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Injury Prevention Resources for Fishing - Diving


General Safety | Vessel and Crew Safety | Diving | Fish Processing

The following links list tools, publications, and other resources to help prevent the most common injuries and illnesses in the commercial fishing industry. These resources may not meet all the requirements for health and safety in British Columbia. Please check the Workers Compensation Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, and related materials for specific WorkSafeBC requirements.

Fish Spine Injuries new item

This brochure, created for the British Columbia fishing industry, explains the dangers of exposure to the toxic spines of dogfish, ratfish, rockfish, and sea urchins, and how to prevent fish spine injuries. Also outlined are first aid procedures, and when a spine puncture should be considered a medical emergency.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (382 KB)

Treatment Guidelines for Marine Puncture Wounds new item

A marine puncture wound can cause serious injury and may also result in a serious infection. This document outlines how to treat toxic fish spine puncture wounds.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (289 KB)

Conducting safe diving operations at your workplace - WorkSafe Bulletin 07-07

"Divers employed in British Columbia must comply with the requirements of Part 24 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The responsibility for compliance rests not only with the employer of the divers but also with the owner of the site who contracts with the diving company."
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF & HTML

Training Providers for SCUBA

The courses offered by the agencies listed for diving training below are acceptable to the Workers' Compensation Board with reference to Section 24.26(4) of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (420 KB)

Commercial Diving

"Professional divers consist of a diverse group of individuals and companies involved in a wide range of activities. Divers are exposed not only to the possibility of drowning but also to a variety of occupational safety and health hazards such as respiratory and circulatory risks, hypothermia, low visibility, and physical injury from the operation of heavy equipment under water."
Source: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
* HTML

Diving - Health and Safety Executive (UK)

"HSE seeks a significant and sustained reduction in fatal and major accidents across all sectors of the diving industry. The following pages explain what HSE is doing to achieve this as well as providing access to a range of information about health and safety in the diving industry."
Source: Health and Safety Executive (UK)
* HTML

Deaths Associated with Occupational Diving -- Alaska, 1990-1997

"During 1989-1997, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recorded 116 occupational diving fatalities in the United States (OSHA, unpublished data, 1998) ... This report describes three of these incidents, summarizes the results of the review, and provides recommendations to improve the safety of commercial diving."
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
* HTML

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