Relationship of personal, situational, and environmental factors to injury experience in commercial fishing

2023  Journal Article

Relationship of personal, situational, and environmental factors to injury experience in commercial fishing

Pub TLDR

This research examines the relationship between personal, situational, and environmental factors and injury experience in commercial fishing. Results show that work activity, rather than experience, is the main driver of injury risk. Therefore, interventions to modify the work environment and provide training on hazardous tasks, fatigue management, and weather decisions can benefit all fishermen, regardless of their experience level.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.08.009    PubMed ID: 38081709
 

College of Health researcher(s)

Highlights

  • Commercial fishing involves a variety of activities and is hazardous.
  • Personal, situational, and environmental factors relate to fishermen nonfatal injury experience.
  • Fishing experience alone is not related to injury experience as work activities are associated.
  • Being tired and weather are contributing factors to nonfatal injuries.

Abstract

Introduction

Commercial fishing work involves a variety of activities and is hazardous. While much is understood to mitigate fatalities in this industry, research must further explore nonfatal injury characteristics, factors related to injury, and potential injury prevention strategies. This paper determines if fishing experience is associated with injury risk and explores common work activities associated with injury.

Method

Key informant interviews and a survey of fishermen were conducted to refine work activity codes and collect injury experiences. Independent sample t-tests compared the means of the years fishing by injury incident for all crab fishermen then stratified by position. Descriptive statistics explored the nature of injury in relation to work activity.

Results

The level of experience was significantly lower for injured fishermen compared to fishermen who reported no injuries, but when stratified by position at the time of the injury, the association of injury to experience was only significant for owners. This stratified result demonstrates that the work activity, rather than experience, drives the apparent relationship of experience to injury. Being tired (24%) and weather (26%) were indicated as contributing factors at the time of injury.

Conclusion

Modifying the work environment to better control hazards would benefit all fishermen, regardless of their experience, age, or position. Further work into effective interventions that fishermen would adopt is needed to reduce injury risk. Any formal or informal training of new fishermen should focus on the most hazardous activities, but more experienced fishermen would also benefit. Additionally, effective training or interventions for fatigue management, and decision support tools for weather- and navigation-related decisions would further reduce risk of at sea injuries.

Practical applications

Injury prevention training, for all fishermen, regardless of their position and years of experience, should cover the most hazardous tasks, fatigue risk management strategies, and weather decisions.

Kincl, L., Syron, L., Lucas, D., Vaughan, A., Bovbjerg, V.(2023)Relationship of personal, situational, and environmental factors to injury experience in commercial fishingJournal of Safety Research