Maritime Safety and Health

About Maritime Safety and Health

Key points

  • Maritime industries have a higher fatality rate and risk of injury and illness than the national average for all workplaces.
  • The NIOSH Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies coordinates research to prevent injuries and illnesses among this worker population.
Sunset Illuminates Mt Rainier, ships and the Port of Tacoma. Tobin Akenhurst iStock/Getty Images Plus

Overview

Aerial view loading of a cargo ship in Seattle.
Aerial view of loading a cargo ship in Seattle.

There are approximately 400,000 workers employed in U.S. maritime industries. These workers face a higher risk of fatality, injury, and illness than other American workers. In fact, commercial fishing is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. Likewise, the water transportation industry has a fatality rate 4.7 times higher than the rate for all U.S. workers.

Hazards presented by the maritime environment can be encountered both on the water and at waterfront facilities, such as shipyards and marine terminals. There are some hazards that are unique to a specific maritime industry.

What's being done

The NIOSH Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies addresses the unique occupational safety and health hazards within the maritime industries. It currently prioritizes seven maritime industries/occupations:

  1. shipyards
  2. marine terminals and port operations
  3. marine transportation
  4. seafood processing
  5. commercial fishing
  6. aquaculture
  7. commercial diving

These industries and occupations have injury, illness and fatality rates higher than others in the U.S. They also pose unique challenges for occupational safety and health outreach, as many are made up of small businesses with few or seasonal employees or are in remote locations. In some settings, maritime employees live and work aboard vessels.

Average Annual U.S. Maritime Employment and Fatal/Nonfatal Injury and Illness Rates, 2011–2017
NAICS or SOC2 U.S. Employment3: U.S. Fatality rate per 100,000 workers4: U.S. Nonfatal injury/illness rate per 100,000 workers5:
Ship and boat building 3366 164,630 4.0 5,369.8
Marine terminals and port operations 4883 98,267 15.9 4,916.0
Water transportation 483 67,532 18.4 2,326.7
Seafood processing 3117 36,880 6.3 6,670.2
Commercial fishing SOC 45-3011 33,917 93.0 441.8
Aquaculture 1125 6,627 18.9 5,237.4
Commercial Diving SOC 49-9092 3,509 158.9 1,867.4
  1. Fatal and nonfatal injury and illness rates may be inflated due to undercounting of total workers in some industries/occupations. Traditionally, maritime workers have been undercounted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics due to the remoteness of job location, part-time or temporary nature of the work, overlap with other industries/occupations, and other factors.
  2. NAICS is the North American Industry Classification System and SOC is the Standard Occupational Classification.
  3. Worker counts are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics six-year average of workers, 2011–2017. Commercial fishing counts are from the Current Population Survey, commercial diving counts are from Occupational Employment and Wages tables, and all others are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
  4. Fatality rates are based on six-year averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2011–2017.
  5. Nonfatal injury and illness rates are based on six-year averages of Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2011–2017.

Learn More

Worker painting ship hull using airbrush. Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Shipyards

Background information on the burden of workplace illness and injury for shipyard workers.
Container ship in marine terminal with cranes. Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Marine Terminals and Port Operations

An overview of injury and fatality rates for workers at marine terminals.
Tugboat and port cargo cranes. Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Marine Transportation

An overview of injury and fatality rates among workers in the marine transportation industry.
Seafood processing workers inspect fish through a light table. Image credit: American Seafoods Group

Seafood Processing

An overview of the injury and fatality rate for seafood processing workers in the United States
Seafood Processors offload bags of fish meal from a ship's hull. Image credit: American Seafoods Group

Ergonomic Hazards in Seafood Processing

Information and recommendations for addressing ergonomic hazards in seafood processing facilities.
Seafood processors from different countries working together. Image Credit: American Seafoods Group

Language Barriers in Seafood Processing

Information on addressing language barriers for seafood processing workers.
Seafood processing worker inspects fish on Bader machine assembly. Image credit: American Seafoods Group

Fatigue Hazards in Seafood Processing

Information on preventing fatigue-related hazards among seafood processing workers.
Oyster farming cages in the Gulf of Mexico. Image credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Aquaculture

Basic information about hazards and injury and fatality rates among aquaculture workers in the U.S.
Commercial shrimp boat with its distinctive rigging heading out from Key West, FL. Image credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Commercial Fishing

Information about hazards in commercial fishing and basic stats on injuries and fatalities.
Diver welds a repair patch on the submerged bow of the USS Ogden (LPD 5) while the ship was in port at Naval Base San Diego, California. Image credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Commercial Diving

Information about hazards and brief statistics on injuries and fatalities among commercial divers.
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Content Source:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health