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Lifejackets and Lobstermen: Giving Safety Equipment a Competitive Advantage



Details

  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    Background: Falls overboard are the most frequent cause of death in the Northeast lobster fishing industry. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) surveillance indicates every victim of a fall overboard who has been found was not wearing a lifejacket. Preliminary research conducted in Maine and Massachusetts indicates lifejacket use is relatively uncommon among lobstermen due to barriers such as comfort, practicality, and social norms. Methods: This study highlights an initiative to: (1) trial various lifejacket designs with lobstermen; (2) identify the most popular designs; and (3) identify other features that could encourage use of lifejackets. In 2017, nine designs were trialed with lobstermen in Maine and Massachusetts during the winter and summer fishing seasons. Participants were recruited dockside, and lifejackets were randomly assigned. Participants completed surveys at 1 week and 4 weeks to assess positive and negative design features and to understand the importance of survival technology that can be used in conjunction with lifejackets. Results: 181 lobstermen in Maine and Massachusetts agreed to participate. Recruitment rates were 90.5%, while the survey completion rate was 88.4%. Survey results identified no clear preference for a specific lifejacket design; however, the ability to choose from many options appeared to be an important factor. Conclusion: Previous studies have indicated that lifejacket preferences are fisheries specific. In the Northeast lobster fishery, however, individual preferences varied. Our research demonstrates that a range of devices covering different buoyancies, wear type, and retrieval systems should be made more available to lobstermen. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • ISSN:
    1059-924X
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
  • Genre:
    Journal Article
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Pages in Document:
    381-390
  • Volume:
    24
  • Issue:
    4
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20056345
  • Citation:
    J Agromedicine 2019 Oct; 24(4):381-390
  • Contact Point Address:
    Julie A. Sorensen, The Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety: Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, 1 Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326, USA
  • Email:
    julie.sorensen@bassett.org
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2020
  • Performing Organization:
    Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York
  • Peer Reviewed:
    True
  • Start Date:
    20160801
  • Source Full Name:
    Journal of Agromedicine
  • End Date:
    20200731
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:63a8858e86bcf96dcb86fd96dbb286fd8ceb8aa207870a2ede8cde404867ec47157671821ebf5e995e13f36f37ca1e2806f2b1bfce98267acc81666fb1eaac40
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 1.17 MB ]
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