Occupational Hazards of a Fisherman - Research Paper Example

Occupational Hazards of a Fisherman Work, in any form is something that makes a man, or women, earn his bread. Since the time has started recording history, work has been an essence in those history pages. Work since then has evolved into many different branches. From being an office desk job to a one with a hunting gear in the hands, work or an occupation of any kind has its benefits and disadvantages. All works or jobs have hazards or bad shortcomings in the line of duty. One does not have to be in the army alone to withstand bullets and scars but other jobs like fishing can also be hazardous to the person’s physical and mental health. This thesis revolves around the fishing industry and its hazards on the men who work in it, either privately or commercially. Fishing has been around mankind since it first caved the sharp tool out of stone. Hunting on the ground and on the water was one of the first sources of food for humans that walked the earth in the early days of mankind. Fishing has now evolved into a science, a very well organized business, having a hefty share in the global market. The report, keeping in mind the advantages, focuses on the side effects on the personnel which hold the flags of this very occupation called fishing. This occupation provides bread and butter to about 500 million people world wide (FAC, 2009). Fishing The term “fishing” relates to catching fish, or more appropriately put, catching aquatic animals. It has become a complete industry now, bagging a per capita of 21.8 Kgs (FAO, 2005). This occupation involves various kinds of fishing. The most common type of fishing done by fishermen to collect fish, as an occupation is done by use of a net, called netting. A huge net is used in catching fish. This occupation also involves storing the fish, packing it and shipping it to the markets or companies which in turn sell them to the common consumer. Every occupation has a set of tools required to complete or process the task at hand. Similarly there are some basic requirements for the fishing profession. Different people use different tools depending on the finances at hand. For example, third world countries still use the traditional methods of fish farming where as the developed countries have mechanized this profession just like they have brought machines in all aspects of life in the post industrial revolution era. The more the methods are of old school, the more danger it brings to the lives of the fishers, a point that will be time and again mentioned in this report. Primary Hazards for a Fisher People working this occupation have extremely high rate of fatality rate, especially for young persons under the age of 18. This is the foremost hazard of this occupation as nothing can be more brutal to a fisherman, than to lose his life while on the job. Fishers work in a very wild and unpredictable work environment and face-off with an alarming number of dangers on their jobs. One reason for this high rate is the weather of the seas. This is such a problem, which cannot be negated with the right training as the weather is an uncontrolled factor, especially when you’re on a vessel in the sea. There are no safe doors out of the storms, hence causing a lot of life lost in this profession. (NIOSH, 2001) In the time period of 6 years, 1992 to 1997, CFOI has claimed that 440 US fishers have lost their lives (NIOSH 2001). The fatality rate in these 6 years have been calculated to be 161.6/1000 workers. This accounts to the highest fatality rate among all occupation in the world in those 6 years (Fosbroke et al, 1997). Not only have the fishers at risk, the ship captains also had a certain high death rate compared to the captains that sail other kinds of shipping in the seas. Secondary Hazards for a Fisher Various factors are involved in forming the primary and secondary hazards in the fishing industry. Some of the factors are economic pressure in stiff fishing season, fatigue, lag in rescue efforts, lack of safety gear (especially in third world countries) ,the lack of training to handle emergencies in times of need, inexperience, aging of the equipment and vessels, unstable and unlike work surfaces (Driscoll et al, 1994). Since fatal injuries have been marked as the primary hazard of fishing, non-fatal injuries are considered to be the secondary or potential hazards in this business. According to a study there are some reasons for these injuries (Alaska Trauma Registry, 2001). The list includes leg being caught in the line, finger caught in the line, arm caught in the winch of the boat, foot caught in coiled line, dragging of the men and stab wounds due to fights among fisherman as sharp tools are available. Illness and Injuries Related to the Profession As the previous two captions have depicted, the first and foremost plague that comes along with this occupation is death. No other injury or illness can overshadow such a fact. The numbers invariably show a gloomy picture. Only occupations like construction and mining have more life risk that fishing. Death is not only the issue plaguing this profession. Another major injury is amputation of limbs due to getting caught in fishing lines and machinery on the vessel used for fishing. Amputations are a very big problem for fishermen, as the majority of work done by fisherman is physical work, hence not having any part of the body will surely finish their career as a fisherman. This is a huge disaster, as most fishermen have been fishing since ages and know no other profession. Another factor that causes diseases in fishermen is the contaminated waters in which they operate to prey upon their catch. The effects are visible later and long lasting like infections and breathing diseases. Other diseases which occur to fishermen for being in the profession for almost all their life are hand boils, nail fold infection, palmer space infection, haddock rash, salt water rash, jumbo wrist, conjunctivitis, fish poisoning, weed rash and rope burns. (DOF, 2004) Preventing Injuries and Diseases Various methodologies can be applied to prevent the injuries and diseases mentioned in the report following to this part of the thesis. For insuring the life safety, the basic element is awareness and ensuring working environment safety, even if the leanest of patches is prevailing in the season. Only this way the fishermen will want their life more than a big catch in terms of volume. The second major threat is the amputation by the fishing line on the vessel. This plague can be taken care by proper designing of the boat and special safety ear on the vessel for the vessel and the fishermen both. The diseases mentioned in the report are mainly due to the direct contact of the fishermen’s hand with the water and fish. These diseases also occur due to the