Fishermen occupational hazard Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fishermen occupational hazard - Research Paper Example 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 â€Å"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 bee n 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