iFish6

The fishing profession has long traditions in Norway. The fisher’s efforts are essential in the wild catch seafood value chains which contribute to significant ripple effects and export values for Norway. In 2022, 9525 fishermen were registered as full-time fishermen, and 1222 people had fishing as a secondary occupation. The Norwegian fishing fleet consists of approximately 4800 vessels, with the vast majority (4500 vessels) being less than 11 meters in length. Norwegian fishers are exposed to several hazards in their work, both when it comes to occupational accidents and strain injuries. Analyses of previous accidents show that the most frequent fatal accidents have been vessel disasters, drowning after falling overboard and drowning in port. Many of these fatalities were fishers working alone on board smaller coastal fishing vessels. In 2022, a historical vision for zero serious occupational injuries at sea was passed by the Norwegian government. Prevention of accidents is crucial, and measures must be implemented to ensure healthy and safe working environments for all fishers. An analysis of accidents registered by the Norwegian Maritime Authority has shown that fishermen often highlight undesired incidents or bad luck as the cause of accidents. Slips and lapses are categories that stand out in statistics on personal injuries in the fishing fleet today. However, the indirect or underlying causes of accidents may be complex, and concern vessel stability, vessel movement, or organizational factors such as inadequate training, long working hours, little sleep and high workload that affect fishermen’s performance. This may in turn be linked to regulations and other framework conditions that are important to consider. Goal of workshop The purpose of the workshop is to discuss risk-influencing factors and contributing causes to hazardous events, measures for prevention and mitigation of occupational accidents, and how to improve safety management in the coastal fishing fleet. IFISH allows us to exchange knowledge across nations and regions and discuss measures that can improve occupational health and safety. We encourage everyone to join the workshop and take part in the discussion. The workshop will be a guided session led by Research Manager Ingunn Marie Holmen and Research Scientist Cecilie Salmonsen from the independent research institute SINTEF Ocean in Norway. The workshop is a part of the project “Serious occupational accidents in coastal fishing”, where accident analyses, interviews and workshops are conducted aiming to develop measures for improved OHS in fishing. The project is financed by the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (project number 901828).