Naloxone training and availability in the US commercial fishing industry

INTRODUCTION

Workers in physically demanding jobs with high injury rates, long hours, productivity pressures, and lack of job security, such as commercial fishing, are at higher risk for substance use and misuse. In the United States, the federal government is urging employers to consider having naloxone available to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, especially in workplaces. This study examined naloxone training, naloxone availability, and level of concern over substance use in commercial fishing.

METHODS

As part of a larger study of commercial fishing vessel captains, we asked participants how worried they are about various potential problems, including substance use by crew members, using a five-point scale. We also asked whether they had completed naloxone training and whether their vessel was equipped with naloxone.

RESULTS

Of the 61 vessel captains who participated, 10 had naloxone training. Most were "not at all worried" about a crew member misusing alcohol (n = 52; 85.2%), a crew member using marijuana (n = 50; 82.0%), a crew member using other drugs (n = 49; 80.3%), or a crew member having a drug overdose (n = 52; 86.7%). Only five fishing vessels were equipped with naloxone.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that few fishing vessels are equipped with naloxone or have captains trained in its use. Fishing captains tend not to be worried about substance use in their crew. Given the higher rate of overdose deaths in the fishing industry compared to other industries, having more vessels equipped with naloxone and captains trained to administer it could save lives.

Field test of two mobile apps for commercial fishing safety: Feedback from fishing vessel captains

BACKGROUND

Unique hazards make commercial fishing a hazardous occupation. Effective safety measures exist, but numerous barriers hinder their adoption. Two mobile apps aim to make performing crucial safety practices easier: the Small Craft Motion Program (SCraMP), which provides vessel stability information, and FVdrills, which provides checklists for running safety drills.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to obtain feedback from commercial fishing captains who tested SCraMP or FVdrills for its usefulness during typical fishing operations.

METHODS

A convenience sample of commercial fishing captains with iOS devices tested either FVdrills or SCraMP. After one month, participants provided feedback via online questionnaire. The main outcome variables were self-reported app use and perceived usefulness of the app.

RESULTS

Thirty-two participants who were asked to try FVdrills (n = 16) or SCraMP (n = 16) completed follow-up questionnaires. Twelve participants in the FVdrills group (75.0%) reported using the app. Of these 12, eight (66.7%) rated FVdrills "Very" or "Extremely" useful, and 11 (91.7%) agreed that FVdrills is "easy to use." Nine participants in the SCraMP group (56.3%) reported using the app. Of these nine, only one participant (11.1%) rated SCraMP "Very" or "Extremely" useful and only two (22.2%) agreed that SCraMP is "easy to use."

CONCLUSION

Commercial fishing captains who already own a smartphone or tablet may be willing to try a new mobile app addressing safety issues related to their work. App developers and safety professionals should conduct multiple rounds of formative evaluation, field-testing, and refinement to optimize ease of use and usefulness.

The Receptivity to Safety-Related Mobile Apps Among Commercial Fishing Captains: Descriptive Exploratory Study

BACKGROUND

Mobile apps addressing a variety of workplace safety issues have proliferated over the last decade as mobile technology has advanced and smartphone ownership has increased. Workplace safety interventions are often designed for a specific work site. However, some of the most dangerous jobs are ones in which workers frequently change field locations, such as commercial fishing. Mobile apps may be particularly suitable for delivering safety interventions to these workers.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to gauge the potential for using mobile apps to deliver safety interventions to commercial fishing workers. The purpose of this paper is to describe how fishermen use their mobile devices during fishing operations and identify any mobile apps they already use for safety.

METHODS

Participants comprised commercial fishing captains who already owned an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. They completed a questionnaire that asked about their current mobile device use and their use of safety-related mobile apps, in addition to questions about their fishing operations. We performed descriptive analyses of the data.

RESULTS

A total of 61 participants completed the questionnaire. The most common types of mobile devices participants reported owning were iPhones (n=36, 59%) and Android phones (n=24, 39%). Most participants (n=53, 87%) reported using their mobile device for both work and personal purposes, including while out at sea (n=52, 85%). Over half of the participants reported that they had either safety-related apps (n=17, 28%) or apps that help them with their work (n=35, 57%). The types of apps most frequently mentioned were apps for weather, wind, tides, and navigation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicate that some commercial fishing captains who own a mobile device are receptive to using safety-related apps for work. Apps that help avoid hazards by monitoring environmental conditions and apps optimized for use on smartphones may be most likely to be adopted and used. Overall, these results suggest that mobile apps are a promising avenue for improving safety among workers in commercial fishing and similar occupations.

