As a sailor or ship worker, you face unique risks at sea. The ocean can be unpredictable and lead to injuries. Understanding how shipboard injuries happen and what results from them is essential. This knowledge helps when dealing with an accident or considering legal action.
A recent study looked at injuries on US Navy ships over 50 years. Here is what they found:
Most common injuries
Here is a list of the most common injuries, from most to least frequent:
- Fire, burns, or smoke inhalation
- Falling overboard
- Ship collisions
- Injuries to arms or legs (cuts, crushing, or loss of limb)
- Chest or torso injuries
- Explosions
- Chemical exposure or breathing in harmful substances
- Falls from high places (not including falling overboard)
- Head or neck injuries
- Electric shocks
- Accidents with weapons or ammunition
- Eye injuries
- Heart attacks
- Suicide
- Accidental gunshots
The study recorded 3,127 cases, with 1,048 deaths and 2,079 injuries. The study also found that fewer accidents happened as time went on.
How to improve safety
To increase safety, naval ship policies should include the following:
- Better training: Teach crew members about life-saving skills, electrical safety and mental health. Make sure they know safety rules and how to handle dangerous materials.
- Better safety equipment: Add non-slip surfaces and handrails to prevent falls. Keep fire-fighting gear up-to-date and practice fire drills often. Use advanced systems to detect when someone falls overboard.
- Better medical care: Improve medical capabilities on ships by training staff and adding better medical equipment. Consider keeping whole blood on board for emergencies.
- Better communication: Use new technologies to get medical advice from land experts, especially when it is hard to evacuate someone quickly.
By working on these areas and following US maritime laws, you can help make the sea safer. The study shows that improving training, equipment and medical care is critical to reducing injuries and deaths at sea.
Knowing about these issues is essential whether you want better training, more medical resources or justice for an injury. It is the first step in navigating the legal waters of maritime law.
