Safety Management in Norwegian Fish Farming: Current Status, Challenges, and Further Improvements.

BACKGROUND: Safety management is required to ensure health and safety of personnel in Norwegian fish farming. However, few studies have addressed the status and practical relevance of this risk-reducing measure. METHODS: This article provides new knowledge through interviews with 35 employees at different company levels, addressing perceptions of various safety management activities according to managers and operational personnel. RESULTS: The interviews show that managers and operational personnel at fish farms agree that the quantity of measures aimed to improve safety has increased in recent years. However, some activities are perceived to have higher practical relevance than others. In general, measures that fit well with the practical reality are well received by the employees at the fish farms. CONCLUSION: Suggested improvements include involving operational personnel in the design of procedures, considering all risk dimensions that may affect occupational health and safety, and challenging the value of specific safety activities based on a detailed knowledge of the distinctive characteristics of work practice in fish farming.

Reporting of Hazardous Events in Aquaculture Operations - The Significance of Safety Climate.

Objectives: In Norwegian aquaculture, safer technology and better safety management systems have been developed during the last decade. Safety commitment and safe behavior are still vital to ensure a safe working environment. The objective of this paper is to explore what factors might influence the reporting of hazardous situations in aquaculture. The significance of factors on both the individual (work experience, position) and company/organizational level (company size, safety climate) was studied. It was hypothesized that reporting of hazardous situations was positively predicted by work experience, having the position as operational manager, company size, and safety climate.Methods: The study is based on a quantitative questionnaire study involving 428 fish farmers, operational managers, and service vessel employees in the Norwegian aquaculture industry, interviewed by telephone. A purposive sampling procedure was employed. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were applied. The data quality was considered satisfactory.Results: Individual factors had no significant relationship with the reporting of hazardous situations. Company size and safety climate factors had positive associations with reporting. Larger companies might have more resources for safety management and the development of practical reporting solutions. A positive safety climate might increase the motivation for reporting.Conclusion: Efforts by management to improve the safety climate can contribute to the reporting of hazardous events, continuous improvement of safety management and improvement of the safety level.

Sickness Absence and Hospitalization among Workers on Board Norwegian Fishing Vessels.

Background: All over the world, commercial fishing is known to be a hazardous occupation. Although several causal analyses of occupational accidents have been published in recent years, knowledge of the prevalence of sick leave, diagnosis and hospitalization among workers on board Norwegian fishing vessels is still sparse.Objective: The objective of this study is to provide new knowledge about the prevalence of doctor-certified sick leave among Norwegian fishers compared to an age- and gender-matched control population. A comparison of diagnoses and hospitalizations between these groups is also presented.Methods: A sample of fishers (n = 25,971) was selected by Statistics Norway (SSB), based on occupation as fishers in 2008-2013. An age- and gender-matched control population (n = 77,913) was also selected. Outpatient consultation and hospitalization data were received from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR).Results: Fishers have significantly lower rates of sick leave than the general working population as a whole, but a significantly higher rate sick leave than an age- and gender-matched control population. The most common cause of sick leave in both fishers and controls was musculoskeletal problems. Fishers had a higher number of hospital stays than the control group; the stays were more often unscheduled and lasted longer than those of the control group.Conclusion: The results emphasize the continued need for preventive occupational health strategies in the fishing industry.

A review of fatal accident incidence rate trends in fishing.

BACKGROUND: Injury prevention in fishing is one of the most important occupational health challenges. AIM: The aim was to describe and compare internationally the trends of the fatal injury incidence rates and to discuss the impact of the implemented safety programs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The review is based on journal articles and reports from the maritime authorities in Poland, United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, United States and Alaska and Canada. The original incidence rates were recalculated as per 1,000 person-years for international comparison of the trends. RESULTS: The risk of fatal accidents in fishing in the northern countries has been reduced by around 50% to an average of about 1 per 1,000 person-years. Norway and Canada keep the lowest rates with around 0.5 and 0.25 per 1,000 person-years. About half of the fatal injuries are related to vessel disasters and drowning. The safety programs seem to have good effects, but the risk is still about 25 to 50 times higher than for onshore workers. CONCLUSIONS: The overall fatal injury rates in the European and North American studies decreased by around 50% most probably as result of the implemented safety programs. However the high risk in fishing compared to onshore workers calls for continued and intensified safety programs.