Working hours, sleep, and fatigue in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector: A scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry (AgFF) workers often work extremely long hours during peak production seasons, resulting in sleep deprivation and fatigue. The National Occupational Research Agenda has classified fatigue as a "significant safety issue" and area of concern for many industry sectors, including AgFF. This review explores current research and practice in AgFF and proposes next steps.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping literature review to examine the extent and nature of research in this area. Article inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed journal articles written in English; published after 1989; covering AgFF workers in high-income countries; with data on working hours/schedules and sleep related to safety and health.

RESULTS

Limited research has addressed long hours and sleep deprivation among AgFF workers. We identified 8350 articles for title and abstract review. Among those, 407 underwent full-text review and 96 met all inclusion criteria (67% agriculture, 25% fishing/seafood processing, 8% forestry). The literature provided some evidence fatigue contributes to fatalities, injuries, and illnesses in AgFF. Older, new, young, foreign-born, and female workers, as well as those who work in small organizations or longer hours (40+) may be at higher risk for fatigue-related injury and illness. Few studies have developed or evaluated interventions to control risks.

DISCUSSION

Given that fatigue is a factor in injury and illness for this sector, future AgFF surveillance and research should increase efforts to capture fatigue and sleep data, directly investigate the role of long hours and nonstandard work schedules in the sector, and most importantly, create practical interventions to manage fatigue.

Possibilities of biocompatible material production using conform SPD technology

Purpose: At present, materials research in the area of SPD (severe plastic deformation) processes is very intensive. Materials processed by these techniques show better mechanical properties and have finer grain when compared to the input feedstock. The refined microstructure may be ultrafine-grained or nanostructured, where the grain size becomes less than 100 nm. One of the materials used for such processes is CP (commercially pure) titanium of various grades, which is widely used for manufacturing dental implants. The article deals with one of the technologies available for the production of ultrafine-grained titanium: Conform technology. CP titanium processed by CONFORM technology exhibits improved mechanical properties and very favourable biocompatibility, due to its fine-grained structure. The article presents the current experience in the production of ultrafine CP titanium using this technology. The main objective of this article is describing the behaviour of CP titanium during forming in the Conform device and its subsequent use in dental implantology. Design/methodology/approach: In the present study, commercially pure Grade 2 titanium was processed using the CONFORM machine. The numerical simulation of the process was done using FEM method with DEFORMTM software. The evaluation was performed by simple tensile testing and transmission electron microscopy. The first conclusions were derived from the determined mechanical properties and based on analogies in available publications on a similar topic. Findings: This study confirmed that the SPD process improves mechanical properties and does not impair the ductility of the material. The CONFORM process enables the continuous production of ultrafine-grained or nanostructured materials. Research limitations/implications: At the present work, the results show the possible way of continuous production of ultrafine-grained or nanostructured materials. Nevertheless, the further optimization is needed in order to improve the final quality of wires and stabilize the process. As these factors will be solved, the technology will be ready for the industry. Practical implications: The article gives the practical information about the continuous production of ultrafine-grained pure titanium Grade 2 and the possibility of use this material for dental implants. Originality/value: The present paper gives information about the influence of the CONFORM technology on final mechanical and structural properties with the emphasis on technological aspects

The development and efficacy of safety training for commercial fishermen

Commercial fishing is still the most dangerous occupation in the United States. Efforts to have more stringent safety regulations in this industry beginning in the 1960s, culminated in the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Act of 1988. The purpose of this paper is to provide a short history of the development of safety training in the United States and the current training infrastructure. This paper will also review studies available regarding the effectiveness of safety training in reducing fatalities among fishermen. The lack of familiarity and practice with marine survival equipment such as life rafts, immersion suits, and emergency-locating beacons has been noted in National Transportation Safety Board and US Coast Guard casualty reports as a contributing factor in fatalities. These reports have demonstrated the importance of not just having survival equipment onboard, but training in how to use it effectively in an emergency. There is evidence that safety training has made a measurable impact in surviving an emergency at sea and that recent training (within 5 years) is most effective in saving lives. More recently, studies have been completed to understand how skills may diminish over time since initial training.