For Workers in Maritime Industries, Safety Has Special Significance
Posted on Wednesday, June 8 at 1:43pm in Blog, EHS News by VelocityEHS
People who work in the maritime industries know that safety is always the number one priority.
This is much more than just a saying, though. Whether you’re in marine construction, shipping, commercial fishing, transportation, offshore oil and gas exploration, or dockside support services, the hazards that surround the maritime industries and the marine environment are extreme and ever-present.
Maritime workers are at constant risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals, high voltages, heavy machinery, sharp objects, slips and falls, bloodborne pathogens, severe weather, and drowning. The remote nature of work at sea demands that commercial mariners remain vigilant about their own safety at all times. Medical attention is often hours, or even days away.
Maritime workers are well aware of these dangers, and safety is woven into everything they do. But for all of their training, skill, equipment, and preparation, marine casualties are still extraordinarily common. Maritime industries consistently rank among the highest for both fatal and non-fatal injuries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics names commercial fishing as the second-most-dangerous occupation in the United States, averaging more than 80 fatalities per 100,000 employees in 2015, second only to commercial logging, which averages 109 fatalities per 100,000. Marine fatalities had been previously much higher until the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recognized this alarming trend, and began implementing a series of strategic safety and enforcement actions known as Marine Safety & Environmental Protection (MSEP). |