procedures, complete disclosure of a reefer’s transit history since the beginning of this year to identify those that have transited Vietnam; determination of which reefers have received non-electrical/PLC work in Vietnam in 2011; the isolation of containers deemed to be at risk based on maintenance or service records; and the assurance that only those reefers that have been cleared as safe be allowed back into the community.

“We have worked tirelessly since mid-October to address this problem, and we are reassured that the arbitrator has chosen to err on the side of caution, which we think will save lives, as we determine how to resolve this very dangerous situation,” said Robert McEllrath, ILWU International President.

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