NIOSH Alert: Request for Assistance in Preventing Drownings of
Commercial Fishermen
CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) periodically issues alerts on workplace hazards that have
caused death, serious injury, or illness to workers. One such
alert, Request for Assistance in Preventing Drownings of Commercial
Fishermen (1), was recently published and is available to the
public. *
This alert warns fishermen of the high risk of drowning if
they work on commercial fishing vessel decks without wearing
personal flotation devices (PFDs). The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
estimated that during 1982-1987, the annual occupational fatality
rate for U.S. commercial fishermen was 47 deaths per 100,000
workers; the major cause of these deaths was drowning. According to
information gathered by NIOSH's Alaska Activity, the occupational
fatality rate for commercial fishermen in Alaska during 1991-1993
was 195 deaths per 100,000 workers -- nearly 30 times the average
annual rate for all U.S. workers; 91% were drownings (1). Wearing
PFDs greatly increased the survival chances of fishermen who jumped
or fell into the water. The alert describes five representative
incidents; none involved vessel loss or damage. If the fishermen
who fell overboard had been wearing PFDs, they could have stayed
afloat long enough to increase the chances of successful rescue.
Recommendations are given to prevent falls overboard, to
increase the chances for successful rescues, and to promote PFD
use. Various types of USCG-approved and nonapproved PFDs are
described and illustrated in the alert.
Reference
NIOSH. Request for assistance in preventing drownings of
commercial fishermen. Cincinnati: US Department of Health and Human
Services, Public Health Service, CDC, 1994; DHHS publication no.
(NIOSH)94-107.
Single copies of this document are available without charge from
the Publications Office, Division of Standards Development and
Technology Transfer, NIOSH, CDC, Mailstop C-13, 4676 Columbia
Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998; telephone (800) 356-4674 ({513}
533-8328 for persons outside the United States); fax (513)
533-8573.
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