Preventing Drownings of Commercial Fishermen
April 1994
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 94-107
WARNING! Fishermen are at high risk of drowning if they work on the decks of commercial fishing vessels without wearing personal flotation devices.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) requests assistance in preventing drownings of commercial fishermen. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has estimated that during the period 1982-87, the annual occupational fatality rate for U.S. commercial fishermen was 47 deaths per 100,000 workers. The major cause of these deaths was drowning [NRC 1991].