Fishing vessel operations are unique and present their own set of challenges and hazards to the crew working on these vessels. The Club has experienced a high volume of crew injury claims on fishing vessels. The graph below highlights the number of such claims notified to the Club from 2021 to 2023. In our series of Risk assessments, this article focuses on risk assessments for fishing operations to assist members in mitigating such claims.
Of the claims recorded by the Club, three main areas of causation for crew injury on fishing vessels emerged:
- General injuries – These include crew injury claims that occurred during mooring operations, bumping into equipment such as crane hooks, and exposure to ammonia.
- Handling fishing gear – These include crew injury claims that arose from a lack of supervision of the task, non-adherence with safety practices and the non-usage of personal protective gear.
- Slips/trips/falls – These include incidents caused by slippery decks, trips on scattered equipment in work areas and falls (on board or overboard) during fishing operations.
Analysis of these claim files shows that many of the personal injury incidents may have been avoided had an appropriate risk assessment been conducted to identify and neutralise the potential hazards.
In this sample Risk assessment form for fishing operations, we highlight various potential hazards and offer possible control measures. We would like to emphasise that this is for guidance purposes only and it is imperative that operators conduct their own risk assessments based on their individual operating parameters.
In addition to this risk assessment, Members may also refer to the below guidance issued by the Club, with regard to fishing vessels –
- Fishing vessel safety booklet
- Risk assessment
- Refrigeration on fishing vessels
- Guidance for fishing vessel owners operating in the vicinity of subsea cables
- Subsea Cables – Preventing and minimising claims against fishing vessels
- ‘SAFE by Design’ – Safety posters for fishing vessels
We trust Members find this guidance useful and if further assistance is required, please contact the Loss Prevention Team.