Using Surveillance Data to Define the Problem: Fatal Falls Overboard in the United States Commercial Fishing Industry, 2000–2014

BACKGROUND:  Commercial fishing has consistently been identified as one of the most hazardous industries in the United States in terms of fatality risk. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2014 there were approximately 28,400 commercial fishermen in the U.S. and their occupational fatality rate was 80.8 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers (FTEs), nearly 25 times higher than the national average for all workers. Falls overboard are a major contributor to this high fatality rate and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has repeatedly identified falls overboard as a critical issue in commercial fishing safety. The purpose of this study was to describe the problem of falls overboard and discuss possible ways to reduce risk factors.

METHODS:  NIOSH developed the Commercial Fishing Incident Database (CFID) to collect data describing all fatal traumatic injuries in the U.S. commercial fishing industry since 2000. This surveillance system was queried to identify all cases of fatal falls overboard that occurred during 2000–2014. Counts and proportions were calculated to explore incident characteristics.

RESULTS:  There were 210 fatal falls overboard in the U.S. during the 15-year time period, representing 30% of all commercial fishing fatalities. Trips and slips (29%), loss of balance (28%), and gear entanglements (14%) were the leading causes of falls. The most commonly identified contributing factors associated with falling overboard were being alone on deck (52%), alcohol or drug use (22%), and vessel motion (9%). Drowning was the reported cause of death for nearly all fishermen (99%). None of the fishermen were wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) when they died.

CONCLUSIONS: Falls overboard are the second leading cause of occupational fatalities, after vessel disasters, among commercial fishermen nationwide. Many fatal falls overboard may be prevented by understanding the circumstances involved and targeting interventions at those specific risk factors. However, the one common factor for all victims of fatal falls overboard was the absence of a PFD. Although PFDs have been shown to effectively prevent deaths from falls overboard, there are currently no legal requirements for fishermen to wear them while working on deck. Efforts to improve PFD use should therefore be a priority for prevention of man overboard fatalities.