Abstract
Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, with a 2016 work-related fatality rate (86.0 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) 23 times higher than that for all U.S. workers (3.6) (1). Sinking vessels cause the most fatalities in the industry; however, falling from a fishing vessel is a serious hazard responsible for the second highest number of commercial fishing-associated fatalities (2,3). CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) analyzed data on unintentional fatal falls overboard in the U.S. commercial fishing industry to identify gaps in the use of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies. During 2000-2016, a total of 204 commercial fishermen died after unintentionally falling overboard. The majority of falls (121; 59.3%) were not witnessed, and 108 (89.3%) of these victims were not found. Among 83 witnessed falls overboard, 56 rescue attempts were made; 22 victims were recovered but were not successfully resuscitated. The circumstances, rescue attempts, and limited use of lifesaving and recovery equipment indicate that efforts to reduce these preventable fatalities are needed during pre-event, event, and post-event sequences of falls overboard. Vessel owners could consider strategies to prevent future fatalities, including lifeline tethers, line management, personal flotation devices (PFDs), man-overboard alarms, recovery devices, and rescue training.
Highlights
Fifty-nine percent of falls were not witnessed, and 89.3% of these victims were not found
Rescue attempts were made within 1 hour for 69 victims, over half (39; 56.5%) were unable to be recovered from the water, underscoring the difficulty of retrieving an overboard fall victim
GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2018
Summary
Among 149 (73.0%) cases where the cause of the fall was known, the leading causes were losing balance (48; 32.2%), tripping or slipping (47; 31.5%), and becoming entangled in gear (31; 20.8%). The majority of falls (121; 59.3%) were unwitnessed, and most of these victims (108; 89.3%) were not located within an hour of the fall (Figure 2). For the 83 witnessed falls overboard, 56 (67.5%) rescue attempts were made, with 22 victims recovered but none successfully resuscitated. Among 19 (9.3%) events in which use of a life ring† was noted, recovery attempts failed in most cases (14; 73.7%). Among the 30 crewmembers who were recovered from the water within an hour, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was attempted on 21 (70.0%), but none could be resuscitated
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