The Hazards of Work in Merchant Shipping

Abstract

This chapter reviews some of the features of work at sea that contribute to making it hazardous. It outlines the causes of accidental injuries and fatalities, and the chemical, physical and biological hazards of the work environment on board ships. It considers some of the less obvious causes of harm that result from the way in which work is organised in the maritime industry, including the psychosocial hazards that lead to mental and emotional stress and fatigue among seafarers, with often further consequences for safety and health at sea. The related needs of seafarers for good welfare arrangements are discussed, and attention is drawn to the perceived inadequacies of these arrangements reported in surveys of such arrangements. The chapter concludes its review with some further examples of hazards of working at sea, such as those influenced by organisational hierarchies on board ships, bullying and harassment, and the risk of violence from piracy, all of which are seldom addressed in conventional approaches to health and safety at sea, but which nevertheless are important issues that impact profoundly on the health, safety and well-being of seafarers.