Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s leading ports group, has partnered with the University of Hull to delve deeper into the context and drivers impacting safety performance on ABP’s ports.
ABP is working with the team of psychologists at The Centre for Human Factors based in Lampada Digital Solutions, a University of Hull subsidiary, to deliver a survey across all ABP’s 21 ports plus the group’s other locations utilising a diagnostic safety climate tool designed to help organisations assess and improve their safety culture. It measures employees’ perceptions of safety in the workplace, focusing on areas such as organisational commitment and usability of procedures. The survey adopts the best practice approach from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
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Sally Ford, Group Head of Health Safety and Environment for ABP, said “Safety is a core value for ABP. We are committed to doing all we can to make sure each of our colleagues goes home safe every day. We’ve made good progress over recent years but we know our focus must be relentless. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Centre for Human Factors – to bring a new perspective firmly grounded in rigour and evidence.
“We’re also particularly pleased to be working with a University in one of our port locations, Hull. Working with a local university in Hull is about more than research, it’s about investing in our community, developing lasting partnerships and supporting the local innovation ecosystem.”
Professor Fiona Earle, Chartered Occupational Psychologist & Director of the Centre for Human Factors said “Our focus at the Centre is on creating healthier and safer working environments. Over the past two decades, we have developed extensive expertise in translating research into practical, industry-relevant solutions. We understand that effective safety goes far beyond policies and formal processes—it requires a deep understanding of the unique context within each organisation.
“We’re delighted to be working with ABP, a major employer in a key industrial sector across the Humber region. Our collaboration is already well underway as we analyse survey results from 21 UK ports and explore emerging issues facing the business. Drawing on our in-depth expertise in human factors, we will work with ABP to develop interventions that drive positive shifts in safety culture.”
Fiona and Dr Léa Fréour will also be undertaking a series of deep dives into key outcomes from the survey, designed to give detail on attitudes and behaviour and drive towards actionable insights that ABP can adopt to drive safety performance improvements.
The Centre for Human Factors delivers sector‑leading, evidence‑based approaches to health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace, with long established experience in the field of human factors. This considers how people interact with their working environment and its systems.
As part of its sector leading network of 21 ports, ABP operates three other ports in the Humber region in addition to Hull – Immingham, Grimsby and Goole. Collectively they make up the UK’s largest gateway for trade with the world by volume, handling more than 50 million tonnes of freight each year. ABP’s Humber ports also provide a crucial foundation for the region’s contribution to the UK’s energy system today and tomorrow – enabling, for example, refining and energy generation activities and hosting major wind turbine manufacturing facilities.