Campaign aims to cut man overboard deaths on fishing vessels

A NEW campaign has been launched to help prevent man overboard deaths on fishing boats.

Run by the Fishing Industry Fishing Group (FISG), the Home and Dry campaign is the second annual safety awareness drive by the organisation.

Falling overboard is a major cause of death on fishing vessels of all sizes. Since 2011, the Marine Accident Investigation Board have recorded 37 fatalities due to fishermen falling overboard or ending up in the water, representing 60 per cent of all deaths on fishing boats.

The highest number was on those vessels measuring 15m or less in length.

Home and Dry has three main messages for fishermen:

• Do your risk assessments. What can you do to prevent someone falling overboard.
• Do your drills. Practise how you would recover someone from the water.
• Wear a personal flotation device (PFD). Always wear a PFD on deck and ensure it is being worn correctly. Wearling a personal locator beacon is also highly recommended.

The campaign also comes with videos directly from fishermen for fishermen. These highlight personal accounts from commercial fishermen showing what simple steps can be taken to reduce man overboard incidents.

More information and support resources are available at www.homeanddry.uk

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