interaction of the skin with the water and the reef. Both of these issues can be addressed by the help of safety gear like gloves and body protective covers for the fishermen. Better nets and technology introduced methods are the way to go. Further methods will be discussed as future prospects in this report. Fishery Regulating Agencies There are various agencies around the world which regulate rules and policies for the welfare of fishermen and their interests. One of the organizations is National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS). It is a united stated federal agency which deals the safety and proper handling of the habitats of the fishes and the environment in which fishing has been carried out. This is also an essential part of the safety programs, as the environment also creates a huge impact on the safety attitude of the fishermen and their administrators. The second organization that is worth mentioning is one that is designed for the welfare of workers such as those men and women working in the fishing industry. This organization is abbreviated as OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This works under the department of labor in the US administrative hierarchy. This organization has regulated laws to ensure safety in working conditions of all occupations. The efforts done have resulted in a lesser injury rate. Proper gear, safety manuals, laws protecting and the rights of the workers are some peculiar traits of this organization. This has been established over a short period of time and huge benefits can be reaped in the future due to the laws regulated by this organization (OSHA, 2011) Futuristic Approach The future is actually in the present. The methods which are applied in the present developing countries are way more complex than he methods used earlier or presently in under developed nations for that matter. Modern fishing lines, nets and vessels are the way to go in the future. Minimum human input on board fishing vessel will ensure the minimization of the occupational hazards faced by fishermen. Special purpose safety gear is being developed by the modern industries to assist the fishermen in their job. The use of GPS and virtual maps will be of essence in the future, for the fishermen and the rescue teams in order to pinpoint the location of emergencies and increase the rescue efforts in times of emergencies. Technology has revolutionized the way humans think about a task. Similarly the modern methods and technology has to revive the way fishing is being done at present. The future holds a lot of potential for increasing the volumes of catching fish. This will be a special factor as the population of the world is increasing, which will in turn increase the demand of aquatic products in the world. This added pressure can only be sustained if and only when machines are brought in this industry aided by computers on the job. Special training for fishermen will also play an important role in the future marine studies will be hot in the market and necessary to be in charge of such a business. Newspaper Article The newspaper article titled “'Il have the scallops. Oh, did you hear about those fishermen?” can be extracted from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/melanie_reid/article6723750.ece. In this article the writer, Melanie Reid, explains the very hazard of the occupation. My personal opinion about this article after my research for this report is that the writer is spot on about the issues. The basic issue; being the nonsense attitude of the customer, who has no knowledge of the dangers of this occupation and is only worried about the fish in the plate. The writer according to me has the right perception about the occupation which he has explained in the article. The people perception about this occupation on the other hand is not a good one. All they care about the end product, and not the hard and dangerous work put in by fishermen. As the title reads the people are only worried about their meals. Conclusion This report can be concluded by asserting some facts that have been discussed in detail in the report. First of all, fishing is a very difficult job with a high accident rate. The only way to overcome fatal and non-fatal injuries in this job is to apply harsh safety standards according to the regulations applied by various safety organizations. Another recommendation that has to be on the table is the involvement of technology and advance methods. Only by doing this it will be ensured that the fishermen return home safely after their daily work. Time and again different organizations have shouted safety slogan for fishermen but to no avail, especially in third world countries. Time has come to take a stand and enforce strict laws in this industry to preserve the natural habitat of the water animals and the safety of those who work in these habitats. References Alaska Trauma Registry (2001). Unpublished data. Juneau, AK: Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Section of Community Health and Emergency Medical Services. Driscoll TR, Ansari G, Harrison JE, Frommer MS, Ruck EA (1994). Traumatic work related fatalities in commercial fishermen Occupation Environ Med 51:612-616. Fisheries and Aquaculture in our Changing Climate, (December 2009) Policy brief of the FAO Copenhagen ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/brochure/climate_change/policy_brief.pdf Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for a world without hunger, FAO: Fisheries and Aquaculture http://www.fao.org/fishery/en Fosbroke D, Kisner S, Myers J (1997). Working lifetime risk of occupational fatal injury. Am JInd Med 31: 459-467. National institute for occupational safety and health (NIOSH) recommendations to the U.S. department of labor for changes to hazardous orders, from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/nioshrecsdolhaz/pdfs/dol-recomm.pdf NIOSH (2001). Unpublished analyses of the 1992-1997 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File provided to NIOSH by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Morgantown, WV:Division of Safety Research, NIOSH. Diseases of fishermen (2004) retrieved from http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga-shs_capt_guide_chap8.pdf Information of OSHA (2011) retrieved from http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga-shs_capt_guide_chap8.pdf Reid, M. 'll have the scallops. Oh, did you hear about those fishermen?(2009, July 23) retrieved 03-05-2011 from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/melanie_reid/article6723750.ece 7. for this part :Contact someone from an agency that regulates this occupation. CONTACT ONE: Note the person’s name, agency, phone number and date of call. See this http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/reg_svcs/councils.htm Read More