Tag Archives: personal floatation devices
Fisherman drowned after being dragged overboard by ‘chain weight’
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) concluded their fatal accident inquiry into the death of John Wilson who died almost three years ago. The inquiry found that the 64-year-old, who lived in St Abbs, was pulled overboard after his foot became entangled in a chain weight on August 28, 2021. Mr. Wilson was on board his boat the Harriet J near Meikle Poo Craig when the incident happened. Following the inquiry, the Sheriff recommended that crew members of single person operated fishing vessels should wear Personal Locator Beacons and Personal Floatation Devices at all times whilst at sea. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 14:38
Commercial fishing deaths in Canada hit 20-year high
Despite improvements in safety training and awareness, commercial fishing remains one of the most dangerous professions in Canada. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada reports that 45 workers died between 2018 and 2020, the highest three-year total in 20 years. And fishing safety has been on the board’s watchlist of important safety matters since 2010. But fishing fatalities are preventable. The Transportation Safety Board also reports that 29 workers died between 2015 and 2021 after their boats capsized or sank without personal floatation devices or distress-alerting devices. “You’ve got to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, and that’s where we see that they’re not prepared,” said Glenn Budden. >click to read< 19:03
Canada: Fishing Industry’s high death rate ‘unacceptable’ and ‘preventable’
Though there is no obvious reason as to why fishing in Canada is so dangerous, or more dangerous than in other countries, there are certainly a number of factors at play. One of the reasons could simply be due to the large numbers of fish harvesters in Canada. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have the greatest population of fish harvesters (according to 2009 numbers, Newfoundland and Labrador has around 17,000 fish harvesters and 6000 vessels, while Nova Scotia has around 13,000 fish harvesters and around 4,500 vessels). With so many people in the industry, a higher number of fatalities could be inevitable. >click to read< 10:26
Lifejacket could have avoided Shetland fisherman’s death, FAI finds
The death of a fisherman working off Shetland could have been avoided if he wore a lifejacket, a Fatal Accident Inquiry has found. As a result a sheriff has called for it to be mandatory for all fishermen to wear a lifejacket while working on deck. Scott James Rennie, 31, died on June 23, 2016, at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick. An hour before his death he was working on the fishing vessel King Challenger. >click to read< 19:55
Lives on the line when fishermen head out to sea
It’s an old song. But it seems we have to keep singing it until something changes. Two weeks ago, The Globe and Mail ran a feature story on the fishing industry, pointing out, as others have for years, that the industry is one of the most dangerous in Canada. The newspaper mined statistical data to show just how dangerous the profession is: out of all professions in Canada, three different fishing occupations were in the top 10 of Canada’s most dangerous. Fishing vessel deckhand was the second-most dangerous occupation in the country. Fishing vessel skippers and fishers came in at fifth place, and aquaculture and marine harvest labourers ranked sixth. click here to read the story 09:06
Coast Guard orders second fishing vessel in 2 days into Port Angeles Harbor because of safety concerns
The Coast Guard patrol boat Sea Lion ordered a second fishing vessel into Port Angeles Harbor this week after it was found to have inadequate safety gear. The 34-foot Equalizer, whose 3-member crew had been harvesting geoducks, was stopped and boarded east of Port Angeles on Thursday. The vessel was ordered to remain in the harbor until its crew “fixed the especially hazardous safety condition of lacking a sufficient number of personal floatation devices also known as lifejackets and having expired flares,” the Coast Guard said. Read the rest here 11:32
MAN UP!!! NIOSH to fishermen: wear your PFD
thecordovatimes.com – It’s not one size fits all, but there are enough styles of personal floatation devices out there now to fit every commercial fish harvester’s needs, says Ted Teske of the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety. “Our message to fishermen is find something that works,” Teske told participants in COMFISH Alaska 2013 in Kodiak on April 12. To help them do that NIOSH worked with several dozen commercial fishermen in Alaska who volunteered to wear a variety of PFDs for 30 days and complete an evaluation form for each one. continued
