The working conditions in the Alaska
commercial fishing industry are very hazardous and
are compounded by isolated fishing grounds,
seasonal darkness, cold waters, high winds, icing, and
brief fishing seasons. This setting has resulted in
a remarkably high occupational fatality rate of
140/100,000/year from 1991-1996 for Alaska's commercial fishing workers. More than 80%
of these deaths have been due to drowning;
presumed drowning; or drowning plus hypothermia
associated with vessel capsizings, sinkings, or
falls overboard.
The purpose of this document is to report on the commercial fishing-related fatalities in Alaska and make recommendations for their prevention. During the 1970s and 1980s, Alaska experienced a boom in its commercial fishing industry. By the mid-1980s, it became clear that commercial fishing-related deaths were the principal contributor to Alaska's very high occupational fatality rate [Bell et al. 1990]. Based on data from the National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) surveillance system, Alaska had the highest state-specific, work-related fatality rate during 1980-1989— 34.8 deaths per 100,000 workers per year, nearly five times the annual average for the United States (7.0 per 100,000) [NIOSH 1993]. According to the United States Coast Guard (USCG), Alaska experienced more than 20 commercial fishing fatalities per year from 1982-1987, while nationally there were, on average, 108 deaths in the commercial fishing industry each year during the same interval [NRC 1991]. Another study found that an average of 31 fishermen died each year in Alaska from 1980-1988 [Schnitzer et al. 1993]. The hazards of commercial fishing captured the attention of Congress, which enacted the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act (CFIVSA) of 1988. This Act required, among other things, that each vessel carry various survival equipment and instructed the Secretary of Transportation to conduct an assessment of safety problems in the industry. This safety assessment was completed by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and its findings were published in 1991 [NRC 1991]. During 1990-1995, the CFIVSA required fishing vessels to carry specific safety, survival, and fire-fighting equipment, and mandated crew members to obtain first aid and emergency drill training.
In 1991, because of the high occupational
fatality rate in Alaska, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Division
of Safety Research, initiated efforts in Alaska to improve surveillance, describe risk factors,
and coordinate prevention efforts for fatalities
and serious occupational injuries by establishing
the Alaska field station. The NIOSH Alaska field station is charged with collecting information
on all occupational fatalities, focusing on those associated with the fishing, logging, and
air transport industries. Fatalities in the
commercial fishing industry, Alaska's largest private
employer [NRC 1991], are among the highest
industry-specific rates in the United
States [NIOSH 1993; Schnitzer et al. 1993; CDC
1993; Kennedy et al. 1994]. The Alaska field
station's comprehensive surveillance system for
commercial fishing fatalities in Alaska collects data from
a variety of sources including USCG reports, its own interviews of survivors, National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary and
final investigative reports, Alaska state trooper reports,
medical examiner reports, review of death certificates, and local news media reports
[NIOSH 1997].
Previous page |
Next page 
NIOSH home page |
CDC home page 