The S.C. Stevedores Association and the International Longshoremen's Union have done their duty in strengthening measures to promote port safety through more thorough screening of workers. So has the S.C. House of Representatives in approving a bill that would require a fingerprint-based criminal check of all employees in cargo-related activities.

A series of accidents at state port facilities over the past year killed three men and left three more critically injured, casting a harsh light on apparent shortcomings in port safety. And in a post-9/11 era when keeping port operations safe includes guarding against terrorist threats, more stringent procedures are clearly in order.

As Larry Young, president of the S.C. Stevedores Association, said Tuesday at a State Ports Authority board meeting: "We understand the seriousness of what's going on and our responsibility."

According to our report, the longshoremen union members working for stevedoring companies now will be required to have valid driver's licenses before operating container-hauling trucks at port terminals.

That rule might have averted a tragedy three months ago, when a stevedore was killed after being struck by a vehicle driven by a man whose license was suspended last summer due to a conviction for LSD and cocaine possession. That driver, who already had at least 24 convictions for moving violations in South Carolina and a conviction elsewhere for armed robbery, has been charged with reckless homicide.

The new regulations also will result in a more comprehensive drug-testing program for port workers. And the House bill, which should be approved by the Senate, mandates criminal background checks of those workers.

These actions by the Stevedores Association, Longshoremen's Union and House of Representatives show a welcome recognition that increasing port safety and security through common-sense measures can save lives.