Abstract
Maritime pilotage is a demanding occupation where pilots are required to perform complex procedures in sometimes unfamiliar working environments. These psychological stressors, in addition to the physical demands associated with the role (e.g., reduced sleep, boarding, and departing vessels), may over time have a damaging effect on pilots' physical and mental health. Therefore the aim of this paper was to systematically review the existing literature on maritime pilots' health and well-being. The databases academic search complete, MEDLINE and MEDLINE complete, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PubMed, and ScienceDirect were searched from the earliest available record until 1 May 2015. From an initial pool of 167 manuscripts retrieved, only 18 were peer-reviewed original research and discussed topics associated with maritime pilots' health and well-being. In total, 29 factors associated with maritime pilot health and well-being were identified. These were loosely categorised into physical (n = 14), psychosocial (n = 8), and workplace issues (n = 7). The most commonly investigated factors were blood pressure or heart rate, sleep or fatigue, smoking and alcohol consumption, perceived stress, and shift duration or cycle. Findings from the review suggest that the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and associated cardio-metabolic risk factors seems to be of paramount importance, with ample evidence indicating that modern-day pilots present as being overweight or obese. What remains unknown is whether these physical factors are associated with variations in psychosocial functioning. Therefore, it is recommended that future pilotage investigations adopt a multidisciplinary approach to better quantify the impact of maritime pilotage on long-term health and well-being.
Highlights
The maritime industry is one of the oldest in history, facilitating approximately 90% of the world’s trade via the international shipping industry
Eleven manuscripts were excluded because they were not about topics relating to maritime pilots health and well-being; a final 18 studies were included in the analysis
Emerging from this process were 29 factors associated with maritime pilot health and well-being that were further investigated
Summary
The maritime industry is one of the oldest in history, facilitating approximately 90% of the world’s trade via the international shipping industry. Maritime pilots are responsible for the safe navigation of vessels through restricted and challenging waterways [5], often operating in isolation, and completing long shifts in sometimes unfamiliar working environments. To this end, maritime pilots are often responsible for ensuring the continuity of a nation’s trading agreements, in addition to preserving sensitive environmental regions. Maritime pilotage is a demanding occupation where pilots are required to perform complex procedures in sometimes unfamiliar working environments These psychological stressors, in addition to the physical demands associated with the role (e.g., reduced sleep, boarding, and departing vessels), may over time have a damaging effect on pilots’ physical and mental health. It is recommended that future pilotage investigations adopt a multidisciplinary approach to better quantify the impact of maritime pilotage on long-term health and well-being
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
