A working fishing vessel at sea is an elaborate collection of interacting accident potentials, barely controlled. Even the deck underfoot betrays the unwary, as can every other aspect of the normal daily grind onboard, as fishers ply their trade in weather foul and fair. All elements of the vessel at sea conspire in making this the most dangerous and difficult of all professional callings, an inexplicable calling where life and limb are continually at risk.
This article is based on an examination of reported occupational injuries from the Norwegian fishing fleet from 2000 to 2011. The aim is the determination of important characteristics and traits in the statistics, which may be used to focus and further preventative measures to be applied within this fleet. The results indicate that the current intervention programs and improvement measures have to date made a significant impact on injury levels within the fleet. This study has borne witness to a reduction in injury numbers and incident rates year on year for the past 12 years. It identifies the trawler fleet as the seat of the highest incident rates of injury occurrence, while the small coastal fleet had the lowest reported numbers of injuries. Under-reporting of minor injuries is revealed as a problem in the current reporting system of fisher injuries while the manner, location and body regions of reported injuries are also investigated. These findings lead to a discussion on the future requirements for the Norwegian fleet for further injury reduction and improved reporting practices.
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