Our commitment to safety
Making sure our colleagues go home safely every day is first and foremost in everything we do.
Beyond Zero: Keeping our people safe
Beyond Zero is our ongoing journey to create a positive and proactive safety, health and wellbeing culture across ABP. It is about every member of the ABP team going home safe and well at the end of every shift.
Our Beyond Zero vision is to ensure that in fulfilling our missions of Keeping Britain Trading and Enabling the Energy Transition, we keep our colleagues, contractors and visitors to our ports safe, healthy and well – because every person matters to ABP.
Introducing ABP's 9 Life Saving Rules
To strengthen our safety culture, ABP has introduced 9 Life Saving Rules – a proven safety approach used across high-risk industries to reduce major injuries and fatalities.
These rules target the highest potential safety risks in the port industry and are designed to build awareness, drive consistent safe behaviours and prevent incidents and injuries.
Each Life Saving Rule exists for a reason. Experience proves that when properly followed, they keep people safe.
Safety is everyone's responsibility
Our 9 Life Saving Rules focus on the highest-risk activities to prevent serious injuries and fatalities. Safe behaviour is a requirement for everyone on-site, including colleagues, contractrors, visitors and port users.
Everyone has the authority to STOP the job immediately if they see something unsafe.
Eyes on safety – I always keep eyes on safety, keeping myself and others safe by recognising, avoiding and reporting hazards.
Workplace transport – I always work with and around workplace transport, plant and equipment safely.
Lifting operations – I always plan and carry out all lifting operations safely and work safely where lifting operations and taking place.
Permits, authorisations and safety controls – I always make sure valid permits, authorisations and safety controls are in place before the job starts.
Working at height – I always use fall protection and correct PPE when working at height or close to water.
Zero energy – I never assume equipment is isolated and always test to confirm zero energy before any work starts.
Confined space – I always make sure required authorisations and safety controls are in place before any confined space entry.
Safe driving – I always follow safe driving rules.
Ready to work – I always start the day or shift ready to work, without impairment and with the right PPE and equipment.
Embedding a safety-led culture
Embedding a safety-led culture is a critical step towards eliminating harm and making ABP a great place to work.
We continue to place a strong emphasis on behavioural safety, with front-line teams actively participating in a growing range of safety culture and leadership development programmes. For example, we have deployed new technologies, including Virtual Reality, to help raise awareness amongst colleagues about workplace risks and challenges in an engaging and impactful way.
We're also proud to host an annual ABP Safe and Well Tour, in which our Health, Safety and Environment team travels across our ports throughout the summer to engage with colleagues directly. The tour brings safety conversations to life and helps to reinforce our shared commitment to creating a safer, healthier workplace for everyone.
As part of our wider commitment to wellbeing, ABP also offers a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme. This includes access to telephone, online and face-to-face counselling with trained specialists, as well as support for mental health, financial wellbeing, and personal challenges. Because at ABP, Every Person Matters.
Report a safety concern
Colleagues can report a safety or environment matter relating to any of our ports, sites or activities:
- Submit a report here
- Or call our automated voicemail: 084 5034 4570