A review of fatigue in fishermen: a complicated and underprioritised area of research.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue in fishing has been a highly underprioritised area of research, even though fatigue has been found to be the largest single contributing factor in accidents. AIM: The aim of this article/paper is to provide an overview of the research conducted on fatigue in fishermen up to date, in order to establish a starting point for further research in this area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The review is mainly based on journal articles from PubMed, Google Scholar, International Maritime Health, Science Direct and some relevant articles links were also followed. RESULTS: The research revealed that only 5 articles have been published concerning fatigue in fishermen.The articles all confirmed that fatigue is a serious health and safety issue among fishermen, and that further research therefore is warranted. CONCLUSIONS: Only 2 of the 5 studies of fishermen's fatigue used objective measures and in one of these, the sample size was small (n = 19), effectively limiting the statistical analysis and its application. Further research using larger samples is needed, preferably with a mix of objective and subjective measures, where of some of the questions should be scenario based and some should be from standardised questionnaires. Greater understanding is also needed to assess how much of the variance in fatigue is attributable to e.g. length of trip, hours of work without rest, and type of job and specific tasks. A greater understanding of the similarities and differences between acute and long-term fatigue is also needed.

Design for end-user acceptance: requirements for work clothing for fishermen in Mediterranean and northern fishing grounds.

Fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations, and as many as 24,000 fishermen around the world suffer fatal injuries or drowning at sea every year. Although fishermen in the European fishing fleet work in harsh and dangerous environments, many fishermen do not use personal protective clothing and buoyancy aids due to reduced work comfort and poor functionality. This emphasizes the importance of designing work clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) with functionality that matches the fishermen's needs. The aim of this study was to identify the requirements for work clothing in terms of comfort, protection, and safety for fishermen operating in northern fishing grounds and in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, we investigated whether fishermen in the Mediterranean prioritize work-clothing requirements differently from fishermen in northern fishing grounds. Interviews and observations of fishermen provided us with the requirements for work clothing for fishermen. A questionnaire was then distributed to a selection of European fishermen. The study showed that fishermen operating in the Mediterranean prioritized their requirements differently from fishermen in northern fishing grounds. There was good agreement on requirements regarding work comfort. Safety requirements, such as integrated buoyancy, were ranked as less important by the Mediterranean fishermen compared to fishermen in northern fishing grounds. The results of this study provide a basis for the development of work clothing and PPE for fishermen. Work clothing and PPE that fulfil the requirements are likely to obtain end-user acceptance and thus improve safety for fishermen at sea.

Sleep disturbances among offshore fleet workers: a questionnaire-based survey.

BACKGROUND. Shift work is related to fatigue and desynchronization with the external environment. This study investigates how 6-h shifts and 12-h shifts affects sleep and safety in workers onboard offshore supply vessels, and if any differences exist between the two working schedules. MATERIAL AND METHODS. A questionnaire study was carried out in the North Sea, Australia, Africa, South America, and the Far East, with 577 participants. The offshore fleet workers gave information on parameters related to sleep disturbances, causes of sleep disturbances, and safety. Regional differences in these parameters were also investigated. RESULTS. Workers on 6-hour shifts reported significantly more sleep problems than 12-hour shift workers did (p 〈 0.01). The 6-hour workers were more affected by noise (p 〈 0.01) and shift-work itself (p 〈 0.01). CONCLUSIONS. Those working 6-hour shifts suffer more from sleep disturbances than those on 12-hour shifts, but this is not reflected in the perception of safety within the individual. Noise and shift-work itself is more of a problem in the 12-hour workers. Differences in safety culture and work morale are likely to cause the differences between regions.