Giving Safety a Competitive Advantage
Increasing PFD Use Among Lobstermen
The rates of commercial fishing fatalities are estimated to be 31 times higher than the average industrial fatality rate. Falls overboard are the most frequent cause of death in the Northeast lobster commercial fishing fleet, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies, and could largely be prevented with the regular use of lifejackets or personal flotation devices (PFDs).
Working together with Northeast lobstermen, our goal is to address concerns about lifejackets/PFDs. This project is led by the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety: Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (NEC), in conjunction with Fishing Partnership Support Services (FPSS), McMillan Offshore Survival Training (MOST), Lobstermen in Maine and Massachusetts, and PFD manufacturers.
We have learned a great deal from commercial lobstermen about the challenges of wearing a lifejacket while fishing. Last winter and summer, 181 commercial lobstermen agreed to trial nine lifejacket models in Maine and Massachusetts. Lifejackets in the study were a wide range of styles and types, from buoyancy aids to offshore lifejackets. Given the long days on the water hauling traps, and concerns regarding gear entanglement, they have indicated that a lifejacket should be:
• Comfortable, flat/not bulky, with no straps or buckles to snag, no dangling toggles, easy to clean, easy to use, bright in color, and for many – integrated into something already worn.
Participation in the study has been heartening, with a recruitment rate of 90.5% and a study completion rate of ¬¬¬¬88.4%. What is most important is finding what lobstermen can work in on a daily basis.
Over this coming year, we will be sharing information with lobstermen about lifejackets and survival systems, and increasing access to a range of lifejackets at community events, dockside, and with retailers. We are very grateful for your assistance in this endeavor, and look forward to this upcoming year of research and outreach.
The NEC would like to thank all the lobstermen who are helping with this endeavor! Thank you also to the following manufacturers who have donated or provided discounted products for this project: ACR Electronics, Hyde Sportswear, Kent, Mullion, Mustang Survival, Quatic Apparel, Spinlock, and Stormline. Thank you for all of your support!
IN PARTNERSHIP with Fishing Partnership Support Services (FPSS) and McMillan Offshore Survival Training (MOST). FPSS is a primary source of health and community support for commercial fishermen and their families and has been a core component of the fishing community since 1997, as well as a key NEC partner in recent years.
McMillan Offshore Survival Training is partnering with FPSS and NEC in Maine.