Giving Safety a Competitive Advantage: Increasing PFD Use Among Lobster Fishermen

Details

• Personal Author:
  Sorensen JA
• Description:
  Background: The work-related occupational fatality rate for commercial fisheries workers is significantly higher than the average work-related mortality rate for most U.S. workers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports taken from workforce exposure estimates show that fatality rates for fishermen (21-147 deaths per 100,000 FTEs) are on average 23 times higher than the average industrial fatality rate (3.6 deaths per 100,000 FTEs). Falls overboard (FOBs) and vessel sinkings are by far the most common predisposing factor to fishing-related fatalities, accounting for roughly 81% of commercial fisheries deaths. For the East Coast lobster fishing industry, falls overboard account for the highest number of work-related deaths. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) data indicate that no FOB victims were wearing a Personal Flotation Device when recovered (PFD). Methods: The overarching goal of the "Giving Safety a Competitive Advantage: Increasing PFD Use Among Lobster Fishermen" Research Project was to increase PFD use, prevent FOB fatalities, and develop better recovery devices and practices in the commercial fisheries sector. To do this, the research team partnered with one of the most prominent fisheries sectors in the Northeast, the lobster fishing industry, to identify these workers' motivators and barriers to wearing PFDs. Efforts to develop a program to address barriers to PFD use included: 1) 4-6 week trials of a variety of PFD designs, 2) development of PFD use tracking technology to reduce the need for self-report and to address the potential burden of research participation, 3) exploration of PFD distribution channels to identify PFD access issues, and 4) the creation of the "Lifejackets for Lobstermen," which brought fishermen tested and approved PFD designs (offered at a 50% discount) from port to port in Massachusetts (MA) and Maine (ME). Results: Evaluation of the "Lifejackets for Lobstermen" program indicated that fishermen's readiness to use PFDs while working on fishing vessels had significantly increased over the course of the intervention. In all, 1087 PFDs were distributed to lobster fishermen in MA and ME in an eight month period. Over the course of the project, researchers also documented a successful crew recovery that resulted from participation in the intervention. Researchers hope to continue to gather similar success stories in the years ahead. The program has now transitioned to the community and will be operated by a widely known and trusted fisheries organization, Fishing Partnership Support Services (FPSS). Plans for using a similar approach to increase PFD use in other coastal regions of the U.S. are currently underway, with projects planned in the Pacific Northwest and Florida. Conclusions: The application of social marketing principles to increase the use of PFDs among lobster fishermen in MA and ME successfully increased fishermen's willingness to consider and purchase PFDs on fishing vessels. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Drowning Hunting Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Falls Fatalities Fishing Industry Intervention Effectiveness Life Jackets Personal Flotation Device PFD Safety Equipment Social Marketing Worker Safety
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maine ; Massachusetts ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-24
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064784
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2022-100399
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R01-OH-011029, 2021 Aug; :1-24
• Contact Point Address:
  Julie Ann Sorensen, PhD, Northeast Center for Occupational Safety and Health: Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Bassett Medical Center, One Atwell Rd., Cooperstown, NY 13326
• Email:
  julie.sorensen@bassett.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20160801
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20200731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:415b281c4b77c6e469f94c354b40b1cc50260a89049d08a48e26374493d6ddcef6733d872bd56fb89e45c074824799ce962f9d4f6c0395d7cec1e02b750d5823
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219105/cdc_219105_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 450.98 KB ]