Enhancing Marine Occupational Health and Safety in Canada

By: Dr. Desai Shan, OFI, Dalhousie University & Memorial University

“Maritime occupations, including seafaring and fishing, provide jobs with a high risk of injuries and fatalities. A transnational study shows that 8.5 percent of seafarers suffered an injury during their most recent tour of duty, and a Danish study found that the fatal accident rate in merchant shipping is ten times that in shore-based industries.”

In this article Dr. Desai Shan explores some of the risks and hazards involved with the marine industry, and some of the policies and standards put in place to keep these workers safe.

The FISHER Project

By: Eric Holliday, FISH Safety Foundation

The Fishing Industry Safety and Health Event Reporting (FISHER) Project is an accident reporting, recording and analysis program for fisheries globally. Their focus is on small-scale fishers and gathering fishing accident information, and managing this data for the global fishing industry. The system was developed in response to the lack of any accident reporting system for small-scale fisheries cases. The project hopes to assist countries in identifying the damages associated with these accidents, how to effectively commit resources, and finding ways to prevent further accidents.