Commercial 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. Fatal 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 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. 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. The range of subjects in this proceeding volume is
impressive, from risk factor analyses to intervention approaches,
some rooted in practicalities and success, some more theoretical.
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.
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