Workplace Health and Safety in Fisheries and Aquaculture
Overview
Workplace fatalities and injuries in fishing and aquaculture make it one of the most dangerous occupations in Australia. The FRDC’s National RD&E Seafood Industry Safety Initiative partnership, established in 2018, builds on and broadens previous FRDC investment in this area. The Initiative was developed as a cross stakeholder partnership to address research gaps in the workplace health and safety space of the Australian seafood industry.
The FRDC are working with industry, community, regulatory and research partners to achieve positive cultural change in the safety of the Australian seafood industry. The Strategic Plan and Terms of Reference developed by members of the initiative to guide its activities can be found below. The FRDC is also a participant, with eight other RDCs, in the Rural Safety and Health Alliance (RSHA). The RSHA aims to improve Australia’s primary production safety record by investing in practical RD&E solutions informed by industry input on work, health and safety risks.
Research Management
- National RD&E Seafood Industry Safety Initiative. Membership of the Seafood Industry Safety Initiative is comprised of national industry leaders and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
- Rural Safety and Health Alliance (RSHA). Nine RDC’s, including the FRDC are participants in the RSHA which is aimed at improving safety in Australia’s primary production sectors.
Marine Safety
Workplace fatalities in fishing and aquaculture make it one of the most dangerous sectors for workers in Australia. The FRDC’s Seafood Industry Safety & Welfare National Strategy, established in 2018, builds on and broadens previous FRDC investment in this area, committing research funding around the following four key areas:
- Education: the development of electronic learning tools to facilitate the uptake of knowledge required for an improved culture of safety awareness, including general workplace safety requirements under workplace health and safety legislation and Australian Maritime Safety Authority legislation.
- Adoption of a new ‘safety focused’ culture within the industry: for example, through the promotion of ‘marine safety champions’ or the development of capabilities to ensure that safety regulations are adopted.
- Behaviour, understanding and influencing: for example, to understand the inhibitors and motivators for behaviour change in relation to industry safety.
- Coordination and communication: to ensure all FRDC marine safety projects are linked and collaborate effectively, and will establish a process for collecting and reporting statistics on marine safety and welfare.
Key Resources
Key Publications
Current Research
- 2017-194 “SeSAFE: Delivering Industry Safety through Electronic Learning”
- 2017-224 “Southern Rock Lobster Clean Green program, Revision, Digitisation & Extension”
- 2017-231 “To develop a national marine safety extension resource toolkit and to trial with all fisheries jurisdictions”
Past Research