APM Terminals Algeciras continues to strengthen its safety culture on Global Safety Day

Celebrate a whole week of activities designed to reinforce safe practices in critical tasks

APM Terminals Algeciras has once again taken part in Global Safety Day, with the main event held on 28 April, the UN’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work. Under the slogan “We Are Safer Together”, the terminal ran a full programme of activities between 22 and 30 April with a common goal: to strengthen a safety culture based on care, trust and support among people, both within and outside daily operations.

This year’s edition has focused on psychological safety, a key factor in creating environments where people feel able to speak up, ask questions and stop work when necessary. “Procedures are essential, but the final layer of protection is how we look out for one another in real-life, changing situations,” explained Pablo Segura, HSQE Director at APM Terminals Algeciras. “Creating conditions where anyone can speak up helps prevent incidents before they happen and reinforces more reliable and safer operations.”

Throughout the week, practical initiatives were carried out that linked safety to real-world work, such as a campaign to paint twistlocks with reflective paint for external hauliers, workshops on healthy habits, sessions on defibrillator use, GEMBA maintenance sessions on cranes and contractor works, as well as workshops on postural routines and stretching in operational areas. On 28 April, the main day, activities were also held involving container handling, vehicles, and the opening and closing of twistlocks, designed to reinforce safe behaviour in critical tasks.

One of the highlights of the programme was the talk by Patricia Campos Doménech, the Spanish Navy’s first female jet pilot, a football coach, sports commentator, and promoter of social projects in Uganda. Her talk addressed the value of teamwork, conscious leadership and caring for people as practical tools for managing risk. “In safety, there is no room for individualism; one person’s decisions affect everyone,” said José Miguel Carreño, COO of APM Terminals Algeciras, who emphasised that “only through consistency, determination and clear standards can we move towards a truly safe terminal”.

For APM Terminals Algeciras, Global Safety Day is an opportunity to reinforce shared commitments with employees, contractors, hauliers and partners in the port community. “Our commitment to safety goes beyond rules and procedures; it is based on people and how they support one another every day,” said Keld Pedersen, Head of Hub Terminals. “Because when we listen, collaborate and act together, we not only protect those who work at the terminal, but we also contribute to safer and more reliable operations for the entire port community.”