Safe Work Australia has issued new Guidelines governing safe unpacking procedures for imported shipping containers. This follows a detailed evaluation of the risks of toxic gases in containers – from fumigation and other sources – in Australia. This study showed that a significant percentage of imported containers contained unsafe levels of toxic gas, similar to results found in other countries. Management of the risk, by monitoring for, and forced ventilation of any gases found, will mean the number of incidents of worker exposure should be greatly reduced, when these Guidelines are complied with.
