EM/037/02 MAIB CHIEF INSPECTOR ENCOURAGES FISHERMEN TO TAKE SAFETY MORE SERIOUSLY
The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, John Lang, today called on fishermen to take safety more seriously and do their utmost to prevent accidents happening.
Publishing a Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) Safety Study on fishing vessel accidents, Admiral Lang said:
"The Study confirmed the view that fishing is a dangerous occupation and that accidents occur regularly. About one third of all accidents reported to the MAIB involve fishing vessels or fishermen. It is not a happy record.
"In 2000 alone, 39 fishing boats were lost and 33 fishermen were killed. In 2001, the number of losses had reduced to 33 with 10 fishermen losing their lives.
He continues:
"I am in no doubt that fishing is, by its very nature, a hazardous occupation, and that many have been going through very difficult times recently. I have no doubt whatsoever that commercial and financial pressures have a direct bearing on safety in the fishing industry. Given such pressures, many are tempted to take greater risks, stay out in rougher weather and sail with fewer people on board."
The Safety Study draws on the MAIB''s database of accidents for the period 1992-2000. It highlights several factors involved in fishing vessel accidents:
* Machinery breakdowns - although these breakdowns do not necessarily lead to accidents, they do raise questions about maintenance standards. * Flooding - nearly a quarter of flooding accidents resulted in the loss of the vessel. * Automatic Bilge Alarms not working - in many cases both skippers and crews were aware of the problem, with little being done to rectify it prior to sailing. * Pipework failures - believed to be the primary cause of flooding. The Study suggests that maintenance of valves and pipework in some vessels needs to be improved. * Fatigue or sleep deprivation is endemic and is either the main cause of many accidents or a strong underlying factor. Fatigue also features as a significant cause of personal injuries. * Inadequate training is ''very evident'' in a number of emergency situations including fire and flooding. There is also evidence that some young people go to sea without any form of training. * Carelessness or negligence - involved in a high percentage of personal injuries. * Lifejackets - the study suggests that some victims who fell overboard would have survived if they had been wearing their lifejackets. * Watchkeepers - evidence that some of those entrusted with watchkeeping have an inadequate knowledge of the ''Rule of the Road''. * Failure to keep weathertight doors, hatches and other deck openings closed at sea when not in use. In the event of a stability problem or a heavy list the vessel runs the risk of sinking so fast that those on board cannot escape.
Admiral Lang concludes that:
"Many in the industry have argued that safety will only improve if tax payers'' money is made available in the form of grants and subsidies to offset ''the high costs of complying with safety regulations.'' Having looked at this very carefully I am, with one exception, unconvinced by this argument and do not believe this is the panacea sought by many."
The Chief Inspector highlights the exception as training and finds recent initiatives in this area "the most encouraging developments for some time."
The Safety Study records that between 1992-2000: * The MAIB investigated 194 accidents to fishing vessels and identified 518 separate factors. * 283 UK-registered fishing vessel losses were reported to the MAIB, of which 130 were investigated. * 193 fishermen were killed and 947 injured. 126 fishing vessel accidents involved one or more fatality. The majority of fishermen who lost their lives did so as a result of a vessel foundering and not from fatal injury. * The accident rate for injuries to fishermen has reduced slightly from about 10 per 1,000 fishermen in 1992 to around 9 per 1,000 in 2000. * The fatality rate, however, has increased steadily from about 1 per 1,000 in 1992 to around 2.7 in 2000. * Of the 264 fishing vessels collisions, 39 were investigated. 73 contributory factors were identified of which 67 were human factors.
Notes To Editors
The report can be obtained from DfT press office or from the MAIB website - http://www.maib.dft.gov.uk
