|
Cognitive survey on the working and health conditions As part of an ISPESL research project on the fishing sector in Italy, aimed at collecting quantitative and qualitative data and documentation of use in creating tools to provide information, training and support for risk evaluation activities, a multidisciplinary working group drafted a questionnaire to study a number of topics relating to health and safety in the sector in question. The attempt to make direct contact with workers involved in fishing activities immediately raised the need to identify some important fishing fleets in terms of tradition, type of fishing and amounts of catch. In addition to the present work, a cognitive study has already been conducted in some ports in the central Adriatic zone, namely Fano, Ancona, Senigallia and Porto Garibaldi, using a similar questionnaire to the one used for the port of Mazara in 2003. The aim is to examine perceptions of safety-related issues among fishermen, asking them about the actual conditions they work under and the impact these conditions have on their state of health. The layout of the questionnaire was based on documentary research on:
The questionnaire was then drafted, split up into the following sections: A. Traits of interviewees; B. Considerations on work activity; C. Health and lifestyle aspects; D. Information and training; At the end of the list of 50 questions, almost all closed-ended, it was decided to leave a blank space for brief suggestions and considerations on safety aspects. A draft version of the questionnaire was tested via a pilot survey to ensure it was effective and easy to understand. The results, analysed by the working group, were used to improve the contents, with the inclusion of questions on the worker's social integration, in view of the presence, sometimes considerable, of foreign workers. The final version of the questionnaire was drafted in both Italian and French in order to facilitate the task for fishermen of differing nationalities. In light of the above considerations, the analysis of replies will follow the logical structure of the questionnaire. The summary tables of results are attached to the present report. Section A. Traits of interviewees The 134 interviewed fishermen were all male, in the main married (77.6%), with an average age of 40; the age class with the most members were the 30-39 class (44% of interviewees) and the 40-49 class (49%). 63.4% of fishermen were Italian, 35.1% Tunisian. The most common academic qualification was the lower secondary school certificate (41.8%). With regard to professional categories, 61.2% of interviewees were seamen, 24.6% engine room workers, 12.7% captains and 1.5% shipowners. The type of employment contract was almost always productivity-related (90.3%). Almost half of those interviewed (47.8%) had worked for over nineteen years, while 9% had less than five years' experience performing the activity in question. The majority (70.1%) stated that they worked at sea for between 7 and 9 months a year; 24.6% spent between 10 and 12 months a year at sea. The main fishing method adopted was trawling (94.9%); the make-up of a ship's crew changed over the year for 72.4% of those interviewed; only 25.4% usually went out to sea with the same crew. 43.3% of interviewees worked in the port from 5 to 9 hours a week, while 25.4% declared 15 hours of port activity a week. Section B. Considerations on work activity This section of the questionnaire set out to assess the subjective perception of work at sea among fishermen in order to acquire knowledge on working conditions and some aspects of normal social life. Fishing activity was considered in a positive light for the development of personal skills by 73.9% of interviewees, while the prospects of professional growth were considered not good by 50.7% of the sample. Pay was considered inadequate by 46.3% of those interviewed. An even bigger percentage, 66.4%, were worried about future job stability. Replies showed good work motivation: 62.7% of interviewees said they liked the job they did. Relations with other persons on board were felt to be good by most (82.1%), and there was also a high percentage who felt they were esteemed by others (78.4%). This points to a good climate of collaboration and support among work colleagues. Despite this, 26.1% of the sample felt isolated in their work. 76.1% were members of a workers' association. With regard to the characteristics of fishing activity, the physical effort needed was adjudged to be excessive by 64.9% of the sample. But that is not the only reported problem. With regard to noise, 79.9% of interviewees said they often had to raise the tone of their voice in order to be able to talk to colleagues, while 70.9% said they often worked for long periods in uncomfortable positions, and 51.5% frequently had to lift or handle very heavy loads. Partly as a result of these aspects, regarding physical risks, the majority of contacted fishermen believed their work to be too dangerous (67.9%) and too demanding (72.4%). On the latter point, it emerged that 76% of the sample were forced to work quickly and with intense and prolonged concentration; both of these aspects are related to the stress factor and to work fatigue. The latter factor is stressed by ILO as a risk factor, and Italian legislation has paid special attention to it (legislative decree 271 of 1999). With regard to life on board the vessel, over 74% of the sample said that food was varied and plentiful, even though work commitments shortened time available for meals and rest (according to 79.9% of interviewees). Rest areas for on-board personnel were considered sufficiently comfortable by 57.5% of the sample. Section C. Health and lifestyle aspects The general state of health appears to be satisfactory. On a scale of 1 (poor health) to 5 (good health), health was given a score of 4 for 38.8% and 5 for 27.6% of the sample. Looking in greater detail at physical problems, the most complaints were about hearing problems (affecting 46.3% of the sample), followed by eyesight (28.4%) and skin problems (17.9%). This appears to bear out data given on on-board exposure to noise. With regard to muscular and skeletal problems, over the previous 12 months 35.1% of interviewees had suffered acute backache, with an average duration of 5 