Offshore workers are some of the most at-risk workers in the United States. Whether these employees are working on fishing boats in the deep oceans or are on oil drilling rigs, they are often put in dangerous situations when the storms arise or the boats tip.
That is why the Professional Fish Harvester’s Certification Board is helping the Fish Harvesting Safety Association in Newfoundland and Labrador to address all sorts of workplace injuries in offshore fishing. The organizations want to raise association throughout the world about the illnesses and fatalities that can arise from working on one of these fishing boats. The organizations say that the fish harvesting industry is incredible dangerous, and many fail to protect workers as they should.
A newly created organization called the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association will be comprised of 13 board members that were nominated by their stakeholder group. The board members will represent the fish harvesting industry and advocate on behalf of fisherman who are at risk out on the ocean. According to studies, there have been 23 deaths related to the fishing industry in the past 7 years and more than 1,000 accidents that resulted in work recovery. The fishing industry has had to pay out about $98 million in claim costs and claim liabilities to workers who were harmed while on the job.
If you are an offshore fisherman and you were injured, then you also have the right to obtain the money you need from the company that did not advocate for your safety. While many companies are trying to reform offshore fishing industries in order to better care for those that are working on the vessels, there are times that workers are negligent or foolish. Contact an attorney at Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman today if you want more information about worker’s compensation and offshore fishing.