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Work related injuries in small scale commercial fishing

¹ Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, and the Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
² Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, and the Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
³ Departments of Epidemiology and Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Public Health, and the Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
⁴ Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Community and Family Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Correspondence to:
Dr Stephen W Marshall
CB#7435, Department of Epidemiology, McGarvan-Greenberg Hall, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7435, USA; Smarshall{at}unc.edu

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of work related injury in a group of small scale, independent commercial fishers.

Design: Cross sectional survey (baseline instrument of a prospective cohort study).

Setting and subjects: Commercial fishers in eastern North Carolina.

Results: A cohort of 219 commercial fishers was established and 215 subjects completed an injury questionnaire. The main types of fishing conducted by the cohort were finfishing (159/215) and crabbing (154/215). Of the 215 fishers, 83 reported that they had suffered an injury event in the previous 12 months, a retrospective recall incidence proportion of 38.6 per 100 workers (95% confidence interval 32.1 to 45.1). The 83 injury events resulted in 94 injuries; 47% were penetrating wounds and 24% were strains/sprains. Half of injuries were to the hand/wrist/digits and 13% were to the back. Of the penetrating wounds, 87% were to the hand/wrist/digits, 32% became infected, and 80% were caused by contact with finfish, shellfish, or other marine animal. Of the strains/sprains, 48% were to the back and 26% were to the shoulder. Seventy percent of strains/sprains were caused by moving heavy objects, mainly either while hauling in nets, pots, or lines or loading/unloading the boat.

Conclusion: In this group of small scale, independent fishers, the most common reported injuries were penetrating wounds to the hand/wrist/digits from marine animals and strains/sprains to the back while moving heavy objects.

Keywords: hand injury; penetrating wounds; occupational injury; self employed