Depending on your lifestyle, you may be at risk for maritime injuries. Maritime injuries are similar to the ones you might experience in your day-to-day life, except they happen away from land, which can make them harder to deal with. According to the CDC , maritime industries have a higher fatality rate and risk of injury compared to the national average for all workplaces. For instance, in the United States, the water transportation industry has a fatality rate 4.7 times higher than the rate for all workers. This is largely because maritime workers face some hazards that are unique to a specific maritime industry. So, what are some common causes of maritime injuries, and what can you do to reduce the likelihood of an injury? Below, we’ll dive into maritime injuries and how to prevent them so that you can keep your family safe and protect your workers or yourself while at sea. Who Is at Risk for Maritime Injuries? Any number of people can be at risk for maritime injuries. It could be a family spending an afternoon out on a boat, someone who works on a cruise ship, or even someone who works at an offshore drilling site. Essentially, if you spend any time near the water, you could be at risk for various maritime injuries. This is why it’s important to know the common causes of maritime injuries so that you can take proper precautions based on your situation and quickly address any maritime injuries that occur. Injury Risk #1: Slips, Trips, and Falls Some of the biggest causes of maritime injuries are simple slips, trips, and falls. When you’re out on the water, things can easily become slippery or unstable. Anyone who has spent time on a boat knows that choppy water can lead to unsteady footing, which can easily cause someone to fall or trip. When you combine this with water splashing onto the deck and creating a slippery surface, it’s easy to see how a slip and fall can occur. With luck, these slips won’t cause any major injuries, but there are situations where someone can become significantly harmed from falling while on the water. Injury Risk #2: Heavy Machinery Accidents Many maritime jobs make use of heavy machinery. For instance, offshore drilling workers often work with heavy machinery in their daily routine, which poses significant injury risk if not handled properly. According to the Chopin Law Firm, an offshore injury lawyer , “Offshore workers face a unique set of challenges and risks. Not only is the work physically demanding, but the close contact with large equipment and heavy machinery can lead to serious personal injury if the negligence of an employer or other employee is involved. In some cases, maritime workers are caught in catastrophic accidents, such as explosions on an oil rig, that can cause serious burns or death. Slip and fall accidents are also very common for offshore workers.” Whether you’re working with heavy machinery on an offshore platform or a larger vessel, if you’re injured out at sea, it’s a maritime injury. Injury Risk #3 Falling Overboard The last major injury risk when you’re out at sea is falling overboard. This is especially dangerous in bad weather or if you’re up high on a larger vessel. Falling overboard poses a serious risk of drowning when the waters are rough or if the person is not a strong swimmer. If you fall from a significant height, you can also experience injuries from the impact. Another concern if you fall overboard is hypothermia. Falling into cold water and being unable to heat yourself back up quickly can cause hypothermia, a serious health risk that can even lead to death. Lastly, there may be predators in the water who can pose a threat to anyone who falls in. Enhance Safety Protocols To keep yourself and others safe while you’re out at sea, it’s essential that you have robust safety protocols. Now is the time to review your current safety practices and ensure you have the best possible protocols in place. For starters, you should have safety equipment throughout your location. This could be hand railings throughout the boat to provide additional support, protective gear for offshore workers, or a first aid kit in the event of an injury. It’s also important to establish safety plans in the event of an emergency. If someone becomes injured or goes overboard, you don’t want to figure out a plan at the moment. Instead, you should know exactly what to do because you thought of it ahead of time. Provide Safety Training Once you have better safety protocols in place, it’s time to teach them to everyone else around you. Whether it’s your offshore platform, your boat, or someplace else, everyone should know what to do in the event of an emergency and how to best protect themselves. Before you set sail, give everyone a quick safety course on what to do. Discuss where the emergency supplies are and your emergency action plan for different scenarios. At work, go over evacuation measures or what to do if there is a workplace injury. Create helpful guides that employees can refer to if they forget. Taking some time now to instruct everyone in proper safety techniques can go a long way towards preventing injuries later. Utilize the Latest Technology Lastly, utilizing the latest technology can help you prevent a number of maritime injuries. For instance, getting real-time updates about weather conditions in your area can alert you if storms are on the way. By keeping your boat out of stormy weather, you can reduce slip-and-fall accidents or even prevent people from going overboard. Another popular technology is called predictive maintenance. Predictive maintenance uses sensors and data analytics to predict when a piece of machinery will break down. This allows operators to make necessary repairs before the equipment malfunctions, which is a common cause of injury. Finally, there are wearable technologies you can use to track health data and prevent injuries that result from fatigue. Think about which injuries you’re most susceptible to, then look for technology solutions that can mitigate the risks.
