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Fish processing

Worker Safety and Health

Around the world, fish processing workers are exposed to various hazards, including: biological aerosols containing allergens, microorganisms, and toxins; bacteria and parasites; excessive noise levels; low temperatures; poor workplace organization, including very long working hours; poor ergonomics; and contact with machinery and equipment. [1-13] During 2011-2017, seafood processing workers in the United States had the highest injury/illness rate of any U.S. maritime workers at 6,670 injuries/illnesses per 100,000 workers. [14]  Recent studies in the U.S. Pacific region have shown significantly higher rates of accepted workers’ compensation claims in this industry compared to others. In Washington, a study of workers’ compensation claims during 2002–2010 demonstrated a rate of 31.1 claims per 1,000 FTEs in the seafood processing industry. [15] A study of Oregon workers’ compensation disabling claims in the seafood processing industry during 2007-2013 identified an average annual rate of 24 disabling claims per 1,000 workers. [16] A study of Alaska workers’ compensation claims for nonfatal injury/illness in the seafood processing industry during 2014-2015 found an average annual claim rate of 63 claims per 1,000 workers. [17]

References

1. Bonlokke JH, Berit B, Aasmoe L, Abdel Rahman A, Syron LN, Andersson E, Dahlman-Hoglund A, Lopata A, Jeebhay M. [2019]. Exposures and health effects of bioaerosols in seafood processing workers – a position statement. J Agromedicine, DOI: 10.1080/1059924X.2019.1646685

2. Ortega HG, Daroowalla F, Petsonk EL, et al. [2001]. Respiratory symptoms among crab processing workers in Alaska: epidemiological and environmental assessment. Am J Ind Med 39:598–607.

3. Beaudet N, Brodkin CA, Stover B, Daroowalla F, Flack J, Doherty D [2002]. Crab allergen exposures aboard five crab-processing vessels. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 63:605–609.

4. Jeebhay MF, Robins TG, Lopata AL [2004]. World at work: fish processing workers. Occup Environ Med 61(5):471–474.

5. Kim JY, Kim JI, Son JE, Yun SK [2004]. Prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in meat and fish processing plants. J Occup Health 46:230–4.

6. Neitzel RL, Berna BE, Seixas NS [2006]. Noise exposures aboard catcher/processor fishing vessels. Am J Ind Med 49:624–633.

7. Aasmoe L, Bang B, Egeness C, Løchen ML [2008]. Musculoskeletal symptoms among seafood production workers in North Norway. Occ Med 58:64–70.

8. Nag A, Vyas H, Shah P, Nag PK [2012]. Risk factors and musculoskeletal disorders among women workers performing fish processing. Am J Ind Med 55: 833–43.

9. Kuruganti U, Albert WJ [2013]. Ergonomic risks in fish processing workers in Atlantic Canada. Occup Ergon 11: 11–19.

10 Syron LN, Lucas DL, Bovbjerg VE, Case S, Kincl L. [2018]. Occupational traumatic injuries among offshore seafood processors in Alaska, 2010–2015. J Safety Res 66:169–178.

11. Syron LN, Bovbjerg VE, Mendez-Luck CA, Kincl L. [2019]. Safety and health programs in Alaska’s seafood processing industry: Interviews with safety and health managers. J Agromedicine, DOI: 10.1080/1059924X.2019.1639578

12. Garcia GM, De Castro B. [2017]. Working conditions, occupational injuries, and health among Filipino fish processing workers in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Workplace Health Saf 65: 219–26.

13. Rathod J, Lockie A. [2010]. Picked Apart: The Hidden Struggles of Migrant Worker Women in the Maryland Crab Industry, https://cdmigrante.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/PickedApart.pdfCdc-pdfExternal.

14. BLS [2019]. Table 2. Numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry and case types, 2011 – 2017. In Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshsum.htmExternal.

15. Anderson N, Bonauto D, Adams D [2013]. Prioritizing industries for occupational injury and illness prevention and research, Washington State workers’ compensation claims data, 2002–2010. Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Technical Report, 64-1-2013, http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Research/Files/bd_3F.pdfCdc-pdfExternal.

16. Syron L, Kincl L, Yang L, Cain D, Smit E [2017]. Analysis of workers’ compensation disabling claims in Oregon’s seafood preparation and packaging industry, 2007 to 2013. Am J Ind Med 60(5):484–493.

17. Syron L, Lucas D, Bovbjerg V, Kincl L. [2019]. Injury and illness among onshore workers in Alaska’s seafood processing industry: Analysis of workers’ compensation claims, 2014–2015. Am J Ind Med 62(3):253-264.

Resources on "occupational safety and health in the seafood processing industry":

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/cmshs/seafood_processing.html

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1059924X.2019.1639578

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1059924X.2019.1646685?src=recsys

A new header and a few sentences could be added to the existing Wikipedia article on fishing processing: Fish processing

Resources on general "occupational health equity":

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/ohe/default.html

https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/awr.12151

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2015-178/pdfs/2015-178.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2015178

https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/category/occupational-health-equity/

Recently I published a NIOSH Science Blog post that included an occupational health equity focus.