4 minute read
Keeping fishermen safe
by SeafishUK
Keeping fishermen safe
By Marta Moran Quintana
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Wearing a PFD makes you up to eight times more likely to survive if you fall overboard. Unfortunately, many fishermen still do not wear them when working at sea.
It’s July 2018 and Quay Issues travelled to Pwllhelli in North Wales to support the launch of a new safety initiative by the Welsh Fishing Safety Committee (WFSC). The WFSC, with the support of Seafish, has offered new Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) equipped with Personal Location Beacons (PLBs) to owners of active Welsh fishing boats.
The WFSC is now distributing these life-saving PFDs with PLBs to fishermen in a series of events around the Welsh coast in collaboration with Seafish and the RNLI. This evening, around 30 skippers and crew from the Llŷn Peninsula gather to watch as Frankie Horner, Fishing Safety Manager at the RNLI, demonstrates on a volunteer how to use the PFDs.
This is no ordinary evening for the WFSC. The Committee, formed of local fishermen’s associations across Wales, is determined to eliminate fishing-related deaths, with the distribution of these PFDs with PLBs being a key part of their strategy.
Greg Phillpot, chair of the WFSC, explains why this event is taking place, “The biggest killer of Welsh fishermen is falling overboard and not being recovered. That’s why we set up with this ambition to get the best possible flotation devices together with locator beacons.”
Demonstrating PDF use
Brett Garner, member of the WFSC and Llŷn Fisherman’s Association, knows these facts too well. “I have personally known four fishermen killed during fishing activities. Three of them could have survived had they been wearing a PFD,” he says.
Sadly, the statistics agree with Greg and Brett: 139 fishermen drowned in UK waters between 2000 and 2015, and most of them were not wearing PFDs. In Wales alone, 12 fishermen lost their lives between 2006 and 2015.
The nature of the Welsh fleet adds another level to the challenge: it is a small-scale fleet, largely made up of under 8 metre potting boats. Potting is one of the most hazardous types of fishing, and many of the reported man overboard accidents have happened after crew became entangled in ropes when shooting pots.
On top of that, many of the small Welsh boats are singlehanded, which adds an extra element of risk: no one else is around to help in case of an accident.
The equipment being handed out by the WFSC serves a double purpose. Like any PFD, they keep a person afloat in case of a fall overboard, but they also have an integrated PLB, which is a type of GPS location device that alerts rescue authorities to the person’s location.
One of the skippers attending the event tells us why this is especially important for him, “Sometimes we shift nights, and if my lad goes on one side… well, it’s pitch black. You’ve got no chance of finding him; he’s just a little ball on the water. This device is better [than our previous PFD]’.
He is also happy with how easy to wear they are, “I found that lifejackets hurt because it bends your head down, but this one is different, it sits on your shoulders so I think I’ll be alright.”
A potential downside to this equipment could be its price. The integrated PLB in these flotation devices make them more expensive than regular PFDs, costing over £350 in total. Recognising this issue, Seafish worked with the WFSC to secure funding from the Welsh Government and the Seafarers UK maritime charity on behalf of the Welsh fishing fleet. Thanks to their contributions, the WFSC was able to make these PFDs available to fishermen for just £15 (a 95% discount).
This initiative means that Welsh fishermen can not only improve safety at work, but also stay ahead of the game when it comes to safety legislation. The implementation of the International Labour Organisation: Work in Fishing Convention (ILO 188) into UK law in 2018 will likely require all commercial fishermen to wear PFDs on deck while at sea unless a written risk assessment proves that they have eliminated the risk of going overboard. Furthermore, the use of PLBs (or an equivalent device) will also be required for small fishing boats by October 2019 under the Small Fishing Vessel Code of Practice (MSN 1871).
At the end of the demonstration in Pwllhelli, skippers and crew line up to collect their new PFDs fitted with integrated PLBs. Some stay on afterwards to ask Frankie and Seafish more questions or to try the PFDs on. The take up so far has been overwhelming.
Skippers signing up to receive their PFD with integrated PLB.
Since April 2018, over 280 Welsh fishing boat owners have applied for over 660 PFDs fitted with PLBs. That’s approximately 90% of the Welsh fishing fleet taking up this offer. Holly Whiteley, Wales Manager at Seafish, tells us that “The project has been a huge success. The high take up really demonstrates the vessel owners’ commitment to safety on board their vessels.”
But simply distributing the PFDs is only the first step. The spotlight is now on fishermen to actually wear them while working at sea.
Frankie was adamant on this when he showed the PFDs to the audience. “When you’re hauling, when you’re shooting and handling gear at sea, you need to be wearing one of these. Because the minute you think ‘I’ll go and get it’, by then it’s too late,” he says.
After the event in Pwllhelli, Greg tells us he is hopeful. “We hope that fishermen see the sense in wearing these. We don’t want another incident off the Welsh coast where we lose another fisherman.”
Fishermen don’t have to die at sea, and safety equipment can play a big role in keeping them safe. The WFSC PFD distribution campaign is a perfect example of how fishermen can take the matter in their own hands. “The only way we can achieve our objective [of zero fishing-related deaths] is with these,” says Brett as he points to his brand-new PFD. “Simple as that.”
