|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NIOSH Publication No. 2006-114:Proceedings, Second International |
April
2006
|
|
||
ForewordCommercial fishermen continue to risk their lives and livelihood as they labor to bring food to tables around the world. Few occupations are as dangerous as that of a commercial fisherman's, and we at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health place the safety of these workers as a high priority. We call upon the readers of this proceedings volume to join our efforts to support safety training for commercial fishermen and the acquisition and use of safety equipment, including personal flotation devices, survival suits, and radio equipment, for all commercial fishing vessels. While we may not be able to control the harsh environment in which commercial fishing takes place, we certainly can promote safer vessels and survival training for workers in the commercial fishing industry.
AcknowledgementsWe appreciate the help provided to us by Kristie Sherrodd, manager, Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA), who helped organize the conference and helped editors track down material for these proceedings; Jerry Dzugan, executive director, AMSEA, who helped organize the conference and facilitated communications with many of the presenters at the conference; Diana Hudson, Angela Hunt, and Michael Jones, who gathered and organized these articles and completed some of the early editorial work; Jennifer Lincoln, Alaska Field Station, who assisted with final edits and layout; Linda Bradford, Alaska Field Station, who assisted with layout and editing; and Tim Pizatella, NIOSH Division of Safety Research, who assisted with editing an earlier version of the proceedings. Lance Kissler of the Spokane Research Laboratory was invaluable in providing assistance with the InDesign document program. We also thank Regina Pana-Cryan, NIOSH senior scientist, for her review of the document. We gratefully acknowledge the help provided by AMSEA staff during the conference, including Kris Finkenbinder, Mary Chambers, Steven Campbell, and Julie Butler Doggett. We also appreciate the individual presenters at the Second Conference on International Fishing Industry Safety and Health in Sitka, Alaska, who shared their expertise in commercial fishing safety issues with attendees. Most of the presentations featured at IFISH II are available within the pages of this volume, and we believe the material presented here will help promote commercial fishing safety around the world. Scientific CommitteeAnn Backus, MS, Harvard School of Public Health, USA International CommitteeMenakhem Ben Yami, Advisor, Fisheries Development and Management,
Israel PrefaceFatal traumatic injuries in commercial fishing have resulted in this industry being one of the most hazardous in Alaska, the United States, and many other nations. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimate that 7% of all worker fatalities worldwide occur in the fishing industry, even though this industry accounts for less than 1% of the worldwide workforce. The fatality rate for U.S. commercial fishermen was 168 per 100,000 workers per year from 1994 through 1998, 35 times the overall US occupational fatality rate (4.8 per 100,000 workers per year) (CFOI). Around the world, for example, in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Korea, and Sweden, occupational fishing fatality rates range from 16 to as much as 79 times higher than these countries' overall occupational fatality rate. The ILO has estimated that the fishing industry experiences 24,000 deaths and as many as 24 million nonfatal injuries each year worldwide. To bring together fishermen, fishing safety proponents and professionals, government officials, equipment manufacturers, and other parties interested in fishing safety and health, the Alaska Field Station, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, organized the Fishing Industry Safety and Health (FISH) conferences. The first two (Anchorage, Alaska, in 1992, and Seattle, Washington, in 1997) were national in scope. As these were well-attended and included participants wanting to learn from other countries where fishing was of economic significance, we decided to broaden the scope of the next conference. Thus, the first International Fishing Industry Safety and Health Conference (IFISH) was held in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in October of 2000, in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health. That meeting was well attended and included representatives from many nations. In late September of 2003, working with the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, we held IFISHII in Sitka, Alaska, which drew 135 registrants from 18 nations. Forty speakers addressed topics ranging from deck safety needs for crabbers working in northern waters to policy changes affecting Pacific Island States. Among the presenters were seven speakers sponsored by FAO who provided overviews of commercial fishing safety programs in developing countries, including Tonga, Sri Lanka, xiv Proceedings Pakistan, India, Senegal, and Chile. IFISH II's focus on safer working environments for commercial fishermen is part of a growing international emphasis on the need for collaboration among governments, nongovernmental entities, vessel owners and operators, and fishermen themselves to develop effective safety programs. Although fishermen from Sri Lanka sometimes face different types of problems than do fishermen from Sweden or the United States, all of them are operating offshore, usually at some distance from emergency help. This proceedings volume includes manuscripts submitted for 28 of the 40 presentations given at the conference. The range of subjects is impressive, from risk factor analyses to intervention approaches, some rooted in practicalities and success, some more theoretical. The presentations and resulting papers represent tremendous geographic diversity as well, with papers presented and submitted by fishermen from the South Pacific all the way to the Arctic Circle. Gathering people from fishing countries spread around the globe at an event like IFISH II helps us all to identify programs, equipment, and policies that are effective in promoting fishing safety. George A. Conway, MD, MPH Executive SummaryThis volume contains material that was presented at the Second
International An emphasis on practical solutions for fishing safety emerged in
presentations IFISH IIs focus on safer working environments for commercial fishermen is part of a growing international emphasis on the need for collaboration among governments, nongovernmental entities, vessel owners and operators, and fishermen themselves to develop effective safety programs. Our hope is that these proceedings contribute to these efforts by underscoring the hazards that commercial fishermen face each day at work and by illustrating the many ways in which collaborative partnerships can help promote safer fishing throughout the world. Nicolle A. Mode, MS DisclaimerSponsorship of the IFISH II Conference and these proceedings by
the National Recommendations are not to be considered as final statements of NIOSH policy or of any agency or individual involved. They are intended to be used in advancing the knowledge needed for improving worker safety and health. This document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted. Copies of this and other NIOSH documents are available from Publications Dissemination, Fax number: (513) 533-8573 For further information about occupational safety and health topics, call 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674), or visit the NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/niosh DHHS (NIOSH) PUBLICATION No. 2006-114 |
|
| |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
