A new report by the Working Group on Safety, Training & Employment in the Irish Fishing Industry has been welcomed by Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney.
The group identified the wearing of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) as being critical to reducing fatalities and the need for constant vigilance, regarding the challenges and dangers inherent in working at sea and on island waterways. The report also highlights the need for Ireland’s existing maritime regulations to be fully observed and the need for safety-training practices to be augmented to include mandatory certificates of competence, for both operators and crew/deckhands on all vessels, vessel stability’ training and work-related safety, survival, fire and first aid procedures. The report recommends that this should be targeted initially at operators of vessels less than 24m in length, where the majority of recent fatalities have occurred.
Central to the working group’s recommendations on improving safety in the industry, is the need for significant culture change across the fisheries sector. Commenting on the report, the Minister said, We need to ensure that the concept of safety at sea, and on the water generally, becomes as commonplace and habitual as safety on our roads. While this report brings forward many recommendations across its broad ranging terms of reference, the central message to come from the work of this group, is the need for permanent culture change in the fisheries sector. Vessel operators, skippers and crew members need to work together so that a safety first culture becomes the norm and the safety of both vessels and personnel is prioritised.
The Minister went on to say, I am making an additional 5.6m available to the fisheries catching sector for training and skills development under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) 2014-2020 Operational Programme. This extra funding will be instrumental in addressing recommendations in the report and driving a culture change to enhance safety across the fisheries sector.
In its parallel work of examining possibilities for improving the attractiveness of the fishing industry as a career option, the Working Group has brought forward a number of recommendations, aimed at improving the training incentives and career structures within the industry.
Mercator Media Ltd 2015