27.07.2005

ABP launch campaign to Kids

Associated British Ports has launched a summer safety-awareness campaign to warn children of the dangers of swimming in the Company’s docks and harbours. This follows a report we ran of children climbing dock cranes in order to dive into the docks.

Out of concern for the communities that surround its ports, ABP is spreading the message that, not only is swimming in the docks illegal, it can also result in serious injury or even death.

ABP decided to provide local schools with ‘hard-hitting’ posters and leaflets that warn of the hazards, before they broke up for the summer holiday. The information was provided to some 150 schools within a five-mile radius of the Company’s ports. To further enforce the message, ABP’s safety managers gave their time to speak to children directly, during school assemblies.

“We are trying to prevent behaviour that is a serious cause of concern for everyone involved, not just for parents, but also for everyone working at the port.” Explained Bo Lerenius, ABP’s Group Chief Executive.

He added: “The children must understand that swimming in the dock is acutely dangerous – the water is deep, cold and unpredictable. It is not like a swimming pool, with lifeguards and safety systems in place and it is potentially contaminated with discharges from ships and industrial processes, and Weil’s disease from rats in the water. The only way to be safe is to avoid it altogether.”
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L-R. David Walker, RoSPA; Steve Giblin, ABP Group Safety Manager; Jeremy Wilkinson, Head of Whitefriars, Paul Fewtrell, ABP Safety Manager.Front row: Matthew Harrison, Daniel Holmes, Arron Sayer, Daisy Ellis, Shane Keegan,Toocha Gathercole