days. 10.4% of the sample said the backache had lasted more than three months, and 9.7% said they had been diagnosed with a slipped disc following medical checks. The picture does not appear to be as encouraging as might first have appeared from the replies given on general health. One should indeed reflect on the high percentage of persons making excessive efforts, working in uncomfortable positions or handling very heavy loads. It appears indeed that ergonomic risk factors are not kept under control in fishing activity. The percentage of regular smokers was 55.2%, smoking an average of 13 cigarettes a day. Only 3% drank liqueurs 3%, while beer and wine were drunk by by 45.5% of the sample, with just over a glass a day on average. With regard to social integration, 20.1% of interviewed fishermen said they were interested in or actually took part in social initiatives. Breaking down this figure by nationality, the percentage for Italians was 28.2%, and 6.1% for foreigners, a clear difference between the two groups. Section D. Information and training The fishermen interviewed said they had a greater knowledge of on-board health and safety legislation (49.3%) and risk factors (46.3) than of the most common types of diseases (31.3%) and occupational accidents (3.6%). With regard to diseases and accidents, the two most common types were indicated as being arthrosis and contusions or fractures. Information available to fishermen came mainly from individual experience (40.4% of replies), followed by information from the captain or colleagues (both 21.3%, more than one possible answer). Only 11.2% said they had obtained information through training courses. When training had been received, it was concerned more with the correct use of equipment (62.7% of interviewees) than with safety measures, in other words how to perform on-board tasks safely (59%), actions to take in the event of fire (57.5%) or the correct use of life-saving equipment (54.5%) and giving first aid if needed (44.8%). Section E. Industrial accidents During 2001, 10 fishermen (7.5% of interviewees) said they had had an accident at work. Events included slips, especially during bad weather, and parts of the body getting caught in hatches and locking mechanisms. There was also a case of burns, caused by contact with a hot part of the engine, which was obviously unguarded. Injured parts of the body were above all the arms (4 cases) and hands (3 cases). Injuries were mostly sprains and dislocations (4 cases) and contusions (3 cases). Workers' suggestions and considerations In the blank space made available for fishermen's observations, 49 comments or suggestions on safety conditions were received, bearing out the interest shown by interviewees in the topics tackled by the study. To summarise them, these observations were broken down into groups. Most points raised (14) stressed the need for greater information on safety and for regular training courses, which were also useful for updating knowledge on working tools and raising professional qualifications. There were 7 proposals for reducing the intensity of work and improving on-board conditions, and 8 proposals regarding technical measures, suggestions on affording greater protection for the physical integrity of fishermen and some fundamental questions regarding the profession. 3 considerations related to the need for greater on-board hygiene. Looking at these groups in greater detail, in addition to the problem of work intensity (“shorter shifts to be able to rest longer and be more alert”), fishermen stressed the difficulty of being at sea for long periods. As regards on-board working conditions, the problem of sudden temperature changes from room to room (freezer room for instance) without adequate clothing was raised by several interviewees. Suggested technical measures included that of providing the engine room with soundproofing and ear protection against noise, and the need to have more on-board safety devices was raised. Suggestions included that of avoiding work when the sea was choppy or during storms. Finally, included among what we call the underlying problems of the profession in Italy was the frequent request to work on newer and safer fishing vessels, and more than one worker expressed the need to shorten the duration of fishermen's working lives through early retirement, “because life at sea is hard work”. In conclusion, this last section attempted to give a brief illustration of observations made by interviewed fishermen regarding sea fishing activity. The biggest difficulty in doing this summary was that of depicting different problems in a detailed manner. This undoubtedly indicates the strong motivation of people performing this work, as shown above by the analysis of replies. It also adds to the responsibility assumed by those called upon to offer a tangible response to these observations, i.e. operators in the sector, social partners and institutions involved in the delicate matter of prevention in the fishing sector. BIBLIOGRAPHY (AND METHODOLOGICAL SOURCES) 1) Campo G., Leva A., “Dati statistici su infortuni e malattie professionali nel settore Pesca”, pg. 43-55, in “La sicurezza e la salute a bordo dei pescherecci (d.Lgs.271/99 e 298/99). Atti seminario informativo per operatori ASL”, Regione Marche, Azienda USL (Local Health Corporation) no. 7, Ancona, 28-29 June 2001. 2) Giorgianni C., Bondi L, Dugo G., Barbaro Martino L, Abbate C., “La pesca a strascico: valutazione del fenomeno infortunistico nella più grande marineria italiana”, G. Ital. Med. Lav. Erg. 2000; 22:4, 296-298 3) Pennarola R., “Infortunio e malattia professionale nel lavoratore del mare”, Fòlia Medica, 70 (1), 1999, 3-15 4)
Baldasseroni A.,
Camerino D., Cenni P., Cesana G.C., Fattorini E., Ferrario M., Mariani M.,
Tartaglia R., “La valutazione dei fattori
psicosociali – Proposta della versione italiana del Job Content Questionnaire
di R. Karasek” – http://www.ispesl.it/informazione/VALUTAZIONEFATTORIPSICOSOCIAL1.htm 5) Rizzo R., Raiola A., Principe B., “Fattori critici della sicurezza a bordo delle navi”, Fogli di Informazione ISPESL 2/1995 Summary tables of results
Section A. Traits of interviewees
Section B. Considerations on working activity
Section C. Health and lifestyle aspects
Section D. Information and training
Section E. Industrial accidents
|